Mount Pleasant Magazine July/August 2017

feature

BY KRYSTA CHAPMAN

Mother

Ocean

Local Kids Hear theCall

andHit theWaves

hen the sun is shining, the waves are

rolling in and the day is begging to be

enjoyed, you can bet you’ll find a solid

lineup of surfers waiting to catch the

perfect set of waves. But it’s not just the adults who

are setting their sights on the shoreline. Instead, kids

of all ages are paddling past the break and right into

the action as they help usher in the surf culture for the

Charleston area’s youth.

Excited to know more about the who, where and

when, I caught up with five young shredders as they

headed to the beach to catch the afternoon break and fill

me in on how they got their start surfing the mellow waves

of the Lowcountry coast.

With their school, Sullivan’s Island Elementary, a short

walk from the sand’s edge and weekends spent enjoying

the beach, surfing has become second nature for these kids

growing up in the Carolinas. It’s no surprise that they all

got into the sport the way most kids do – watching their

parents. All five kids were inspired by their dads to jump

in the water and paddle out and surf for the first time.

And while an obvious love and respect for the ocean

resides inside each of them, their favorite part of surfing

comes down to catching waves with friends – plain and

simple. For this group in particular, four boys and a girl,

Photos by Krysta Chapman.

Left to right: Cameron Foley, Wyatt Deaton,

Dubose Foley, Peyton Shaw and Liam Glowacki.