My Sister Adventures

By Kapua Christensen

23 September 2012

 

All I have to say is, "WOW!" I have never been so scared in my life. We got to Moloka'i friday morning and drove down to hale o lono (the harbor where the race starts) to rig our canoe. There weren't any waves. By Saturday the waves were starting to show themselves, nothing out of the ordinary though. Waves were breaking where they were supposed to. Sunday morning I Woke up at our beach house around 4:30 am to the sound of bombs, that turned out to be waves. My heart dropped thinking of what hale o lono had in store for me. We arrived at hale o lono to waves closing out in the channel of the harbor. People were talking about how they've never seen the channel break like that before. Others were talking about how the "Na wahine o ke kai" was the only race they cancelled in the past. My steersman and I went out to the point to watch the surf for a while. Trying to plan our escape out of the harbor. There was an average of ten waves per set. 6-10 foot (old way of measuring waves). 3-4 minute lulls in between sets. I was freaking out on the inside. Tearing up, wishing my phone had service so I could tell my family I love them. I honestly thought I was going to die. I finally got a bar of service and texted my mom to tell my daughter I love her and the waves are huge. On a normal race day, it's an honor to be part of the starting crew, or the "first crew". I am normally on the first crew, that day was no exception. I talked to my steersman, who is one of my best friends. I told her that if our canoe flips over to find me before looking for her paddle and before taking care of the canoe. I let her know that I'd be panicking and I'd probably drown. I was serious. I also told her that I need to see my kid when I cross the channel. All the ladies, and spectators got together for a prayer before the race. I could see the fear in everyones eyes. Ladies were crying, hugging, and counting there blessings. After the meeting we were all dismissed to our canoes. Our canoe was one of the first to the water. By then there was only one minute between sets. My crew and I decided we were going to paddle like our lives were at stake. I was as ready as I was ever going to be. Scared out of my mind, all I could think about was my child. There were four of us lined up ready to be the first canoes to attempt this impossible task. There were other canoes behind us, trickling in to go. We were watching sets. The last wave of the set had just finished rolling in. People were yelling, "GO, GO, GO!!" from escort boats and the cliffs that were on either side of the channel. We put our paddles up and paddled as hard as we possibly could. It felt like we were paddling for hours. My heart was in my throat, my emotions were uncontrollable. It was about a half a mile out to the "safe zone" A wave was forming at the back of our canoe. WE MADE IT!! I looked back and realized that all the canoes who were a half a second behind us weren't so lucky. Canoes were popping through the ocean like a scene from "Pirates of the Carribean". Literally popping out from the back of waves. It was terrifying. It felt like I had just gone through the craziest race ever. It was funny because we went through all of that just to get to the starting line. The real race hadn't started yet. I was blown away. The pictures, videos and stories I heard from the people on my escort boat were crazy. I was bummed for the crews who were less fortunate than us. The race was incredible. We were one of the top five canoes for majority of the race. We ended up being sixth place overall. Six of the ten girls in our canoe had never done the race before. Everyone couldn't believe how well we did. I am very proud of my crew. I'm sure you weren't expecting this long story. Sorry about the misspelled words and how I threw commas where they probably shouldn't be. Altogether, a great experience.

