The Maui Effect (Man-Made Trilogy #1)

Mountains of Water

‘Iwa

As ‘Iwa knew all too well, you might have all the latest equipment and all the best forecasts, all the knowledge in the world, but you were still one hundred and ten percent at the mercy of the elements. Manuel had slowly been motoring out and away from the point. He seemed nervous, which made her nervous. She watched Yeti and Dane sitting near each other, speaking, then Yeti paddled back to the boat.

“This is where it goes downhill,” he said, as he climbed up.

Kama grabbed Yeti’s board, a long white gun with a red lightning bolt on it. “Man, you can feel it brewing.”

“What about Dane?” ‘Iwa asked, trying to keep her voice casual.

“He’ll be in soon enough. He wants that XXL, maybe a little too much.”

Now it wasn’t so much the size of the waves, but a certain ferocity to them that sent shivers down to the bone. And their angle seemed to be shifting slightly, creating more closeouts. Even ‘Iwa could tell. Building swell always made her uneasy. She thought back to a time when she was younger—she and two friends had been out surfing, the waves playful and shoulder high. Next thing they knew, they were out past the point and a friend of her dad’s nodded to them and said, “You girls are pretty far out, better head in.”

None of them had even realized how far out they had drifted, but instead of paddling in, they got sucked in the rip farther down the coast and out. A huge set broke outside, double the size of what they were used to, washing them apart from each other. ‘Iwa’s leash stretched to the point where her leg felt ready to rip off, then the leash snapped.

By now she was out in deep water—sharky water—with no board and a throbbing ankle. Trying not to panic, she let the water carry her. Never fight it , her dad used to tell her. At the next cove over, she managed to ride the whitewater to shore where it coughed her up on the sandy beach, exhausted. Wendy had already washed in down the way, but Caroline was missing. All ‘Iwa could think was, How am I going to tell her parents? But a little while later, the lifeguards told them that a fishing boat had picked up Caroline and was taking her in to the Kahului boat ramp. It was a big wake-up call for all of them.

Out here, at Killers, the waves were of another magnitude. Broken body parts, blackouts and reef scrapes were part of the program. The guys seemed not to mind the risk, so she was trying not to mind it herself. But that was easier said than done.

“Holy mother,” Hope said, behind them, taking her camera from the tripod.

Just then, Manuel gunned the motor, heading for deeper water. The waves coming in looked like something from one of those apocalyptic movies, a computer-generated wall of blue migrating in from far across the ocean.

Kama stood at the stern, jaw slack. “Watch—Dane’s gonna go.”

Dane paddled for the first wave of the set, which dwarfed him as it pulled him up.

“He has no idea what’s coming,” Hope said, clicking away.

Yeti, with his hair wild, and wetsuit peeled down to his waist, said, “He knows. He just doesn’t care.”

His words chilled ‘Iwa. What did that even mean? How could he not care? It looked like he made the wave, but everyone else got annihilated by the second and subsequent waves of the set. They were way beyond the break now, and it was hard to tell what was happening beyond the mountains of water. The two jet skis zoomed in, their engines barely audible above the ocean’s roar.

“Two broken boards on the rocks in there,” Kama said, holding up the binocs and scanning.

“Dane’s?” ‘Iwa asked.

“Nope.”

The skis ferried guys to other boats and deposited them, but none brought Dane. He had all but disappeared. The feeling aboard went from mild concern to outright alarm. ‘Iwa tried to appear calm, but felt anything but.

Holmes flagged down the jet skis, and a young Mexican guy came right over. “Parsons is still somewhere in there, did you see him?”

“ Negativo. I go now.”

They watched him disappear in the gap between sets, the whole inside still a white swirling cauldron. A minute later the other ski followed.

“Damn, here comes another one,” Yeti said.

More swells moved in, just as big, if not bigger. No one had returned to the lineup, and the waves broke unridden. It went without saying that anyone on the inside was in trouble.

Kama came over and put his arm around ‘Iwa. “How you doing?”

“Worried.”

“He’ll be fine. He always is.”

Holmes chimed in. “Ramon and Z are top-notch. They’ll get him.”

“At least his board isn’t tombstoning,” Hope said.

‘Iwa shivered. “I don’t even want to know what that is.”

“When a surfer is down, way down, and the leash is still attached, it pulls the board partly under so it’s vertical with only the tip showing. Never—”

Yeti spoke calmly but firmly. “Let’s stick to what is happening.”

One of the skis came flying back out, catching air before splashing down. ‘Iwa got her hopes up, and then dashed when she saw an empty sled. When the set subsided, the other ski came back out with half a mint green board tucked in behind the driver’s leg. Her stomach twisted in on itself.

“Ah, hell. Come on, buddy,” Kama said.

“Let’s head down the coast a ways, on the off chance he went down there,” Holmes said to Manuel.

They picked up speed, heading into the wind and slamming hard against the chop. It was hard to see beyond the spray, but ‘Iwa kept her eyes on the shoreline, searching for any sign of Dane or his board. She had no idea how much time had elapsed, but knew it had been longer than anyone could hold their breath—much longer.

Then Kama yelled, “Hold up.”

Manuel cut the throttle.

“There’s someone on the cliff.”

‘Iwa was tempted to rip the binoculars out of his hands, when Manuel pulled out another pair and handed them to her. Heavy, clunky things with one side blurry, she aimed them at the shore. They were surprisingly strong, showing her rocks, rocks and more rocks. A patch of seagulls sunning themselves. A turf of grass. A man in a wetsuit standing on the top of an embankment. He was waving.

“Oh my God, it’s Dane!” she said.

At the same time, Kama said, “Is that a dog?”

