A young boy daydreams
as he rides a bronze seal
on ocean waves created
by the endless sea
of his imagination. ~ms
The Mysterious Seal Rider
Adjacent to Waikiki beach on Kalakaua Avenue, there is a cute statue of a surfer and a monk seal that is “based on a children’s story by Fred Van Dyke honoring Hawaiian values of love and respect for ohana (family) and this ocean.”
As I stood there looking at the statue with my camera in hand, a young boy suddenly jumped in front of me and said— “Lady, could you please take a picture of me riding the seal? Please, can I be in a picture with that seal? Please!”
When I said yes, he quickly ran over to the statue and laid down on the back of the bronze Hawaiian monk seal. As soon as I took his photo, the boy jumped off, said “thank you” with a smile, and disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. Since I did not know who he was (and still do not), he never got to see his photo. Perhaps he was a wandering Menehune?
I didn’t realize until later, when I looked at the image on my computer, that there was magic in that boy’s eyes. His face and his posture show a genuine love and respect for both the seal and the environment around him. A perfect tribute to the children’s book by Mr. Van Dyke.
Before I Forget 
A beautiful photo and a beautiful story. He certainly has a dreaming face
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Yes he does!
His mind was traveling out on the ocean, for sure.
Speaking of which, one of my most favorite movies is the Whale Rider.
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I loved it too
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You’ve just had a “Steve McCurry” moment. As with his National Geographic pic of the Afghani woman, he didn’t know until after the fact that he had a special pic. Until you see your images on screen or developed, sometimes, you don’t see the magic! This is a superb photo!
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Thanks!
My camera often picks up details that I did not see.
Nice to know I’m not the only one!
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Loved the picture and the magic it contained.
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Reminding us all of the creative joy of believing….and imagining what could be into the world of what is.
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How cool!
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Yes…imagination is a wonderful thing.
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This post is amazing!
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Thanks for the compliment!
I guess I was just in the right place at the right time. 🙂
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What a great story! There is magic in his eyes.
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His eyes a reflection of unlimited possibilities!
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Wow! What a catch! In more ways than one… Happy wandering. Heart, Jess
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Thanks Jess! I will most certainly continue to wander….
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I love the photo with the boy!
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Thanks Pat. I love the faraway look in his eyes and the focused look on his face.
Imagination is a wonderful thing!
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That’s really lovely!
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It is nice….to see, in his eyes, the excitement of riding out onto the ocean of thought. As he grows older, I hope that he never loses touch with the creative power of imagination.
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Enchanting. When I first saw your photo I thought they were both statues… the boy too. Then I looked again and saw he wasn’t. Quite a curious thing. Beautiful.
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The boy posed so perfectly unmoving, and so focused.
I’m not surprised you though he was part of the statue!
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lovely post Mary…good to see this post in the middle of the day..made me smile 🙂
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Thanks Kavita!
I went back to Hawaii in May….and saw this statue still standing near Waikiki beach. The photo was taken in 2009 and this is 2013. The little boy that was riding the seal back in 2009 has undoubtedly grown. I hope he managed to keep his love for the seal, the sea, and creative adventures!
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yes I hope so to …it must be nice in Hawaii..I was there in January..it was one of the best trip of my life really…loved the place and weather with the people…love to see your posts as always 🙂
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