Native Hawaiian Gathering Rights

Captain Cook arrived in west Hawaii over 200 years ago (1778). Since then Hawaii has gone through massive changes in its culture, government, and beliefs. At one point it was estimated that there were over 300,000 Hawaiian people living in the Hawaiian Islands. One hundred years later it was estimated that only 30,000 Hawaiians remained. We were a nation, with a monarchy that lasted less than 100 years. Annexed to the United States we found ourselves backed into a corner. Laws were being created by individuals from foreign territories. One of which, was the ban on speaking our native tongue “Hawaiian” a form of cultural genocide. Lines of communication between the generations lost. Many questions went unanswered. In this new era Hawaiians had to find a means to survive, to pay the bills, and to maintain their way of life. Some went to work on the on plantations, some as cowboys, some as fishermen, and some as farmers. Individuals that living close to the sea continued to fish, and as time passed the barter system turned into selling of fish for money in efforts to survive in this changing world. Today many of us find ourselves fighting for our right to gather from the ocean as ancestor enjoyed. In particular, fishermen in West Hawaii are plagued with new laws and are harassed by extremist that infringe on these basic rights to survive. Techniques have changed, but the overall concept remains the same: gathering from the ocean to provide for our families in a sustainable manner. Fishermen live and depend on the ocean and in return they monitor and manage the resources from the ocean. They carefully manage fish population by selecting schools of fish that are ready for harvest, very similar to picking mangos, once a year. They constantly change fishing location in efforts to allow fish stocks to grow back-it takes 6 months to a 1 year. This method of collecting fish has been working for over 40 years, by means of commercial tank diving with spears and nets, and the stocks of fish have always been plentiful. The knowledge these individuals’ posses are valuable to the community and scientist alike. These individuals, these Native Hawaiian fishermen, know more than most when it comes to monitoring and management, and it is unfortunate that these non-divers and non-fishermen are creating laws and imposing management directives without consulting the proper authority in the matter (fishermen). We have been braving the sea for 40 plus years and have a wealth of knowledge that must be taken into consideration. My name is Makani Christensen, and I am a graduate of Kamehameha Schools and the United States Naval Academy where I received a Bachelors of Science in Oceanography. I am also a commercial fisherman and diver. My family comes from a long line of fishermen from Puako, Lalamilo. The knowledge I have gained over the years from is priceless. It saddens me when I hear of individuals attacking the rights of us commercial fishermen and aquarium fishermen without the proper facts. If we listen to those with the knowledge, we will be better at managing the unknown-the Ocean. I recently had the opportunity to meet many of the fishermen of West Hawaii on Hawaii Island. Each fisherman explained their story and how their way of life is being threatened. New laws are being created by individuals who “do not have a clue what is going on in the ocean.” We have physically been harassed by vandals, the Department of Aquatic Affairs, special interest groups and dive charters. We have been chased out of our dive areas by the Department of Aquatic Affairs and Dive Charter Operators knowing we are catching fish which resulting in hundreds of dollars in revenue being lost --potentially our mortgage payment or car payment. We are “putting in an honest day’s work, to make an honest day’s living,” says Puna a Native Hawaiian and an aquarium fishermen from West Hawaii. A boat of one of the fishermen was attacked with spray paint and maple-syrup poured in the engines, which resulted in the engines dying and thousands of dollars in damage. Seems like “whale wars” in west Hawaii. The majority of these individuals imposing these laws on fishermen are individuals not from the islands; similar to what happened during the early part of our Monarchy. In order to understand the commercial divers and aquarium fishermen you must first understand their limitations-limitation created by the natural environment. The amount of days or times of fishing is dependent upon the depth of the water, weather, waves, and tides. If the depth of the water is deeper than 33 feet we run the risk of getting “bent.” Getting the “bent” is when nitrogen enters the body and the nitrogen bubbles expand as you surface. These bubbles that are created can be life threatening. Divers have lost their lives, have become paralyzed and suffered severe discomfort in joints. The depth of water in West Hawaii is greater than 33 feet only a few yards from shore, which limits the areas divers are allowed. The weather is also a limiting factor. When the winds are blowing greater than 20 miles per hour we can’t go. We run the risk of losing our boats, equipment, and worst of all our lives. The tides are huge factors to fishing because the tides cause strong moving currents. If the tides are strong, we aren’t able to jump in the water and fish. The tides are most extreme at the on new moons and full moons. Waves are another limiting factor to catching fish. Waves will create havoc on the seas. We run the risk of our anchor coming out, bouncing against the reef, dirty water, and surges that might slam us into the cliffs. You will not see commercial divers out when these limiting factors are in effect. We have limitations imposed on us every day. We do not need anymore man made restrictions to keep natural resources protected because we already have natural restrictions that enforce such protection as just explained. Majority of the individuals making these imposing these laws are not Native Hawaiian and Not Fishermen and have limited knowledge on the ocean. Some support or propose bills because they don’t want to see people fishing in the front of there million dollar properties. Laws in the State of Hawaii allow public access to the beach, banning fishing will decrease the number of beach goers and is another means to make these properties more private. Individuals from Puako, Maunalani, Ku’kio, and Four Seasons in West Hawaii are in support of banning fishing areas along the coast. Some join these causes ignorantly because a friend told them that the fish populations are being depleted massively due to overfishing. Yet none of these individuals have reasonable cause for their belief that fish populations are being depleted, and none of these individuals know how much fish are out there. Most haven’t even jumped in the water with someone who knows what they were doing. Have you ever considered that the reason fish do not come around in certain areas is because they are continuously harassed by dive charters. Dive charters take people to the same spot 3 times a day including the night when fish come to certain areas to sleep. In West Hawaii there are roughly 40 dive charters. There are 120 dives in the same spots daily that effectively interrupts fish habitat. If you were a fish, would you want to continuously be bothered by divers, and at night have lights sinned into your eyes? These dive charters blame us for the problem, not ever realizing that the reason they see no fish is because of their invasive dive operation. In 1955 the Taape, Toau, and Roi Sea Bass were introduced from Micronesia by the state to increase the number of game fish in the Hawaiian Islands. Little did they know that these fish would demolish the native fish food sources as well as the lobster population. Like locust, the Taape swarm areas eating every small fish in its path. These three fish alone have caused more damage to native fish population than any other reason. Another problem is development. The more development that occurs without proper environmental considerations causes run-off that blankets the reef with sedimentation and chemicals that effectively kills the reef (fish habitat). We had a meeting with Mayor Muffi Hannaman two years ago in Honolulu. One of the fishermen presented aerial pictures of the Koolina development. The dredging they did to create the lagoons and the harbor killed majority of the reef in that area when they failed to stop the sedimentation from blanketing the reef. Yet none of the developers were held accountable. The fishermen where aware the problem and repeatedly expressed their concern, and politicians simply shrugged their shoulders. In fact the politicians were the ones that approved the project! I went to the Naval Academy to learn about these environmental dangers, yet these fishermen knew it was a problem from sensitive observation and natural respect for Hawaii. Golf courses especially have dumped massive amounts of pesticides that find its way into the ocean, creating diseases to fish such as ciguataria, yet grass-root groups turned a blind eye. The highest concentration of ciguataria, according to fishermen, is in the front of these golf courses. West Hawaii is more susceptible to this because there isn’t enough top soil to filter these strong pesticides before these chemical enter the lava tubes and ground water which flows into the sea. Fishermen love the ocean and work hard to take care of it. We have been attacked and blamed for the declination of fish. We monitor fish populations and catch only what we need. We only catch schools of fish from fishing holes once a year in order to allow fish populations to bounce back. Fishermen are limited by weather, depth, tides, waves and other natural occurrences. We are not the problem; we are expert managers of the sea. We know what is out there and will do what is necessary to protect it. Yet laws are being created by individuals who have limited knowledge of the ocean, and limited knowledge of fish populations. There are more effective ways to tackle this problem instead of taking our native fishing rights away. We are now in the cross hairs of groups imposing new laws that threaten our native gathering rights. It is time for fishermen and Native Hawaiian fishermen to stand together to protect these rights because once it is gone getting it back becomes next to impossible. If we are not allowed to fish, we will not be able to teach our children and children’s, children, and those questions that our children have about fishing will go unanswered. We will have effectively lose a culture of Hawaii that we should strive to protect. Why are other from foreign territories , with limited knowledge on the ocean allowed to impose laws on fishermen and Native Hawaiian Fishermen? When individuals assume something will work, we sometimes cause more damage than good. Look what the Taape, Toau, and Roy Sea bass. Putting a ban on any kind of fishing will be a form aquarium fishermen and commercial near shore fishermen do not get rich fishing, as stated by Puna, “we put in an honest day’s work, to make an honest day’s living!” I ask each and every one of you to join us to be a part of all meetings involving fishing rights. Talk to the fishermen; understand what is going on in the ocean before you make a decision. Work with us to solve problems rather than against.