Covering up a sob, she adjusted the binocs, focusing them on a small sand-colored dog standing next to Dane, then back up to his face, which was partly covered by one hand. It looked red. On the rocks below, there was no sign of the other half of his board.

“He’s holding his head, like maybe something’s happened,” she said.

“At least he’s standing, and he somehow got up the cliff, that’s a good sign,” Hope said.

“How the hell did he get up there?” Kama asked.

It appeared to be a sheer drop to the rocks below.

Holmes ran to the stern and pointed toward Dane, sending the two jet ski drivers closer to shore. There looked to be a shelf inside of them, where waves were breaking in a disorganized manner. Pillars of rock jutted up as though part of an ancient dinosaur spine.

“I’ve never seen anyone wash in this far down the coast,” he said.

“Do you think the skis can make it in there?” Kama asked.

“Doubtful. He’s going to need to swim out past the reef.”

Yeti, who had been consulting with Manuel, turned and said, “Either we wait till the swell drops or he has to swim out.”

Kama didn’t miss a beat. “I’m going in to help him. Get Ramon back out here and he can drop me.”

No one tried to dissuade him, and Holmes whistled for Ramon. It was impossible to imagine swimming in amongst the whitewater and rocks, but ‘Iwa was thankful. Ramon came by, picked up Kama, who brought a body board with him, and they were off.

Ashore, Dane followed the edge a short ways, weaving through a patch of green succulents, and then slipped down a chute of rocks that looked like it had a rope tied to it. The little dog followed him. When he reached the bottom, he disappeared behind rocks and whitewater, then appeared again, dog still by his side, barking at the water, or maybe at Dane, she couldn’t be sure.

Ten minutes later, Kama was onshore standing with Dane, who ‘Iwa could now see had a gash on his forehead. After a lot of hand gesturing, in a lull, they both jumped in and swam for clear water. Kama pushed the dog on the body board.

Hope dropped her binoculars. “They’re bringing the dog.”

Yeti shook his head. “It’s always something with those two.”

After a few tense minutes of watching Kama plow through the whitewater, with Dane helping hold the dog on the board, they made it into deeper water and were immediately scooped up by Ramon and Z. The mood in the boat flipped around, and relief swam through ‘Iwa like a long fish. But there was a voice in the back of her mind whispering, to love someone is to lose them, remember that .

Dane came aboard holding the scrawny little dog close to his chest. Blood trickled down the side of his face, but he was smiling with those sea-colored eyes that had turned an even deeper blue. The first thing he did was come over and kiss ‘Iwa, dog between them. She tasted blood on his lips, as Hope threw a towel over his shoulders.

“Sorry to put you through that,” he said.

‘Iwa held on to his arm. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

He sat on a cooler, shivering slightly and setting the dog in his lap. “This little girl showed me the way up the rocks. Someone tied a rope there and dug in notches to climb. Otherwise, I couldn’t see much beyond the surf. She climbed down and started licking my face and dancing all around me, barking. Then she led me up the hill.”

“We need to take care of your head,” Hope said, eyeing the two-inch gash above his left eye.

Holmes came over and opened a first-aid box that looked like something you might find in a hospital, not on a fishing boat. “We’re prepared for open heart surgery if need be. Can someone take the dog?”

‘Iwa reached out, but the dog bared her teeth and snarled.

“Try this,” Manuel said, handing her a hunk of ahi jerky.

She tried again, speaking softly and waving the fish. The dog narrowed its crusty eyes, but hunger won, and within a few minutes she was nestled against ‘Iwa. Poor thing was all spine and bones beneath a coat of wiry fur full of burrs.

“Are you sure that’s a dog? It looks more like a cross between a capybara and a porcupine,” Kama said.

“Be nice, that thing saved my life—ouch!” Dane yelled, as Holmes wiped his gash with alcohol.

“Sorry, bro, I need to clean it. Good news is, I think this butterfly tape will do the job, and no sign of concussion. Your pupils look normal.”

“Thanks, doc. So you think I’ll live?” Dane said.

“I’m afraid so.”

Yeti handed him water. “Drink up, soldier.”

“Where’s the coffee?”

“Water first.”

Dane took the stainless steel water bottle, downed the whole thing, then leaned over to pet the dog, his arm resting heavy on ‘Iwa’s leg.

“I’ve already named her,” he said.

Hope stood with her hands on her hips. “How do you know it doesn’t belong to the lighthouse, or someone else on the island?”

Manuel said, “There’s no one there permanently. Either someone dumped it, or it swam here somehow.”

Hope frowned. “Swam here? From where?”

“Maybe it fell off a boat, who knows? Stranger things have ended up on islands,” Yeti said, filling a small cup with water and offering it to the dog, who lapped it up with a small pink tongue.

“ It is a girl, and her name is Isla,” Dane said with finality.

“Stay still,” Holmes ordered.

He wiped the gash, while Dane closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, then taped it shut with hands that looked like they’d done this before. They had slowly motored out to sea, away from the surf break, and were in much calmer water. All the other boats had left, and the ocean still kept pumping in swells.

“Where are we going?” Dane asked.

“Back to Ensenada.”

“Doesn’t anyone want to surf again? All I need is a board.” For a moment, ‘Iwa thought he was serious, then he winked. “Nah, but seriously, thank you, guys. It wasn’t a two-wave hold-down, but it was close. It’s nice to know you have my back.”

“Always,” Kama said.

Hope too. “Always.”

Yeti nodded. “Always.”

It was only then that ‘Iwa realized she was shaking, and not from the cold. The possibility of losing Dane to the ocean had rocked her more deeply than she had imagined possible. Fear for yourself was one thing, but fear for another, something more slippery and more terrifying. It was a familiar place where helplessness reigned. A place ‘Iwa was not sure she was ready to return.