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The Ocean Can Be Unpredictable
At an age when most kids were learning to ride a bike or play T-ball, Jason Clauss was already an experienced surfer. He grew up near the eastern tip of Long Island, New York, with the Atlantic Ocean practically in his backyard, and was riding waves by the time he was five.
As he was growing up, Jason, now 26, saw firsthand how unpredictable the ocean could be. His younger brother, Josh, still talks about the day 13 years earlier when he was caught in a riptide and a teenage Jason rushed out, grabbed him and held his head above water long enough for a passing surfer to help haul him to safety.
"I guess it was dramatic to Josh." Jason smiles and then shrugs.
It's a laid-back surfer's mentality that comes from spending so much time floating quietly in the ocean, waiting for the waves to get wild, and knowing that when it happens, you've got just seconds to react.
From a surfer's perspective, last July 20 was a gorgeous afternoon. Offshore storms had churned up the Atlantic, generating some tempting waves. Jason joined his brother and two friends at nearby Dolphin Lane Beach, a quiet spot popular with the locals. Although there were no lifeguards, and signs warning "Swim at Your Own Risk" were posted everywhere, it was generally considered a safe, family-friendly place where folks went to sit and relax in the sun.
Jason got in a good two hours of surfing before he decided to call it a day. He was on the beach peeling off his wet suit when a small boy came running up. "Two kids are in trouble," he sputtered, pointing. Jason looked toward the rolling water. He could make out what looked like two swimmers at least 50 yards from shore. Not very experienced swimmers, he figured. Both were splashing like crazy and waving their arms, as though they were struggling to stay afloat.
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