First Ironman 2012 Couer d'alene

The ironman. Super cool event. Started the day off with a nice swim. Followed by a pretty tough bike ride up hill. In fact, even the pros had slower bike times than usual. Best words to describe the course-up hill and against the wind. They say this ironman is amongst the toughest in the U.S. (i'm not one hundred percent sure). There were moments when I wanted to walk the bike. But the thought of being seen by one of my friends and being labeled was unacceptable. So, I pushed through. I started this race knowing I would finish, and I would finish somewhere between 12 and 13 hours. In order to make this happen, I would have to consume at least 300 calories every hour. Easier said then done. There were moments on the bike where I didn't want to eat at all, which is dangerous. Not eating will cost you the race, and not finishing wasn't an option. At mile 56 I stopped for lunch to force myself to start eating again. I sat down at the turnaround point for 15 minutes and ate solid food...one musubi, Doritos, and a peanut butter sandwich. I'm sure 200 bikers passed me. With the bike finally out of the way it was on to the run. The run proved to be a lot easier than the bike. My strategy was simple, keep my heart rate low and eat. So I walked though each aid station eating and drinking. Between the aid stations I would focus on not throwing up. I would repeat this process about 25 times. There was one solid hill on the run-I walked. Finally, the last 500 meters. The most important part of the entire race. The town is going crazy. Thousands of people line each side of the street. Yelling and screaming at the top of their lungs. This was the moment that I was told by a few of my friends to enjoy. I did, I worked the crowed as much as possible. I gave a few arm and hand gestures that caused the crowd to erupt. Nothing but smiles all the way to the finish line. I also had a pretty good pose for the finish line. A pose that I had been perfecting for a year. Everything came together perfectly. The moment that I had been waiting for was finally here. Crossing the finish line, and hearing the word, "Makani Christensen from Honolulu, Hawaii with board shorts on. You are an Ironman!" It is an overwhelming feeling. Crossing the finish line after 140.3 miles. If you have time and you want to do something crazy...my recommendation is the Ironman.

