Kauai Beach Safety
The beaches of Kauai offer the opportunity for just about any beach activity or water sport, but wind, ocean, and current conditions can range from extremely safe to extremely dangerous. Be safe:
- Talk to lifeguards to determine the safety level of the ocean.
- Find out about surf and wind conditions for the day.
- Find out about strong currents and waves that surge onto beaches.
- Find out about waves that break directly on the shore (shore break).
- Find out about hidden rocks.
- Be extra careful at unguarded beaches.
- When in doubt… don’t go out.
Before entering the water, remember to SOAK:
- Study the conditions before entering the water.
- Observe the activities of others in the ocean.
- Ask the lifeguards about current conditions.
- Know your limits in the water.
Waves make currents that can be dangerous. Rip currents in the surf zone can carry you out to sea. A wave rushing up a beach (wave surge) can knock you down and drag you into the ocean. Large waves on rocky shores can knock you into the ocean.
For any ocean activity, it’s also important to distinguish between onshore and offshore winds. Onshore winds (blowing toward the shore) create more choppy conditions but are safer for some activities since you will get blown back to shore in the event of trouble. Offshore winds (blowing away from shore) make for calmer conditions near shore since the waters are being sheltered by the land. However, getting beyond the protection of the land puts you on a windblown path out to sea.
Check our Kauai Surf Report.
Hawaii Surfboard Exhibit
The Bishop Museum in Honolulu is presenting a new exhibit featuring rare surfboards and surfing images. On display will be more than 25 historic surfboards including some owned and used by Hawaiian ali‘i. Also from this amazing resource will be a selection of rare surfing images, some never published before. The exhibit called Surfing: Featuring the Historic Surfboards in Bishop Museum’s Collection runs from June 19 to September 6, 2010.
The Bishop Museum is designated as the State Museum of Natural and Cultural History whose mission is to study, preserve, and tell the stories of the natural and cultural history of Hawai‘i and the Pacific. It has more than 24 million catalogued objects – ranking them fourth in the United States and among the top ten in the world.
As surfing has grown so has the interest in its history. Hawaii’s early Polynesian settlers were among the first people to take to the ocean to master the art of he‘e nalu (wave-sliding), and there are not many surviving surfboards from back then, so these are wonderful historic artifacts. The first plank boards were shaped from trees, and you will see examples of surfboard design and construction over the years – from simple wood planks to modern materials.
Worldwide interest in surfing began when Hawaii Olympian and avid surfer Duke Kahanamoku became its ambassador. A handful of the photos in the exhibit are from Duke’s personal collection. The museum will also feature a modern surf simulator for you to test your surfing prowess.
Kauai Bon Dances
A Bon Dance is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of family members that have passed away, and has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years. On Kauai in the summer there are many chances for you to experience one in person. The festivals serve as both a ceremony of spiritual remembrance and a celebration of cultural heritage and community. According to tradition, it is believed the summer months are when ancestral spirits return to visit family and friends.
The dance is held at night and differs slightly depending on the Mission but generally involves people circling around a high wooden yagura. The appropriate way to welcome the ancestors’ souls is to play happy music and create a feeling of happiness. The festivals are also known for their array of Japanese foods for sale – andagi (sweet fried dough), grilled teri-beef and chicken skewers, musubi (rice balls wrapped in dried seaweed), and stir-fry noodles. Everyone is welcome regardless of religious background, ethnicity, or even dancing abilities. Visit our Kauai Events Calendar for weekend Bon Dances during the summer at these locations:
Koloa Jodo Mission
Hanapepe Hongwanji Mission
Lihue Hongwanji Mission
Waimea Shingon Mission
Kapaa Jodo Mission
West Kauai Hongwanji Mission
Kapaa Hongwanji Mission
Waimea Higashi Hongwanji
Koloa Hongwanji Mission
Red Clay Jazz Festival 2010
The 2010 Red Clay Jazz Festival will be June 26 on Kauai. This musical event will provide lawn seating overlooking beautiful Hanalei Bay while being entertained by four musical ensembles from a blend of internationally renowned jazz artists as well as local stars.
Ernie Watts is one of the most versatile and prolific saxophone players on the music scene. Along with numerous solo albums, he has been featured on over 500 recordings by artists ranging from Cannonball Adderley to Frank Zappa. Over a career that has spanned more than 40 years, his unforgettable trademark sound has brought him two Grammy Awards.
