Personally, I think water fascinates us because the waves make us untouchable. On land it’s hard to run away so no one can find you, but that’s not the case in open water, where there are no boundaries and no rules. Where surfers are concerned, as long as you don’t purposely endanger another person, you’re not accountable to anyone else; the only life you’re responsible for is your own. With that freedom comes the realization that 'safety' is very relative, and by no means a guarantee out here. But I suppose that’s why, when I needed to get away from Phelan Price and my brother Nate, my first thought was to grab my board and hit the surf, to keep paddling until I could see neither hide nor hair of land or my brother’s ridiculously fucked-up life. I knew no one would follow.