+- Punaweb Forum (http://punaweb.org/forum)
+-- Forum: Punaweb Forums (http://punaweb.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=3)
+--- Forum: Punatalk (http://punaweb.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=10)
+--- Thread: Does Anyone ever travel to Maui in say a kayak? (/showthread.php?tid=1718)
Does Anyone ever travel to Maui in say a kayak? - Sharlee - 12-31-2007
Hubby and I are water people and decided to do a search on whether people ever travel to Maui in a canoe, kayak. I figure they do in a sailboat. I was only able to come up with an article that the original Hawaiians used to quite often travel between most islands.
Maholo,
Sharlee
When life gives you lemons....trade them for chocolate!
RE: Does Anyone ever travel to Maui in say a kayak? - Beachboy - 12-31-2007
quote:
Originally posted by Sharlee
Hubby and I are water people and decided to do a search on whether people ever travel to Maui in a canoe, kayak. I figure they do in a sailboat. I was only able to come up with an article that the original Hawaiians used to quite often travel between most islands.
Maholo,
Sharlee
When life gives you lemons....trade them for chocolate!
what exactly do you mean when you say "water people"? Does that mean you swim laps in a pool daily, surf big waves daily, or free dive 50 ft.? I've known people in who have said one thing or another close to what you have stated. Can either of you swim forrrrr, say thirty minutes non stop in an ocean? One has to have tremendous respect for 'Mother Nature' and all that she throws at us. With that in mind, be careful if you're new to Hawaii...which it sounds like.
annually there is a kayak race from Molokai to Oahu. But you must be extremely good to stay close to these cats..
Handle every situation like a dog,If you can't eat it or hump it,piss on it and walk away...
RE: Does Anyone ever travel to Maui in say a kayak? - Rob Tucker - 12-31-2007
Way dangerous currents in those channels. There are outrigger canoe races between Maui and Moloakai and Oahu. Those are six person rigs and attended by power boats. It's not just a matter of crossing the channels - you also have to make a safe landing. Most of the coasts are quite rough and rugged.
It is good to research such an idea before taking your life in your hands.
Punaweb moderator
RE: Does Anyone ever travel to Maui in say a kayak? - Carey - 12-31-2007
This crossing is one of the most dangerous that you can pick. There have been paddle crossings, but not very many (the stuff of King making in pre-contact times.... This is very big water type stuff.
You can read about wind powered crossings on the links below (even motor boats have had problems.
http://www.explorebiodiversity.com/main/survival/alenuihaha.html
http://starbulletin.com/2003/04/30/sports/luis.html
RE: Does Anyone ever travel to Maui in say a kayak? - Sharlee - 12-31-2007
Thanks, sounds like it isn't something that's done. By "water people", we are from the NW and mostly do the whitewater thing. Rafting and kayaking. Not the same as the ocean. We would like to continue in kayaking, realizing it is a somewhat different skill needed going from river to ocean. We like to plan adventures and I thought if it was done, it could be a fun weekend thing. Paddle over, camp and paddle back. Oh well.
When life gives you lemons....trade them for chocolate!
RE: Does Anyone ever travel to Maui in say a kayak? - Rob Tucker - 12-31-2007
You ought to check in with the outrigger canoe clubs and give it a try. Very physical, very Hawaiian and a good way to get to know a good crowd of people.
RE: Does Anyone ever travel to Maui in say a kayak? - Kelena - 12-31-2007
The Molokai Hoe, the race between Molokai and Oahu is a wonderful thing to aspire to. It is quite grueling though, and people have died from the effort en route.
Hilo has outrigger clubs which tool around Hilo Bay. There is also some kayaking on the West side in Kealakekua Bay. I don't think people venture too far out, though.
Heaven for ocean kayakers is Na Pali coast on Kauai or, for my taste, kayaking up and down the Wailua River in Kauai.
I learned respect for Hawaiian waters though on my first trip to Hawaii. I was on a beach. Alone. Big waves making sounds like thunder when they hit, but they didn't look any bigger than in California. They just sounded different. I went in and then I needed every skill I had from decades of summers on the California coast to make it out alive.
RE: Does Anyone ever travel to Maui in say a kayak? - Beachboy - 12-31-2007
you really haven't seen anything until you've experienced ,Waimea Shorebreak on Oahu's famous North Shore during the winter. My henai uncle, the late,great Eddie Aikau was a lifeguard for many a year at Waimea Bay. He had over 200 hundred rescues at Waimea Bay as a Honolulu City & County Life Guard. He told me stories of many a good men who would release their wife's hand in order to save themselves in the Waimea Shorebreak. Mother Nature could be so cruel to people when it came to Waimea Bay.
You could typically pull into the Waimea Bay Parking lot and see 15 to 20 ft waves out at the lineup in Waimea, and the shorebreak look flat. Then all of the sudden a 10 to 12 ft wave at the shorebreak would appear out of nowhere. Throwing humans around like rag dolls. But to me Waimea was nothing more than a "take off"! The real challenge to me surfing wise was sunset beach, or Pipeline second reef. But if you did know about about Waimea's shorebreak and was a tourist or GI, you'd swear the world was ending!
Handle every situation like a dog,If you can't eat it or hump it,piss on it and walk away...
RE: Does Anyone ever travel to Maui in say a kayak? - Carey - 12-31-2007
Sharlee, we were whitewater kayakers (eastern, not western rivers)
We have a 3 & a 2 open deck kayaks. Good for wave surf & such, great fun craft for paddling around Hilo Bay & some of the east coast, but you have to know your takeout potentials, because there are a lot of cliff shores here
(best moments for us have been just outside of the breakwater when whales were playing, but our boats have also done some real fun stuff in Kealakekua Bay with Carrie...)
Hilo has sailing & outrigger canoe clubs at "Canoe Beach" (bayfront) Puna Canoe club is one of the best. Many clubs practice in the afternoons & have races on Saturday...
(IF you are on the traveling teams, it gets $$ with the boat shipping & airline tickets)
RE: Does Anyone ever travel to Maui in say a kayak? - gtill - 12-31-2007
I saw waimea a few weeks ago, took 45 minutes from haleiwa to top of bay, mabe 30+ guys in lineup for occasional 25' cleanups. People getting smarter about the shorebreak, i think it's off limits to gis when big. Sunset's still the ultimate, my place was laniakea, now "turtle beach". It backs up traffic to haleiwa and sunset, by drive by gawkers and pedstrians crossing to get a closer look at the turtles. As for crossing the channel to maui, don't even think about it. The swells and current in that channel are terrible. A friends 46' sailboat, sailing up from tahiti lost their skipper (washed overboard) at night there. Rogue waves from all directions multiple currents and funneled winds through the mountains. Remember, next stop japan!