it's taken me a few days to decide whether i was going to write this or not. reasons being i don't feel words can accurately describe the pain, beauty or amazing aspect of it as well as the fact that it's incredibly personal.

this isn't a review, or a critique, or anything to do with music actually. it's a reminder of a life.

on thursday the news of a shark attack having occurred filtered through the various social networks and gossip lines. the story was unclear and the media did very little to extinguish the false stories. later in the day it emerged that the victim was somebody known. the first thing one thinks when discovering news like this is 'that can't be right, you're not meant to know the victim of these things...the things don't happen to me...' well apparently they do...and it's one of the hardest things that can happen to you as a person.

the story remained unclear for a while as the media continued to blunder its way through false reports, wrong facts and a general mistreatment of the incident. it was only on friday morning that the story became entirely clear. David Lilienfeld had been attacked by a shark somewhere between 4-5 meters long while surfing with Gustav in Koggel Bay.

now all of this was reported on the news so we'll skip to the part that needs to be shared, his memorial paddle out on Saturday.

Driving into Camps Bay from Hout Bay i was met by the mist rolling in off the sea and shrouding everything in a strange, muffled, 'Pirates of the Carribean-esque' vibe. it was pretty freaky actually. as i drove along the beach front looking for parking i was met with the most incredible sight. hundreds upon hundreds of people gathered on the grass across from Cafe Caprice....and i do mean hundreds. people are saying there were close to 500 people there, and i definitely believe it. once parked and down on the beach i realized how incredibly quiet it was, the sombre mood was broken by a heart-wrenching sob or a whisper of condolence from one friend to another. i can honestly say this is one of the most painful things i have ever had to endure, there was so much sadness but also a feeling of camaraderie and love that i am so glad to have been a part of and to have been privileged enough to feel.

as everybody gathered on the beach in their wetsuits with their boards i got a sense of just how many people there were, and it was strange, those who weren't meant to be there (tourists, the ice-cream men) steered clear. it's like they knew this was a private matter...massive respect.
paddling out into the freezing water with the others there was no sense of urgency to get in and out (although it was freezing) it was like the love and unity that was being experienced was warming everybody up.
respects were paid, flowers were thrown and letters to David were burned in the middle of the circle.
i dont want to go into detail because i am afraid my words will never to justice to the absolute beauty that was there.

i realize this is not a full coverage of what happened on saturday but i also feel that it is enough for you to realize what an amazing person David was, how many lives he touched and how beautiful and perfect his send off really was.

what happened to him isn't right, but we said good-bye right.
love to his family and friends in this tough time, always remember the amazing person he was.
RIP David

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CfYZTvrMoU&feature=youtu.be