Several paddlers had perfect weather for their trek to Turtletown on the last day of the fishing tournament campout. Some were campers and others came in for the day. Jled, our resident teenager, joined the fray to ace his very first solo paddle. Leader Eileen Helmstetter was upbeat and prepared. There is no finer sight than kayaks of many colors against the backdrop of beautiful Kaneohe bay!
Colorful kayakers fronting the Koʻolau range – photo by Katrena
A few kayakers opted to snorkel around the chosen patch reef while the rest watched the boats and kept an eye out for more turtles. Eileen dived deep to capture a peek at a turtle wedged in a crevice. The remaining swimmers were rewarded with views of other interesting reef life.
Kelvin cruising past Mokoliʻi – photo by Eileen
Carolyn got the coveted prize of turtle themed swag donated by Eileen for sighting the most (9) turtles along the way. All in all it was a ‘3 hour tour’ with a happy memories of great fun on the water.
Carolyn shows off her cool prize – photo by Carolyn
Story and photos (except as noted) by Susan Wilcox
August 24, 2025
What paddler hasn’t gazed longingly at the many small islands surrounding the major islands and thought, “I’d love to paddle there — that route needs a kayak on it!”?
The smart paddler, however, knows not to make this trip without some local knowledge of the reef, the winds, the breaks and the currents. It’s what you don’t know that can get you into trouble. So, when the club announced a paddle to Kapapa Island, a bird sanctuary 2.5 miles offshore via Kāneʻohe Bay, I was all in!
Full parking lotMarie and our beached kayaks
Twelve of us gathered at the Canoe Hale at Heʻeia Kea Boat Harbor on Sunday, August 24. As Eileen, one of the leaders for this paddle, described the route and conditions, I gulped a little. I expected there to be some wind (when is there not?), but waves were clearly breaking at the island. Eileen said the swell was maybe 2 feet and I pictured a wall that could be three feet, not big by Hawaiian standards, but my Venus 11 had not yet been surf-tested in any kind of break. Knowing how powerful Hawaiian waves can be, how would I do in that?
Tim and Sandy
We headed toward the island under a partly cloudy sky with 12-15 knot winds, gusts higher, and a rising tide. The route took us over the sandbar (Ahu o Laka), which is always a pleasure, and the water was high enough so that most of us were able to paddle over it, although a few hopped out to walk their kayaks across it.
I’m not a fan of paddling where I can’t see the bottom, because it seems like I am working hard and getting nowhere. Much of this paddle, however, was over reef, and I have an ongoing enjoyment of dipping my paddle in the water, pushing forward, and seeing the coral and reef life pass beneath me. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Beth checks out the shallows on the north
The wind picked up as we approached the island. My focus was on staying on course (no rudder) and musing about how I hate wind, when suddenly I felt a sting on my right arm and then my left. My paddle had picked up a Portuguese Man of War and it had wrapped a tentacle around my right arm and then been tossed onto the left. I swished the paddle through the water to get it off, but a tentacle was stuck to the Velcro of my glove. I managed to pick it off and rid myself of the pest, but “Auwe!” Those stings hurt! (Side note: the irony here is that a month earlier, I had declined to go into the water at the Crash and Burn clinic because signs were posted that Portuguese Man of War were in the water. I had been stung before and wanted no part of it. Now I had surf and the sting! The ocean will have its way with you.)
The sting was a welcome (?) distraction as I approached the surf. Eileen, knowing I was nervous, gave clear instructions plus the reassurance that no matter what it looked like (which was not as bad as I had feared) the waves were low energy. I wisely put my trust in her and the other club members and followed instructions. It was fun! Plus, I discovered that my kayak does just fine in surf, if I don’t do anything stupid.
West end of the island
We landed on a beach made up of shells and broken coral. Kapapa is a 9.5 acre islet just outside the reef in Kāneʻohe Bay. It is what geologists call “calcareous,” composed of reef and shells, rising to 14 feet above sea level. Stan calls it “magical” and he’s not wrong.
Its primary reputation is as a nesting site for seabirds, mainly shearwaters and petrel. It was first protected in 1917 and was designated as a seabird sanctuary by DLNR in 2010. The island also has historical and cultural significance, as many artifacts have been found, including evidence of a heiau, canoe house and fishing shrine. It is listed in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
North view from the island
It would be tempting to look for artifacts, but there are rules, clearly stated on a prominent sign, designed to keep humans from disturbing the seabirds. Still, it’s a good place to relax and enjoy a whole different view of the windward coast.
