Damith - June 15, 2007

Damith, Vip and Asanka - Dec. 2006
Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka

Got a gloomy call from our Hikkaduwa friends, Asanka and Vip, last week. One of the boys, Damith, drowned while surfing. The waves were exceptionally big and choppy. The surf season is over in Hikkaduwa so no one else was out surfing with him. His body is still missing. They found his surfboard. Divers have searched and everyone is on the lookout.

The ocean can be a mysterious wonder.
I love green coconuts especially after a long surf session. My novice coconut cutting skills are an embarrassment. Damith was giving me a lesson.

Damith liked to have fun with his friends and loved to surf. He would surf every morning at 6am, which is not common for beach boys. The surf is the best early, when only a handful of people are out, there's no wind so the sea is calm as glass, and the waves are picture perfect.

That is how I will remember him, surfing with the rising sun.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. He was way too young, and is sorely missed.

May his spirit rest in peace and love.