Hirstein HEADlines: The Dawn Patrol

When we lived in Hawaii, Austin and I would start our day surfing in the early morning hours. The “Dawn Patrol” is the term coined by those in Hawaii who start their day watching the sunrise, waiting for a wave to ride. There are unspoken, yet real surfing rules Dawn Patrollers learn and follow; otherwise, it is just people enjoying themselves in nature. One of the best parts of this early morning activity is that no one asks about jobs or politics, or religion. One’s ethnic group doesn’t matter. I think of these categorizations as “constructs,” artificial inventions of people. What was not artificial was the ocean, the waves, and the desire of the Dawn Patrollers to ride a few good waves to start their days. They constitute an “us” that is open to anyone based on a love of surfing.