O is for Ocean

A lot of people come to Hawaii to be by the ocean, and insist on staying in an oceanfront accommodation and being able to see the ocean from their window. A lot of people live in Hawaii to be by the ocean. There are some people who never go to the beach but they are truly exceptions.

The ocean is far more than a symbol of Hawaiian culture, and more than a cliché or theme – it influences everything: the weather, the wind, the plants and animals and where they live, the economy, real estate values, how long it takes a package to arrive from the mainland, the supply and demand of toilet paper.

Stand up paddle challenge from Maliko Gulch, April 2011.
Participants are not standing up yet, they are still paddling out  to get past the waves. 

What??? Toilet paper? Yes, because if there’s a serious hurricane or tsunami warning, then people will often flood the stores and stock up on toilet paper plus other ”essentials.”

For recreation, the ocean provides a lot of activities: snorkeling, surfing, scuba diving, whale watching, boating, fishing, kiteboarding, windsurfing, stand up paddling, paddling or kayaking, swimming, and just hanging out at the beach.

There’s a saying here, never turn your back on the ocean. The ocean is beautiful but deadly, so pay attention. When you’re not paying attention to the ocean, a big wave can come by and knock you over or a riptide could drag you out to sea.

Windsurfers in the distance at Ho'okipa Beach on the North Shore. 

In a post on M for mountains, I mentioned that directions are given in terms of mountainside or oceanside. When you live on an island, there are two ways to move: around the island in a circle, or toward the center (the mountain) or the shore.

The mountain-ocean relationship was so important that it affected how ancient Hawaiians arranged the land. I think I’m going to save that for another post.

Going kayaking from Olowalu on the West Side of Maui. 

Lastly, living by the ocean isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. There are definitely pros and cons to living close to the ocean, which is why I live at least three miles away from the shoreline. I’ll tell you why later.

Aloha and mahalo (thank you) for reading!

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