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Hanauma Bay Snorkeling with Individuals from Wisconsin

6/18/2012

                 A beautiful morning strong winds blowing from the northeast at 20-30 miles per hour and overcast.  The sun peaks over the horizon, and the clouds glow bright orange with hints of red and pink.  The seas are rough, white caps blankets the ocean in a uniformed but disorganized pattern of white streaks over the blackened ocean.  The bay, however, is protected from the ferocity of the winds and waves.  

                Hanauma Bay is relatively empty with only a few soles wondering on the beach at such an early hour.   The bay waiting for the bus loads of people it has become accustom to.  Visitors from all parts of the world excited to see what swims beneath the surface. 

                Visitors plunge into the cool Pacific Ocean ready to discover, to snorkel with the god, and to find happiness where happiness was void.  These guest, these visitors find their way through the maze of reef with the help of hired guides.  To their amazement and highlight of their day they find a turtle.  This is the climax of their trip.  A picture of a turtle with is priceless.  This is a rare spectacle for an individual from the Midwest and an unforgettable experience that will last a lifetime.

 For three awesome people from Wisconsin, Cindy, Vicki and Robin, they experience Hanauma Bay at its finest.  Out of the three of them, two of them had never snorkeled before.   After a quick lesson, we headed to the water.  Rigged with a life vest, fins, mask and snorkel we practiced for a few minutes in the shallows before starting snorkel adventure.   Fish were all over the place. 

                You could see the excitement in their body language and facial expressions.  Their mask would quickly fill with water as they smiled or they would start to kick at a rapid rate when they saw fish beneath them.  Sometimes you will have the opportunity to hear screams and shouts under the water at the discovery of a new fish. 

                We talked and snorkeled and enjoyed these precious moments in the pacific.  I was able to share my knowledge of the ocean with great individuals from Wisconsin.  Ua mau kea o ka aina I ka pono (the life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness). 

Honu 70.3 Ironman 2012

        
           Sleeping was a part of the itinerary that I neglected. Tossing and turning all night anticipating the big race at 7:00 am. We would leave the condo, rented by Rick a fellow triathlete and a close friend, at 5:00 am-our alarm clock not necessary. This would be a day to remember!

            The training that we endured to get to this point was monumental. We spent hours on the bike. We trekked throughout areas of Oahu that I've never seen:  the back roads of Waipahu next to Pearl Harbor. This area I'm referring to is a 10 mile stretch from Waipahu and Aiea along the shores of Pearl Harbor (Waimomi).

            This race, the Honu Half Ironman on the Big Island, is a warm up to the full Ironman in Coeur d’alene, Idaho on the 24th of June. None the less a race is a race.

            Rick, Craige, Naomi, Craiges' girl, and I loaded into our dodge Chrysler van and headed to Hapuna. The start of the 2012 Half Ironman a 1.2 mile swim around some buoys.

            This year so happened to be Lance Armstrong’s debut into Ironman Hawaii, and we were racing against the guy. Lance is an impressive. He is the top triathlete in the world.  Right now unstoppable.

            Almost 2000 swimmers line Hapuna Beach for the start of the race. The swim dictates the entire race. If you lose it on the swim you will lose your concentration throughout the race.

Our national anthem was sung by some dude, then boom!!! The blast marked the official start to the race. It was on!!!

            I started behind a few slow people and going around them without drowning them would be difficult. No worries there would be clear water when the crowd thinned out. But not before hitting the first buoy. The crowd of people pinched around a hair pin turn. It looked like a scene right out of shark week where the schools of sharks are frenzying. Bottom-line...it was nuts!

            For the next few minutes looked for the next buoy. I couldn’t see it and continued to swim. The depth of the water got deeper and deeper. Before I knew it the mass of swimmers were about 200 yards off course. One of the buoys broke. They actually allowed a couple swimmers to continue racing even thought they were past the allotted time.