Rules, rules, rules – photo by Terry
Some in our group found shade to eat lunch. Some of us walked around the perimeter a bit and some did both. I was surprised at the lack of birds, but apparently this was to be expected as it wasn’t nesting season. Sharp-eyed Marie found two shearwaters cozying up under a tree.
Marie and Alan take a break in the shadeEmpty shearwater burrowsResting ‘Ua‘u kani (wedge-tailed shearwater) – photo by Marie
Then it was time to return. More instructions for how to get around the breaking waves (easy peasy), and then, with the wind at our backs and a couple of honu waving us through, the paddle back to Heʻeia was quick and easy.
Next island: Manana in September. I will definitely be there. Come join us!
As picturesque bands of mauka showers drifted across the island, seven intrepid paddlers convened to make the journey from Nimitz Beach to Tracks on the leeward coast. Terry, Sandy, Jennifer, Stan, Steve and myself joined Beth’s return to the Hui Waʻa Sunday paddles.
Ever changing swell and pounding shore breaks made launching a bit tricky and reports are that more than one of us were toppled as we launched. Thankfully, all members eventually launched safely and started the downwind leg around Barbers Point .
Sandy and Stan converse with Makakilo in the background – photo by TerryJennifer paddles her OC1 past a tanker at the mooring buoy – photo by TerryStan and the Barbers Point lighthouse – photo by Terry
The downwind leg proved to be quite epic as 6 ft+ southern swells rolled under us while a trade wind driven swell sometimes gently and sometimes not so gently pushed us past the Barbers Point lighthouse and into smoother water. Such were the rolling swells that my heart rate monitor was at its highest during the last half mile stretch around the point as I rode the swirling waters just outside the area where they turned into breakers!
Sandy points out the swells at the point to Beth – photo by Terry
Rounding the point to the leeward coast brought much calmer waters, but it also brought unpleasant aroma of the recycling center which one paddler described as “The butthole of Oʻahu”. The author can’t disagree with the analogy! We were reminded over the radio to be grateful for the area that helps maintain the standard of living we all enjoy on the island! Thankfully, as we paddled further up the coast we were greeted with fresher winds and more pleasant scenery as more bands of showers floated across the Waiānae mountains, replacing the the tanks and refinery as the visual source of beauty.
A grounded boat in front of storage tanks – photo by Sandy
We were rewarded with beautiful calm and clear waters as we arrived at the reef just before Electric beach where Beth and Jennifer (and maybe others) took the opportunity to snorkel. Beth had an amazing interaction with two good sized Honu that surfaced literally within arm’s reach of her after she observed them sparring under water. They seemed to be very curious of her and her kayak and took a minute or two to investigate while filling their lungs for their next dive.
The team was quite spread out by the end but all paddlers arrived safely at Tracks in beautifully calm water for a much more gentle landing after 8.3 miles and 3.5 hours of paddling.
Steve and Terry were joined by Jennifer in trolling during the paddle. Jennifer caught one fish in the first five minutes! Terry ended up with four caught and one keeper. Steve caught and released two.
To quote Sailor Steve, “It was another great paddle!”
Technically the solstice was the day before, but we planned our Summer Solstice Celebration on a Saturday so that the working folks could attend. We didn’t think a one second shorter day would matter to anyone. I chose a new event location, the Kalanianaʻole Beach Park, because it had a good picnic area, a convenient restroom and shower, an easy beach launch and lots of parking. Unfortunately, that day coincided with a couple of large family events that brought hundreds of people to the park. The picnic grounds and beach were packed!
Bill, Debi and Monte at the staging area – photo by Ruby
There was a bit of chaos unloading kayaks and gear in the full parking lot. We hastily unloaded while double parked and drivers scrambled into a spot if one opened up. Luckily, we did have lots of room at our picnic site to stage all the kayaks. Sixteen kayakers showed up and another half dozen guests came just to picnic. The beach was filled with afternoon swimmers forcing us to launch single-file to carefully dodge all the bobbing bodies in the water. We made it through the gauntlet without incident.
At the power plant
Norm led us to the Kahe power plant warm water outflow. The wind was a bit stronger than forecast, but the ocean was calm and everyone, including three beginners, made it without issue. Norm dropped an anchor and a few paddlers tied off to snorkel.
