Hey Dibi: How Can We Help Our Friends On The North Shore?

Editor’s Note: Have a question for Dibi Fletcher? She’s definitely got answers. Or at least a perspective. Don’t hold back, shoot her a DM on Instagram and ask away. Here’s this week’s dispatch from the Matriarch of Radical…

Hey Dibi… I’ve lived on the North Shore for 50 years and I don’t think the extent of the recent flooding will be calculated for months if not years. I see people posting that when the trade winds pickup in a few days and blow the brown mud sludge out into the ocean it will be cool to paddle out again. Do you think that’s true? - Can’t Unsee It
Hey Can’t Unsee It… I think it’s going to take a lot more than the wind switching directions to make any kind of significant change. The runoff isn’t just mud, but a mixture of pesticides, human waste, gasoline, and other toxins that will devastate the marine ecosystem for years. A few big swells and offshore winds will push the “brown” water out farther to sea so it won’t be so visually apparent, but I’m afraid the sediment of toxic chemicals will remain and create a marine graveyard far into the future.

Hey Dibi.. I’ve been watching the devastation on the North Shore and want to know the best way to help. Do you have any suggestions? - Want To Help
Hey Want to Help… I’ve also been watching, and although the devastation is catastrophic, it has been truly amazing to see the community band together as it must to help each other; it’s been a beautiful thing to see. I’ve just spoken with my friends @dahuiofficial, who are setting up a 501C with Jason Momoa, @prideofgypsies, to get help into the hands of the people who so desperately need it. Please follow their account to get updates.

Hey Dibi… People call surfing spiritual. I’ve had moments out there that felt bigger than me, but I’ve also has sessions that felt empty and pointless. Is the meaning real… or are we just projecting onto the waves? - Zen of Surf
Hey Zen of Surf… Both. It’s like life. Some days it’s transcendent. Some days it’s an exercise in frustration. That’s the balance. If it was perfect every time you wouldn’t appreciate it, the inconsistency is what keeps the vibe alive.

Hey Dibi… Everyone I surf with talks about loving the ocean, but they seem to be pretty hypocritical as mass consumers of goods, constantly flying, diving and leaving a trail of trash in their wake. Is loving the ocean just something they say? - Environment First
Hey Environment First… For a lot of people, yes. It’s language, not behavior. Real care is usually quiet and inconvenient. It doesn’t photograph well. It looks like doing less, fixing things, picking up trash that isn’t yours. You don’t need to call anyone out. Just don’t confuse what people say with what they practice. Be the difference yourself, it will likely have more of a ripple effect then you imagine.

Hey Dibi… My home break is now in every surf guide and every app. What used to feel like ours now feels like a revolving door. Do you adept—or fight for what it was? - Crowded Out
Hey Crowded Out… You won’t win a fight against exposure. That door doesn’t close again. But you can hold the line on behavior. Not with fists—with presence. Consistency. Let people feel that this place has a rhythm they didn’t invent. Places change. Tone doesn’t have to. You’re not guarding a secret anymore; you’re setting a standard. S filled is full of kids who were told they were.

Hey Dibi… My son wants to be a pro surfer. We’ve arranged our lives around it, school, money, home address. He’s good, but not “once in a generation” good. At what point do you stop feeding the dream without killing the kid? - All In SC
Hey All In SC… Dreams don’t need feeding; they need truth. The surf scene is full of kids who were told they were special until it was too late to be anything else. Your job isn’t to decide if he makes it. It’s to make sure he’s still standing if he doesn’t. Give him structure and options. Let him chase it, but don’t build a life that only works if he wins. Help him recognize the lessons he’s learning apply to more then surfing, they are the building blocks  that develop character for the challenges in a long fulfilling life.