In Hawaii, a Swimmer’s Communion With the Wild Ocean

I adore that feeling of being tiny in the overwhelming power of the water. Communion indeed.

The transcendence described by the author in this naive and silly essay will disappear in an instant when even strong swimmers get into trouble at a dangerous place like Palihole. Readers beware. The power of the ocean here is enormous and can kill you. In fact, it often does. Get your sublime moments just watching the pounding surf, and even then be careful, as people are swept away by rogue waves all the time. The NYT should add a warning to this article.

Great story....makes me want to head back there !

It is the exposure of our children to Nature's wonders, every day we can, that should guide every parent. Snorkeling on the Big Island, Greece, Australia has opened my family's eyes to the underwater wonders of the oceans. Surfing and fishing throughout has garnered respect for the sustenance the oceans provide. Living it and showing them every day will protect nature for their generation and they will be prepared to sustain it for their children.

There is great healing when we enter the waters. We lose something of ourselves as we gain peace.

I live on Kauai and year after year, read about accidental drownings from people like Tsui who are eschew safety and knowledge of our dangerous currents for some transcendental experience. To date, one month into 2017, three tourists have died in Kauai waters.

Don't think Mother Nature will protect you, she won't. Don't be lulled into a false sense of security by the beauty all around. We locals take extreme care but often have to pay the price for heedless tourists like Tsui who get into trouble. A small island, with 70,000 permanent residents our small county budget is strained with all the rescues of blithe people like Tsui from our waters and mountain trails. She's lucky she didn't get swept out to Niihau swimming in Polihale. I'm glad she made it back okay, but this article is a serious disservice to other visitors.

Didn't Tsui see the ocean safety videos all over the baggage claim area when she landed here? Apparently not. THAT would have been a better story.

1. yeah, if you are white/howli, i would not recommend trying to "swim with the locals" unless you want to get beaten up.
2. what is funny in hawaii is that everywhere they warn about rip tides so you wont get drowned, but no one mentions that if you are used to body surfing elsewhere, that the waves are about 3x as powerful. first day out in kawaii, caught a great shore break just as i would in the continental usa. but it slammed me so hard like a Mack truck into the sand I suffered a torn labrum.....be careful even with swimming. you gotta know where you are.

To swim
to breathe
with elemental ease

To bathe
in sea
in solitary peace

Wash away fear
cast away tears
in the bathysphere
of Poseidon's reign

A fluid self
immersed in the world
nothing more
need be gained

So much of the close to shore coral has died this past year on Maui. Our polititions don't care. Sediment from building sites, continual EPA fines paid for sewage treatment injection well violations, instead of fixing the problem. Almost no enforcement of the already minimal regulations. The beautiful Parrot fish that cleans coral, rotting in Phillipino Fish stores for $10.

Not the white, bleached coral that we read about as the result of Global Warming, which maybe can come back, but brown, dead, covered coral.

In a film about a 1960s-70s Kaua'i north shore hippie villlage called "Taylor Camp", Suzanne "Bobo" Bollin, a long time resident, describes how she gets ready to swim from Haena to Polihale in big waves and with big sea animals. Her process, born of years of experience, is fascinating.
Take a look at the film after reading this article and you will have a deeper understanding of watermen and waterwomen and their relationship with the ocean.
Thank you, John Wehrheim, Robert Stone and Tom Vendetti for making this film and allowing this former Taylor Camper to relive the happiest days of so many lives.

Thanks for the memories! I lived at the foot of Diamond Head for 8 years, renting the upstairs in an old Hawaiian house that belonged to a beautiful lady who had been Miss Hawaii in 1958. It was across the street from a small beach park. My daily ritual was to roll out of bed, slip into a bikini, swim out to the reef and back, shower and go to work. In the evenings I would repeat the process but would stash a martini on the rocks to enjoy afterwards as I watched the sunset. It was a heavenly time. How I miss the daily sensation of being embraced by those waters.

