http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/makaha-surf-oahu-hawaii/

Just moments before, it had been a usual morning of surfing. Beyond the break, they could see normality, their fellows floating on a patch of flat sea that filled the space between sets. But things were all wrong at the waterline.

“Is this a time storm?” Amelia asked.

Dana began to nod, but stopped herself. “Yes.”

“How do we… are we going to be ok?” Danni worried.

“We are. Just don’t move.”

“What is it?” Danni asked, a legitimate edge in her voice. She was new to this beach. She’d heard how good the waves were here, but the stories about this beach’s unique perils had kept her away until today.

“I don’t know the science of it,” Dana said. “But the basic idea is that time wavers here for some reason. There are times when two waves can occupy the same space at the same time. That’s what makes it look like this.”

“Like it’s blurry.”

“Yeah.”

“I know it’s dangerous but… it’s also beautiful.”

A small smile crept onto Dana’s face. “I know,” she said quietly.

The time storms had plagued and bolstered this beach for as long as anyone could remember. No one knew exactly what they were, though it was believed they were a part of the perfect, tube-shaped pipes that formed at the break.

For a few long beats, the three women stood and watched the unearthly flow of water around them. It was difficult to process exactly what was happening. It was as if they could not trust their eyes. The laws of physics were being followed almost to the letter, but not quite. When they expected the last piece of a wave to begin to draw back, it would pause, or it would move left when by all rights it should have gone right.

There was a sound behind them. Probably a car door from a recent arrival. Dana was an old hand at this beach, and Amelia was composed by nature. But Danni had been jumpy since she arrived.

“Don’t!” Dana shouted, not flinching at the sound behind them. But Danni had already swung her head before realizing what she’d done. She immediately stopped.

“Am I…” she stuttered, real fear in her voice. “Am I going to die?”

Dana and Amelia burst into laughter. It was all they could do to stay still.

“Yes,” Dana finally managed to answer. “But when you snap back into shape, you’re going to have a bumpin’ headache.”

“How long do they last?” Amelia asked.

“Minute or two. Should be almost done.”

Dana didn’t know how other people thought of the time storms. She knew some were scared, others curious. For her, the time storms were a perfect test. She came here for the same reason everyone came here – she sought the perfect ride. Catching the perfect ride required patience. Inordinate patience.

The time storms were a perfect test for that. She enjoyed the rush, knowing the price of abandoning patience was a debilitating headache that would knock her out of commission for a day or two.

So she held her ground, looking out over the oddly wavering ocean. She took deep breaths, and dared the ocean to shake her calm.

Soon, a dozen seconds maybe, the storm would pass. The waves would begin to act like waves again, and she could paddle out to continue her quest. To prove her patience would be rewarded.