We met Benjamin McCrumuda on a recent trip to West Africa to document an episode of “On Surfari” (Fuel TV) with Shayne McIntyre and his family and we quickly got the impression that there is something special about Benjamin. However, it was not until we surfed together that we learned of his gift…
“Kway-Pu-Na! Kway-Pu-Na! Kway-Pu-Na!” Benjamin bellowed at the top of his lungs while slapping the ocean with his open palms, displacing all the water around him. He took a break from his unique ritual and glanced up at me, with a quick smile and a look of pure confidence he assured me, “Big wave coming.” Again, he called out and slapped the water, “Kway-Pu-Na! Kway-Pu-Na! Kway-Pu-Na!”
Sitting on our boards we dipped down the back side of a meager passing wave; as we bobbed up the face of the next wave to a better vantage point we caught a glimpse of the approaching set. Corduroy lines stacked on the horizon and ,with a promise of size and power, they steamed in like runaway train. I shot a quick look at Benjamin and with a grin that said, “I told you so,” he repeated, “Big wave coming.” There was a great rumble as the waves drew nearer and, like passengers in line for a roller coaster, we each got into position and, one by one, embarked on the ride of a lifetime.
This was not a fluke set nor a case of right place/right time, but Benjamin actually has the ability to call the waves. He has a deep connection with the earth and Mother nature and, like clock work, when he recites the words “Quoi kpuoo Na” (sounds like Kway-pu-na), the sea comes to life. In his native toungue of Vai “Qwey Poo Na” translates to “big sea wave come”. We tried to mimic the wave call ourselves but with no success; we even tried recording Benjamin doing the wave call and playing it back to the ocean, but we were not rewarded. Benjamin is the chosen one with the gift to call the waves. We surfed with Benjamin a lot.
Benjamin’s gift has served the developing surf community well. The abundance of surf has helped increase the surfing skills in this small fishing village at an accelerated rate and with a style all their own. With no surf videos to obsess over and no surf magazines to memorize, the boys simply acquired a few boards, threw themselves into the Atlantic, and the result is pure, untainted surfing. Watching Benjamin and his friends surf is truly a reminder as to why we all started surfing in the first place… It’s just plain fun.
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