A coastal crossover with Kaiya Rivers
Some days, I chase waves.
Other days, the fish chase me.
Yesterday was both.
The swell was clean — shoulder high and glassy — just offshore from a cove I only share with my closest crew (and even then, only after three rounds of grilled snapper and a promise to keep it secret). I paddled out in my Ocean Crew rashguard and surf shorts — lightweight, quick-dry, and made to move — and caught two solid lefts before the lineup went quiet.
That’s when I felt them.
Sleek shadows darting beneath the surface. Long, fast, curious. A small pod of juvenile barracudas had decided to hang around the reef. Not threatening, just... watching. A reminder that the ocean’s always watching back.
I ditched the board and dove.
No tank, no fins. Just me, the reef, and a pocket full of adrenaline.
The barracudas flashed silver in the light, darting through coral like underwater lightning. It was one of those rare moments where you’re not surfing or diving or fishing — you’re just part of the water.
Back on shore, I hung my wet gear on a driftwood rack we built last season and threw on my Ocean Crew hoodie. Still salty, still smiling.
That’s the thing about life by the tide — it doesn’t need to choose between wild or calm. It is both. Just like me.
Catch you in the lineup. Or the reef. Or somewhere between. 🌊
— Kaiya Rivers
#BoardsAndBarracudas #TheOceanCrew #LifeByTheTide