NEWSLETTER

Ring Toss July 30th 2021

The historic inclusion of surfing in the Olympics this year was...historic. Hawai'i's own Carissa Moore took home the gold for Women's shortboard, and Brazil's Italo Ferreira took the gold for Men's shortboard. It was a tricky thing to watch, especially 'live', with the huge time difference between here and there, and all the Internet feeds and sites playing the happy spoiler. And what with the ocean not cooperating as much as we'd like, opportunities for riders to score points were limited at best. It'll be interesting how the 2024 games in Paris handle surfing, as the ocean is very very far away. Warrior expects Olympic surfing to hit its stride in 2028 at the games in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, back on good old Kaua'i, things are as normal as it gets these days. The island is bumping! Locals and visitors are enjoying the beaches, restaurants and shops are seeing good traffic, and the north shore access is getting a lot better too, with near-steady controlled traffic over the Hanalei Bridge (as opposed to fixed daily windows of openings).

Outta My Hair: Lumahai Beach is just past Hanalei Bay. It's a pretty long beach, about 4000 feet long, with the Lumahai River greeting the ocean at the far western end. It was made 'famous' by the movie South Pacific, in which Mitzi Gaynor's character wanted to wash that man right out of her hair. Whatever that means.

Lumahai is reef-less, so the water can be rough and it's not a swimming beach. But it's a beautiful spot worthy of a visit and a picnic lunch, with blue water, lava cliffs and lush vegetation. During any strong winter storm, the higher cliffs over 'eastern' Lumahai are a great place to watch some seriously huge crashing waves. Just don't get too close. Like these guys.

The valleys behind the beach were once used to grow rice, but now it's mainly taro. Hibiscus and breadfruit grow near the river mouth. Here, the 'breadfruit of Weli' is named after Weli, a Menehune.

Sticker Power: Mahaloz to all you new subscribers! Nearly a thousand of you so far this month. There's a mountain of stuffed envelopes on the Warrior's desk, soon to be labeled, stamped and sent. Some will go out today. Keep spreading the word!

Today In Surf History: Competitive surfing got its start in 1953 when the Waikiki Surf Club hosted the first international surfing championships at Makaha, Hawai'i, on O'ahu's west side. Judges there gave points for length of ride, number of waves caught, skill, sportsmanship, and grace on board.

However, surf culture itself has a weird relationship with its competitions. Surfers want to be seen, but they also cherish their own individuality and creativity, and they don't like sharing the location of good surf spots either, especially on Kaua'i. Sharing info or (shudder) video with the outside world about the secret places here could lead to the big trouble, and this is universally understood.

Take care of each other and take care of yourselves. Share some local knowledge or history with the youth. Laugh out loud. Throw a shaka. Catch a wave. Dream bigger. Live Pono. Remember the Love.

Mahalo Nui For Your Support!

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