The North Shore isn’t your normal stretch of beach. Laying out is the last thing most of us think about when considering that particular coastline. Sure there are plenty of pristine places to do just that, or to snorkel and dive in a casual way. But that is in the summer, when surfers relocate to the South Shore and trade Pipeline for Ala Moana Bowls. Winter? That is a whole other story.
Winter sees mythical monsters shake themselves awake from their hibernation to bear down and wreck havoc on Pipe and Rocky Point and Sunset and Waimea and so on and so forth.
Fortunately for us, the North Shore Lifeguard Association keeps watch over us as “modern-day guardians of the sea” who constantly face down these 50 to 60-foot behemoths, learning to both live with them in harmony and respect as well as fight these untamable beasts when a surfer or swimmer feels their full wrath.
And to keep watch over us, they must be physically AND mentally fit. How do they maintain that high level of fitness? By eating right and prioritizing functional fitness, like “swimming, surfing, mountain biking, trail running, and other activities that keep them lean and flexible for when duty calls.”
“When you do this job,” Kumu Blomfield tells Q, “you walk home with respect. You feel like you’ve helped someone.”
Well… you likely have.
