To my ocean athlete friends, Would you be the one talking or the one being talked about?

Excerpt from The Wave, by Susan Casey (Ironically also author of The Devil's Teeth.) pp: 125-126

"Far from instilling cockiness, their years of survival validated the attitude that had been there from the start: profound respect. Though none of the three had actually been born in Hawaii, they were native in their outlook, so the point of superstition. Whenever Jaws broke, they always carried a ti leaf along on the Jet Ski - a Polynesian tradition when going on a risky journey-for protection. 'You take the leaf out,' Hamilton explained, 'and the leaf brings you home.' For all the flash and technology that went along with tow surfing, they believed in timeless principles like karma, that a person gets back what he gives out, and they understood the hubris of humans trying to impose their will on the ocean."

"...In this belief system, to rush around after a cash prize for the title of First Man to Ride a Hundred-Foot Wave was to tempt fate. 'As soon as Billabong put the golden carrot up, that was when the carnage started,' Hamilton said. 'That was the beginning of skis on the rocks, guys getting hauled away. Everyone came out of the woodwork to get their shot at it.'

'They didn't need to outsurf anybody, Kalama said. 'They just needed to stand in the right place long enough for someone to take a picture.'

'How big was my wave?' Hamilton said, in a mocking whine. 'Is my wave bigger than his wave? His was sixty-eight feet? Well, mine was sixty-eight and a half. Biggest, longest, widest, tallest - what is it, a dog show?' "

Bruckner Chase
718 Bay Avenue
Ocean City, NJ 08226
Mobile: 831-345-9550
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A special Thank You and message for 2012
2011 ended with some incredible endorsements of the work Michelle and I began in earnest just one year ago. We received a prestigious Hollings Ocean Grant from the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, I was honored as a nominee for Open Water Swimming Man of the Year by the World Open Water Swimming Association, and we began work on probably the only high school class in the world to teach Open Water Swimming & Ocean Science with the Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the American Samoa Dept of Education. I have huge goals for 2012 to expand our positive impact around the world. I started 2012 with a 6 AM New Year's Day flight to American Samoa, and in the paraphrased words of Harry, "When you realize how you want to spend the rest of your life doing what you love with the person you love, you want that life to begin as soon as possible." (When Harry Met Sally) As for the voting, I finished 4th out of an elite group, and I was encouraged that an "Ocean Positive" message was valued so highly by so many around the world. Now...onward, and check back here often. The ocean is calling, and we need you to answer that call.

Bruckner Chase
718 Bay Avenue
Ocean City, NJ 08226
Mobile: 831-345-9550
Skype: 831-440-7396
skype: bruckner.chase
www.brucknerchase.com

To Diana Nyad: Was very sad to read the recent article in the NY Times. In my experience long distance ocean swimming has created a connection in our family that spans generations while also creating local and global ties to individuals and communities that continue to enrich our lives in countless ways. I have logged countless hours in the oceans and have been stung by more jellyfish than anyone could count. I would suggest that the Demons you are facing in the ocean are ones you are bringing with you from land. In my experience finding serenity in chaos and recognizing the depth of enlightenment in every ocean experience allow for successes far greater than the fleeting and misguided perception that it is even possible to "Conquer" a channel or crossing.

From the NY Times, Elizabeth Weil, 12/1 on Diana Nyad, "To be a person possessed by marathon swimming is not an easy lot. Nyad describes it as “the loneliest sport in the world.” And when it’s not lonely, it’s awful. A marathon swimmer can expect chafing, nausea, hypothermia, swollen lips, an irritated mouth, diarrhea, sleep deprivation." I don't think you are doing it right, Bruckner Chase-Ocean Positive

It does not have to have a sound byte name like Extreme or Ultra. It does not have to be a World Record, a first or a major media event to have purpose. Find what you love and embrace the challenges along the way. The rewards will always come.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pGSNzcuzvQ&feature=share



Bruckner Chase

skype: bruckner.chase
www.brucknerchase.com

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ms-silver_steve_jobs_michael_oher_life_100711

....and puts in perspective what we take from our own morning ocean plunge in a wetsuit or massive ocean crossing following the strictest of rules. Take a look at what is going on in the ocean when you don't have your face in the water. What are you going to do to help others connect with what you love?

If any person ever embodied this philosophy it was Jobs. God help us...we can't even think originally enough to avoid remaking Footloose.
"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.
Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
Howard Thurman

http://blog.ted.com/2011/10/05/remembering-steve-jobs/

Bruckner Chase
718 Bay Avenue
Ocean City, NJ 08226
Mobile: 831-345-9550
Skype: 831-440-7396
skype: bruckner.chase
www.brucknerchase.com

Long before I met my first real jellyfish I ran really long distances, and most of us did it for the pure joy of the experience. There were always a couple who seemed to miss the point that meant everything to the rest of us, so this is for my marathon swimming friends concerned about how others choose to experience the water...:"If the shoe fits...

After years of being landlocked and hardly touching chlorine I was forced back to the pool while recovering from what would become my last ultra-distance run. I had always preached that swimming is one of those rare activities that we can take with us for a lifetime. Water demands an athlete’s full attention, and the medium is as happy to stop forward progress, as it is to pull you under. When swimming moves beyond the pool anything becomes possible. At times knowledge lets old guys rule or at other times distance and conditions give women the edge. I had originally come to open water swimming as a triathlete just wanting to get to his bike. This time I came to the ocean seeking the opportunity to discover what was beneath every wave.

Bruckner Chase

Thanks to US Masters Swimmer Magazine and a great article from Jim Harper and Steven Munatones. What if we felt the same way about our favorite open water venue as we do about our favorite running trails or bike routes? What would you do to keep them healthy, clean and safe so that you don't need inoculations to jump in and you won't hit plastic bags as you crest the waves.

http://www.brucknerchase.com/uploads/USMS_Swimmer-OceanActionArticle-BChase.pdf


Bruckner Chase
718 Bay Avenue
Ocean City, NJ 08226
Mobile: 831-345-9550
Skype: 831-440-7396
skype: bruckner.chase
www.brucknerchase.com

The connection is the same for all of us.  How we discover and then express that connection is unique to each of us.  Click to read more...