the Ka’iwi Channel is one of the most dangerous and deadly channel crossings in the world. many lives have been lost and many people disappear and have never been found. they call it “the channel of bones.” a 32 mile or 52 kilometer stretch with big waves, strong currents, huge sharks, winds, and unpredictability. top paddlers from around the world come to hawaii to challenge themselves for the Molokai to Oahu race. it has always been a dream of mine to paddle across. not to enter a contest, not to paddle with a friend, but to paddle it alone and challenge my mind, body, and soul. yeah, it’s life risking but that’s how i live my life. mentally i’m prepared, but not too sure about physically.
the first time i ever rode a paddle board was when i paddled from makapuu to waikiki. that was 17 miles or 27 kilometers. i did that in 3 hours so i’m expecting to do the molokai to oahu paddle in 7-8 hours. no assist meaning nobody to help me. i stick some water bottles in my trunks, maybe a snickers in my pocket, and just go for it. that’s the way i always wanted to do it.
so 1 week ago, i get my things ready. the winds were picking up and the conditions were getting challenging, just how i want it. i plan to get dropped off the next morning in molokai so i take the paddle board out in the evening to see how it feels. as soon as i get on, i flip over, then flip over and over. in the first 10 minutes, i flip over 15 times. then the deck pad starts to eat away at my nipples. it felt like they were going to fall off. i started getting doubts, but i still wanted to do it. that night as i was getting my water bottles ready, my brother calls me up and says “the ahi’s are biting, let’s go fishing!” OMG! i thought it over and decided to go fishing, then paddle across the channel when my nipples heal. good call.
then yesterday i watch a documentary about Eddie Aikau. Eddie was on the Hokulea as they tried to navigate from oahu to tahiti. the waves and wind flipped it in the Ka’iwi Channel just 10 miles off oahu. Eddie paddled his board to get help and was never found. a true waterman like Eddie lost forever. as i was watching the documentary, i get chicken skin thinking about what would happen if i disappear? then it hit me, “hey, i better take this a little more serious.” so now i’m thinking about my equipment and figured out i’d better practice a couple more times. if my brother didn’t call me to go fishing, or i didn’t get inspired by Eddie, i’d probably be dead. omg! hopefully my dream will come true soon, but for now, it’s on hold!