Thank you for the lovely article. After graduating from college, I spent 3 months traipsing throughout Kauai: surfing, swimming, and getting in above my head. On Christmas Day, 1999, I nearly drowned off of the Na Pali Coast. The experience humbled me. I have a more cautious, but still close relationship with the ocean ever since. What a magical place.

You didn't mention it, but the 11 mile Kalalau Trail on Kauai will also change your life. If you are not careful or simply unlucky, it will take it as well. During my hike I was trailed by a family who was retracing the steps of their son who disappeared there, never to be found, presumably swept away in a flash flood.

Thanks so much for writing this - so many of my own thoughts seem to be in your writing.

I had a much different and yet still meaningful experience at Tunnels Beach last January. During the winter months weather conditions change and turn Tunnels into a maelstrom of 10 to 20 foot waves breaking all over the place in different directions and in constantly changing patterns. While my family hiked, I sat on the beach and watched this event for hours. There was something happening that couldn't be explained but could only be felt. There was quite a group of us just sitting and staring. The power and magnificence of the ocean is mesmerizing.

Your communion might be permanent.

Thank you for reminding me of those sun drenched days long ago; bodysurfing at Brenneke's and swimming laps in Waiohai lagoon. My favorite memory is of jumping off the boat a mile off the shore into the deep blue almost purple water; a purely spontaneous action without hesitation to the ocean's beckoning to come in! Lovely beautiful Kauai!

Our daughter moved to Sydney,Australia 5 years ago.We have visited there 3 times and have fallen in love with the Australian swim culture. We always stay in Bondi. Starting at dawn there is a parade of surfers and swimmers getting into the ocean before their work day. On the weekends the children are taking ocean survival lessons. 6 and 7 year olds learning how to rescue and navigate the rough surf. The ease and grace in which they swim thru the ocean is truly something to behold. Thanks for the great article.

Oh, how I miss swimming at Ala Moana Beach Park. I can imagine myself swimming back from the far 'course' marker sighting off the Ilikai.

I grew up learning to swim in the colder waters of Massachusetts Bay, but have lived here on Oahu for many years. Swimming in Hawaii is quite different, but just as wonderful as the writer describes. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that a surprisingly high percentage of the local population cannot swim--“'almost amphibious' from birth" is no longer the norm. My own two children took swimming lessons, but many do not.

Ocean people just can't get enough of the ocean, and we in Hawaii are lucky enough to be there every day. There are mountain people too, and I'm glad they stay elsewhere because we ocean people are happy as is.

My wife and I moved from Long Island to the north shore of Kauai (Rented a house on Tunnels beach for $3,000/month) in 1998. Lived there for 3 years, then returned to NY to be near my kids. My kids visited us for a few days and that was great. Then they did the other islands. That experience was the best of my life. Kauai was paradise. I hope it till is now.

Heaven

Wonderful essay. Thank you.

Impressed you even waded in at Polihale, but your descriptions of both that beach and Tunnels are spot on.

This article perfectly encapsulates why I feel Hawaii pulling me back to visit year after year...

Many Hawaiians believe that those who take pleasure in the ocean's beauty have a responsibility to malama "take care of" the ocean in return. I'm afraid that if this message is lost that Hawaii's beaches will be too. Waikiki is projected to be underwater by 2100 due to rising sea levels. Also, remember to always use mineral-based sunscreen instead of chemical-based sunscreens. Just one drop of chemical-based sunscreen (the majority of sunscreens) is enough to kill coral within the volume of six olympic-sized swimming pools. Aloha!

The German language provides the word "Waldeinsamkeit" for hikers in the forest. Is there a similar word for swimmers in the ocean? This article justifies such a word.

Reminds me, somewhat, of my summer days spent at Cape May, N.J. while growing up in Philadelphia. Going to the beach was a joy I feel today as I recall wave surfing and floating on the waves in a rented air filled surfer. How I miss those days and the feeling of being at one with the ocean and nature. Nothing can take that away. Maybe being born under the sign of Aquarius has something to do with it!
Thanks for offering this article to all who love the ocean.