Peter Sprague Trio is lead by a musical powerhouse guitarist who has produced or played on over 190 recordings. Sprague has earned plaudits for both his live performances and his prolific recording work with artists such as Chick Corea, Hubert Laws, David Benoit, and Sergio Mendes.
Rhythm Summit is made up of Noel Okimoto, Kenny Endo, and Dean Taba. Okimoto (western drums, vibraphones, percussion) is a Royal Hawaiian Band member and one of the most in-demand drummers in Hawaii. Endo (taiko drum, bamboo flute, percussion) is a leader in the contemporary use of Japanese taiko. Together with innovative bassist Dean Taba, they create a blend of rhythms and sounds from East and West.
Kauai’s own Will Lydgate Quartet with Will Lydgate, Kirk Smart, David Braun and Tony Rodarte will round out this musical event at the Fort Alexander site overlooking Hanalei Bay. Each performance will offer something different and special to jazz. In addition to General Admission tickets, there will also be Premier tickets which include admission to the festival, premium seating, a meal, two beverage tickets, and souvenirs. For more information on both visit Kauai Concert Association.
Canoe Plants and Kou
Fossil studies at Maha’ulepu on the South Shore of Kaua’i have found that Kou was part of the coastal forest thousands of years before the first Polynesians set foot on the Hawaiian Islands. But it is also believed that Kou was important enough to Polynesians that it was brought on their voyaging canoes as a useful plant they wished to cultivate. Because of the beauty of its grain and the ease with which it can be cut and carved, Kou is one of the best timber trees in Hawai`i.
Kou (Cordia subcordata) is an evergreen tree that grows to about 25 to 35 feet high. The canopy may spread 25 feet across, often as wide as the tree is tall. Because of its thick wide crown of leaves, Kou was a favorite shade tree near home sites. The trunk is usually less than 16 inches in diameter and the bark is pale gray and flaky. Kou leaves are about 4 to 8 inches long, shiny, smooth, and oval with a pointed end and rounded base. Kou leaves were used to make a brown dye that was applied in designs on kapa.
The showy orange flowers of Kou are 1 inch long, 1 to 2 inches across, and have no scent. The tree fruits all year long – a fruit that is one inch round and changes color from green to yellow to brown as they become dry and hard. It contains 1 to 4 seeds that float easily and can be carried from island to island on the ocean. The bright orange flowers were traditionally favored for leis, and have a wide floral tube that made for easy stringing.
The sapwood is a light tan to pink color, while the heartwood is brown to purple with dark brown to black streaks. The wood is soft, durable, easily worked, and has little shrinkage. Therefore, in ancient Hawaiʻi kou wood was used to make ʻumeke (bowls), pa kou (platters), utensils, and ʻumeke lāʻau (large calabashes) because it also did not transfer any unpleasant taste to food. ʻUmeke lāʻau were 2 to 4 gallons and used to store and ferment poi. Kou wood was also used to make canoe paddles.
Hula History and Instruments
Traditional Hawaiian instruments were usually percussive and used as an accompaniment to the Ho`opa`a (chanter) and Olapa (dancer). At times, hula dancers also accompanied themselves using a variety of instruments. Here are a few examples of hula instruments:
`Ili’ili – A pair of round, flat stones placed in the hand and struck together to make a clicking sound and help the dancer maintain the beat (played like castanets).
Pahu – This is a deep-voiced drum often associated with religious worship. It is usually made from the trunk of a coconut tree varying in size from about 1 to 3 feet with a sharkskin covering.
Ipu – A gourd drum made of a single gourd or two gourds joined together. The ipu rhythm is kept by pounding it on a horizontal surface and slapping its side with the hand.
`Ulï`ulï – A calabash gourd filled with small shells, seeds, or pebbles and decorated with red and yellow feathers at the top. Played by hula dancers, either by shaking or tapping against the body.
Kä`eke`eke – Bamboo pipes, varying in length from 20 to 60 inches (the longer the length, the deeper the tone). One end is open and the other closed by the node, and a player holds one vertically in each hand, striking on the floor to produce a tone.
Pu’íli – Another variety of the rattle, made by splitting a long joint of bamboo for half its length into slivers. The tone resembles the notes of twigs, leaves, or reeds struck against one another by the wind.
Niau kani – A mouth harp made with bamboo
Pú la’í – Ti leaf whistle
Hokiokio – gourd whistle
`Ukëkë – A musical bow, fifteen inches to two feet long and about an inch and a half wide, with usually three strings, drawn through holes at one end. The strings were strummed.
Hano – nose flute
Photo by Rebecca Breyer at the Merrie Monarch Festival.
