I was lucky to be still enjoying my Turkey Day. The severity of Sand dollar on that day became much more apparent when helicopters began circling the beach park later that afternoon. Apparently, an unlucky 27-year-old surfer went to check the chaos from a little bit too close of a vantage point. While up on the aforementioned rocks, which at low tide become climbable from the beach, he was swept off by a huge set and never seen again. Without a suit, in that kind of turmoil - he had no chance. His family was down on the beach walking back and forth hoping for signs of their lost one, not wanting to go to dinner that night. But there was no sign.




Late arrival BK shows up just before sunset, grabs his board, throws on his suit and sprints down to the beach to go try and paddle out. This was despite our protests that it was a little too big to be rideable. At first, I thought it was disrespectful to the family, the way Blake went down there, talking to the mother, who asked him to look for her son's body. But if you know BK, he is a very brave and very respectful person. He just expects to be able to not only make it out there, but also to also surf a few gigantic waves, find the kid's body, and then haul it in on his board to the beach. Then he would go drink a beer and play with his dog Willow. Well, I watched the ensuing debacle from the top of the cliffs with my warm beanie on and my warmest yellow vest. There is BK, dangling off the very rocks that a person was dashed to their demise earlier in the day, he leaps onto a surging tide and is gone from view. Five minutes later he is smack dab in the middle of the several mile long bay duck diving one white water ball after another.




He battles for another five or ten minutes, actually believing at some point he is going to make it out, and then finally, he has to put his tail between his legs and ride whitewater in like a frickin' rodeo rider. Much props for a gnarly effort! Later at the campfire he is claiming: "Yeah, I almost made it out, I went off the absolute furthest part of the rock and almost made it . . . and then just got drilled!" Yes, BK, you and I both got drilled, but we lived to tell the tale. Cold water is not easy to survive in without a wetsuit. There have been surf sessions at Sand Dollar in the past that were a little mellower than that infamous year. But the chances that a Big Sur Turkey Weekend will have waves are almost one hundred percent. We keep our fingers crossed that the ocean will clean up for at least one or two sessions worth during the whole weekend. Sand Dollar is so exposed that anything gets in there. Wind swell magnet in the summer, doomsday Maverick's size swells dead on in the winter. This special place has a warm spot in our hearts, even when gales strike and everyone is huddled under a tarp and holding to the strings so it doesn't blow away. We can be soaked, inebriated, and weary, but at the same time stoked, initiated, and cheery. The morning after a squall can bring sunshine, beautiful hikes in fresh smelling woods and coastal trails begging to show to an observant eye the delights of nature. Each time we gather in Big Sur there are poignant moments that become etched upon my memory. From absurd BBQs to a Pi�ata smashing and from Frisbee golf on the bluffs to basketball games at the school just around the corner, there is always some fun adventure to get involved with!

ER Harris
surf photography by: Brian Emery