A good day to die?

[headmount]

Was it Little Big Man, where Chief Dan George said that line?  Well I don't know if any that you die day is good.  But also know we don't have a choice.   Liam Neesen just made that wolf movie Grey about going down fighting.  In my mind it's all Hollywood.  In the real world, one's last moments might be filled with terror.  I had an A-fib in '07 on a Maliko run, no bravado in that memory.  Didn't know it was an A-Fib but felt very close and really there was no glory in the incident except that I lived.   

A very close friend apparently launched  his OC-1  either soon before or just after Pono Bill and I launched yesterday  because LaPer and his partner, yet another Bill, found my old friend's paddle on their run.  We found out this morning that he had died. 

During the 70's there were a few years when I would wake up and call this same guy and we would hike all over the forested area above Kula till we found a suitable take off spot for our hang gliders.  It was big country and we loved the serenity of the whole experience. Kids, divorces, and our lives drifted apart but we always felt that great vibe whenever we ran into each other.  Then a several years ago, I start running into him again at Maliko gulch.  We discovered we had changed from big sky to big ocean.  He had been one of the top guys surfing at Ala Moana in the 60's but shied away from any limelight.  An unknown legend except for those that were there.  So returning to ocean activities with this down winding deal was a great reunion for him, without all the contention of the crowded surf scene. 

Yesterday was a day that Maliko is known for.  Full-on high octane energy.  I don't know if it was a good day to die but it was his day and what a place to do it.  Aloha 'oe Buzzy.  (again not a Buzzy most of you might know.  This Buzzy was 66.)


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[PonoBill]

And a good place. If that's the last place I see on earth I'll figure I've exited well.

I'm not much of a believer in the old saw "at least he died doing what he loved" but at least going out doing something fun is an indication that he lived his life well. Didn't know him Bill, but any friend of yours is good by me.

[808sup]

Just found out about Buzzy this afternoon. So sad... He was a skilled waterman and I will miss him. I have surfed/kited/paddled with him over the last 10yrs. or so. Always a warm friendly  greeting every time we saw each other. i wish I knew him when we were both younger. A good friend and a terrible loss. Aloha for now Buzzy until we meet again.

[LaPerouseBay]

Condolences to all that knew Buzzy.

Kai Lenny was on the shuttle today.  He heard a rumor that a standup paddler died on the north shore of Oahu today.

Be safe everyone. 

[ReefShoes]

Deepest Condolences
Well written and thanks for sharing.
As the saying goes 'live every day like it's your last, and one day you'll be right.'
Hopefully there was serenity in his final moments.

[jdmotes]

 Sorry for your loss; RIP Buzzy...         Paddle on,            JD

[PaddleCrazy]

Sounds like some great memories, of some great times, from some great friends.

Condolences to those who will miss their friend from times past, and those more recent.

[hbsteve]

A sad time.  But, it seems he left plenty of good memories.

[stoneaxe]

My condolences. Sounds like he lived an enviable life. Always tough to have a friend die but easier to take if the memories are so special.

[Easy Rider]

Sorry to hear this.   
All the best for his family.




I too hope to go out doing something I love. 
Snowboarding / Skateboarding / SUP / Rally racing / etc .

[soulpaddler]

It's always sad to hear something like this.  I sounds like he lived a full life, and would love to know how much he is missed.

[Takeo]

A reminder to us all on the precious gift of life! Last June I almost drowned fishing and life has taken on a whole new meaning.  Condolences to Buzzy's family.  To my ocean friends here, "Live It"!

[bts]

Very sad.

Deaths like this or Iggy's underscore how unforgiving the environment we play in truly is. Something survivable on the golf course will be a game ender off shore.

[TDoc]

I'd rather die on the ocean than survive on a golf course...
Especially if it meant only golf and no surf...
In many ways, Harold Iggy went the best way ever...
He was in good shape...
Doing what he loved...
And seems like it was pretty quick.

Them that go don't care...
It's us left behind that feel sorrow.

I deal with a parent that had a stroke a decade ago...
She wants to die as many days as she wants to live.

[bts]

If all you did was golf, it would sure feel like you're living forever.

Someone who's active, surfing frequently to stay fit, who's heart stops out of the blue...gotta figure that active life bought them a bunch of years. In general, this stuff falls under the "good for you" column.

Just saying there are better places to have a heart attack, seizure, or fainting spell.  I'd probably still go even if I was sick...maybe wear a pfd or whatever.