Taking the Last Ride in For the Day, Oahu

The sky bled into mauve and ash as the shoreline grew quiet, and there, a solitary silhouette paddled through the slow, glassy swell—the last surfer of the day, carving patience into the waning light. Each gentle crest caught a thin ribbon of sunset that slid off the water like a ribbon of fire, and his board skimmed those reflections with quiet precision, a small, deliberate movement against the vast hush.

Standing on the shore one twilight evening in Kahuku, on Oahu’s North Shore I took this shot of the last surfer of the day riding in on the terminal waves.

I’ve always wondered if it was macho or something to see who the last person ashore would be.

Is this a true thing?