            I finally turned on the final buoy 50 yards from shore. The end of the swim only a few strokes away.

            My plan was to take it easy out of the water. Keep my heart rate down in efforts to maintain a solid pace during the bike ride. I even walked up the hill to the transition area 1 (swim to bike).

            The first five miles of the bike ride, I got my legs adjusted to peddling. I peddled easy to get the blood back into my legs down towards the Maunalani the turnaround point. Finally I got into a solid grove. I peddled at a solid pace toward Kawaihae into a fierce wind 30-40 mph. Although the winds were super strong the majority of the time the winds were blowing from the side.

            Out to Hawi and back to Maunalani. I conserved energy on the hills and maintained at a relatively fast pace. A few triathletes that struggled during the swim passed me on the bike.

About 10 miles from the bike turn around Lance Armstrong was on the opposite side of the street. I finally passed Lance Armstrong on the right.  He had a demanding lead at least 2 miles.

            At the turn around point in Hawi I ate half of a half peanut butter sandwich that Rick a.k.a Ricky Bobby shared with me. It was an uphill climb to Hawi. At the turn around it would be smooth sailing. Down hill...at times we would reach speeds of 40 miles per hour.

Couple times during the ride I ran into a couple of my friends.  Kim B. and I were going back and forth for a little while. At one point I passed her going downhill. Then she passed me going uphill. This happened a couple times. I saw her breaking going downhill as I passed her for the fourth time. I yelled at her, "Get aggressive feel the wind!" That was the last time I saw her on the bike. A little motivation goes a long way.

            Getting into the transition area 2 (bike to run) I felt great. Then I started running, and my legs immediately cramped up. Push through the pain! The first mile was pretty tough. I finally got into a rhythm. The legs and arms were cramping, but I was handling. I saw Kim about 200 yards in front of me. I was gaining on her. My goal was to pass her. 

            On mile 7 my legs and arms started to cramp more. I stopped at each aid station drinking water, coke and eating. Passing Kim B. was now a distant memory. Everything I ate or drank didn’t help. What I needed more than anything was salt!!! My pace started to slow. Rick and Craige (the guys I car pooled with to Hapuna) passed me on mile 8.

            This run would prove to be the most difficult task. I started to walk up hills and at aid stations. It was hot, it was like running through a desert. The heat reflected off the as-fault and lava fields creating mirages in the distance. The wind was strong. I had to lean forward to move forward. Drafting other runners would have made the run so much easier, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

            The last 3 miles of this 13.1 mile run was the toughest. The heat, wind, and lack of salt all added to my mind wondering. I questioned the full Ironman competition that is coming up on June 24, 2012 in Idaho.  Arms were cramping, legs were cramping and I was dehydrated borderline heat exhaustion.

            The final mile! Walking wasn't an option. Although everything in my body told me that I should. Finally, the end in sight! All I had to do is run towards the ocean, over the back nine, and into the shoot and cross the finish line.

            Five hours and thirty five minutes later (5:35:50) I crossed the finish line. I raised my arms above my head in a partial celebration, saving the big celebration for the full Ironman.

As I moved forward all I could think about was water. I stopped at the aid station and started to drink, drink and drink.  After a few awesome moments lying on the ground and my body getting back to normal, I joined the rest my support crew. Talking story and of course drinking a couple beers.

            I was happy with my time. I also learned a valuable lesson. I needed salt tablets to endure this race.



Some of the Highlights from our training crew....

-Kathreen Taylor got a Kona spot (world championship)

-Frans ...unreal time 5 hours 11 min

-Aarron S. (aka Nitro) time of 4 hours and 45 min

-Kim B. time of 5 hours and 25 min

-Hiroyuki H. (aka Harry) personal record

-Creige passed me got lottary for Kona (world championship)

-Rick K. (aka Ricky Bobby) passed med and got lottary for Kona (world championship)

-Rachael R. time of 4 hours and 50 min got Kona spot and turned it down. I think she gave up on triathlons all together. Very impressive athlete who has many accomplishments.



As for me, I improved my time by 50 minutes. I was pumped, stoked and excited. I questioned my capabilities.  I questioned my physical ability to finish the full Ironman in a couple of weeks.  Ultimately this race better prepared me for the physical torture that we will soon endure.  Tomorrow would be a new day and a new race.  I signed up for the Kukio Challenge.  Another Triathlon.