By Michelle Conerly
Rising before the sun, island beach goers know the beauty of spending a day with the sea. Some strum their guitars while enjoying the warmth, while others relax and wade in the water. But people like Joe Nowell grab their paddle.
With only his teammates in the outrigger canoe and the open water, Nowell said despite the rigor of practice, mornings on the water are peaceful.
“The ocean is calm,” he said. “She’s not awake yet, so you get the glassy water.” Being the coach of the Animun Tasi paddling team, Nowell frequents the beach around three to four times a week, mostly for training.
But being a self-proclaimed “beach bum,” he said he won’t leave home for practice or leisure without a few essentials.
“We’re competitive paddlers,” he said. “Our time on the beach is to train. We’ll bring water, sunblock, and our paddles. But we do hang out and just play. Then we’ll bring towels, coolers, drinks, a barbecue grill and a pop-up tent.”
Francine Galao, a member of Guam’s national paddling team, said she heads to the water around five times a week. Galao said being on the water helps her wind down after a stressful or intense day. “It’s soothing,” she said. “Being out there just clears your mind. You just don’t think of anything, and you relax.”
Besides bringing extra water and towels for practice, when she’s there for fun, Galao brings chairs, beach mats, coolers, snacks and “the works” meaning “almost your whole kitchen” to chill out in the sun and do a cookout the right way.
For practice, she’ll take her GoPro, stick it on the end of the outrigger canoe, and play back the footage to help the team make improvements on their movements.
Micropac Assistant Senior Manager Alfred Calinagan said GoPros and Sony action cameras are popular for beachgoers who want to film their hangout sessions or practice their extreme sports like surfing or windsailing.
“You are your own camera crew,” he said.
And with the versatility of submerging the cameras underwater anywhere from 16 to 131 feet, you can capture not just your tricks in the water but unique marine life as well. It’s also perfect for capturing some of nature’s finest moments.
Nowell said the one surprise to wait for in the evenings on the water is the green light right after the sun sets. “It’s the reflection of the sun hitting the ocean,” he said.
When you’re near the water in the evenings, it’s one of the coolest sights you must see, he said.
But if you’re at the beach to party during the day, Calinagan suggests scoring some Bluetooth, wireless speakers to take with you. He said whether you’re rocking the beach by yourself or out with friends, having some portable Bose waterproof speakers will keep the party going with at least seven hours of playback. You can make the beach your playground. Lucky we live on Guam.