I stayed with tandem kayakers Mariah and first-timer Aiko. I tethered their kayak to mine so we could snorkel. Aiko, without warning, jumped into the water. Unfortunately, she must have gotten too high on her dismount and they hulied! We quickly righted the kayak and I helped Mariah get back on. She was fine, but soon noticed that the clip holding her waterproof phone case to its lanyard had released and her phone was gone. Her case didn’t float so down it went. The wind pushed us quite a distance from where they hulied so Aiko and I couldn’t find it by snorkeling. Mariah bid a sad farewell to her phone along with thousands of unbacked up photos and videos (more on her phone at the end of the story).
Mariah and Aiko with Ko Olina in the background
Most of the non-snorkelers just paddled around the outflow enjoying the scenery. Stan took the opportunity to practice reentry using a paddle float and somehow he got separated from his kayak. He called out to me for assistance as he was floating on his paddle float. By the time I reached him Marie was already paddling hard toward us towing Stan’s kayak. Marie gets credit for her first kayak rescue!
Susan checks her messages while waiting for the snorkelers
As we gathered just before heading back a small pod of naiʻa (spinner dolphin) gave us a brief show. I didn’t see any aerial acrobatics, they just swam in our vicinity surfacing now and then. We surmised that they were waking up from their daytime slumber getting ready for their nightly feed. Sorry, no dolphin pics you’ll have to take my word for it.
Mariah and Aiko pass Mermaid’s Cave
There were still a lot of swimmers in the water when we landed so we had to carefully paddle through them. We got a workout dragging our kayaks up the steep beach. Alan didn’t paddle, but he came down to the beach and provided some much appreciated muscle hauling boats. A young bystander volunteered to help carry my kayak and Monte’s back to the grass. Great to see the aloha spirit alive and well!
Kathrin and Angela land on the steep beach – photo by Ruby
Hungry from our workout, our stomachs rumbled at the aroma of food on the grill as the grillmaster, my cousin Macky, got things cooking while we were paddling. The picnic table overflowed with a great variety of potluck dishes and everyone settled in as the sun began to set.
Sunset potluckSun sets under the canopy eaveSteve and Debi with a great sunset view
Low clouds and heavy vog led to an underwhelming sunset. The sun didn’t really set, it just disappeared. Still, it made a pleasant end to the second longest day of the year. Everyone went home with a full belly and memories of another great Hui paddle.
Disappearing sun
Back to Mariah’s phone…Aiko texted me on Monday asking for the approximate location where they hulied. She reached out to the local diving community to see if anyone would be willing to look for Mariah’s phone. Amazingly, a diver found it and Mariah had her phone back on Tuesday in perfect working condition! More aloha spirit in action. How’s that for a happy ending!
I recently joined Hui Waʻa Kaukahi and I’m loving ocean kayaking! The club’s welcoming atmosphere has made me feel right at home. On Sunday, June 1st, we embarked on an 8-mile paddle from Haleʻiwa Beach Park to Runway Beach, typically a tailwind-friendly route (so I was told) 😉 However, the wind decided to play tricks on us!
Staged for launch at Haleʻiwa
The Paddle
We started with ten paddlers, but Steve Harris decided to turn back at the Waialua Sugar Mill. He couldn’t see us, and the wind was getting stronger, making him think that we had all turned around. There was a big gray cloud coming in from the west (Kaʻena Point) and it looked like the wind was going to blow even harder in our faces. The landing looked just too far away in those conditions so he most reluctantly decided to head back to Haleʻiwa. He was very disappointed as this very rarely happens. But at least he caught an omilu on his way!
The rest of us battled 5-foot waves and a 10 mph headwind, taking about 4 hours to cover 6 miles. It would have taken us at least another hour to paddle to Runway Beach. Luckily, I live close to Camp Mokulēʻia and our tired group decided to land at the beach there instead. We made it just in time before it started pouring rain!
A Safe Landing
Thanks to Stan’s expert guidance and Carolyn’s lead paddling, we made it ashore safely – or so I thought! Kelvin had a surprise capsize behind me, caused by a bump from Bill’s boat. Luckily, everyone was okay. I walked to my house to pick up my car and took the first three people back to their cars at Runway Beach. Kollin helped out by driving Steve’s car to pick him up in Haleʻiwa.
Alternate landing at Camp Mokulēʻia.
All’s Well That Ends Well!
Despite the challenges, we had an amazing time and can’t wait for our next paddle! The camaraderie and shared adventure made it truly unforgettable.
