Barrel Surfs For His Life

• Hannah Webster, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2010

Barrel Surfs for His Life

In 2007, at Buta Beach in Western Australia , 10 year old Barrel Cutback and 9 year old Wayva Wipeout were waxing up their boards, getting ready for the Surf For Life Competition.

Barrel and Wayva had known each other as long as they could remember; they had all the same dreams. All their life they had been begging for their parents to let them compete in the Surf For Life Competition. Finally, on Wayva’s 9th birthday her parents said that she could take one friend and surf in the Surf For Life Competition. Of course she chose Barrel.

When the buzzer went Barrel and Wayva hit the water. They paddled through the impact zone to find themselves out the back.

Wayva caught the first wave. It was an 8 pointer. The next wave was caught by a different Surf For Life competitor.

Then it was Barrel’s time to shine. Everyone on the beach was watching. He knew he would make a big impression. He would be famous throughout the town. Little did he know, all the other competitors, including Wayva, were paddling in. Everyone on the beach was yelling at him. But the wonderful sound of the ocean blocked it all out.

Then he saw the reason behind all the yelling. He turned around and saw a giant mouth: as wide as a whale, as huge as an elephant. It had teeth as sharp as knife. There was only one thing it could be… a shark.

“AAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!” yelled Barrel, rushing into shore.

The shark’s mouth began to close. It was trying to trap Barrel. But Barrel was smart. Top of his class actually.

He saw a strong set coming in behind him. He would catch the first wave and end up on the shore. It was the perfect plan. The best he had ever had. When it came into action it worked perfectly. Barrel ended up on the shore and the shark didn’t even get close to catching him.

While Barrel had been going through all of this, he had completely forgotten the reason he was out there. When the three finalists were called out in 3rd place was Jimmy Joans. In 2nd place was Wayva Wipeout. And in 1st place was… Barrel Cutback!

From that day on Barrel was famous throughout the town. But not in the way he had hoped for. At school everyone thought he was deaf and crazy for surfing with a shark. But there was one friendship that stayed the same. That was the friendship with Wayva Wipeout.

By Hannah Webster.