-->
Amakua Adventure
Ed Huls
It was almost two years ago that I last took the tour aboard my good
friend Richard Holland's "Dolphins and You" catamaran, motoring out
into the pristine blue waters along the West Coast of O'ahu in search of
dolphins in the wild. We had not seen one another in over a year, and
I had only heard stories as to how much the tour had improved.
You must understand, it was around some 12 years earlier, at its
inception, when the tour was nothing more than the two of us with two
kayaks on top of a Kia 'Sportster', picking up four guests in Waikiki and
shuttling them out to beautiful Makua Bay. And from the beach
we would paddle them out to swim, snorkel, and dive with the dolphins.
So when we reunited recently, Richard asked me to join him on the
tour one Saturday morning. I spent the night at his beautiful home in
Hawaii Kai with his wife Aya, their newborn son Risora, and his two
teenage daughters Shiala and Alishyia. 5 a.m. came way too early. Bleary-eyed, we
jumped into his new Kia and made the drive into the office in Waikiki.
There we met up with Mark and Omar, two young dudes who specialize in the
interesting new field of "social media". Richard had asked
them to come on the tour so as to have firsthand knowledge as
they applied their expertise to promote the tour. Also there was the
young Jona who works for Richard in the office helping book tours. Jona is
a very bright light, fresh out of college, having been raised in Japan and
who, like Richard, is a "hafa" or a white man with a
Japanese spirit, fluent in both English and Japanese. The last to join our
group was Nick, also a "hafa", who was to be the tour guide for the
day. Nick is a very serious young man, yet as it turned out, highly
competent and good with the guests.
I had remembered the old and beaten tour bus from years before,
but was I ever pleasantly surprised as a brand new,
white Ford E-650 diesel, 37 passenger bus pulled up in front of the
offices on Lewers St; the very recognizable powder blue "Dolphins and
You" logo emblazoned on both sides and the rear. The very affable,
and as it turned out, the very capable driver Ken, jumped out to greet us and
invite us aboard.
Nick donned his traditional blue 'pereo' and immediately took
charge with clipboard in hand, giving driver Ken instructions on the
order of hotel pickups. We weaved through the still darkened streets of
Waikiki, stopping at a half dozen hotels including the Hilton Hawaiian
Village, Ambassador, Sheraton, Hyatt, and Marriott, picking up our Japanese
guests for the day. As they boarded the bus, you could see their still
sleepy and yet excitable expressions as each was warmly greeted by both Nick
and Richard. Each guest was asked to step onto a scale and Nick logged their
body weights. Puzzled, I asked Richard what this was all about and he told
me that unlike in the early years of the tour, this was being in compliance
with Coast Guard regulations so the boat would not be overloaded. And like
clockwork, the bus punctually left Waikiki at 6:00 headed for the wild
West Shore of O'ahu – destination, Wai'anae Boat Harbor.
The ride in this luxurious bus was made even more
pleasant as our guide Nick, after speaking to all the guests in their
native Japanese about the procedure and of what to expect on the
tour, and popped in a DVD video. It contained footage of previous dolphin
excursions played on screens strategically placed overhead, allowing the guests
to see what they were about to witness firsthand. This DVD also
seemed to lessen the time of the journey (about 45 minutes). After the video
portion, a CD with contemporary Hawaiian music began to
play and one of the artists on it was Richard's very own teenage daughter
Shiala, performing her own composition, "To the Deep". It was
hard to believe that this beautiful talented songbird was the same
little girl I had first met some 12 years ago. The song and
Shiala's soaring voice carried us up the West Coast. During this
travel time, Richard retold the history and evolution of Dolphins and
You to the social media crew with Jona listening in. I know the
story having been part of it, yet to hear Richard tell it in his voice,
with his childlike excitement, enthusiasm, and drama, it is
always fresh to me. Richard is a great storyteller.
We pulled into Wai'anae Boat Harbor at around 7:15 and the guests
were allowed to use the public restrooms. Richard's loyal employee of
many years, Shu Shu was waiting on the dock as she does each and every morning
with all the provisions, food, and drink for the cruise. We were
all then escorted down to the boat and as I walked along the dock I
looked down and there in the water was a sea turtle ("honu") lazily
swimming about. Honu always bring a blessing of good luck so I knew that this
would be a good voyage. Again, I smiled as I saw the new, sharp
looking motoring catamaran, the Enzo in its slip with Captain Keith
smiling from atop the bridge. The crew, comprised of the young Hawaiians,
Patrick, Kekoa, and Abbey, warmly greeted each guest and assisted them
onboard. Nick took over and using the Janet Jackson ear-headset
mike, boomed welcoming words over the loudspeaker
system. The powerful engines revved and Captain Keith eased the Enzo
out of the harbor heading north towards Makua Bay, the mating and breeding
ground for the dolphins. Plumeria flowers were passed around accompanied
by Hawaiian chant and blessing for safe passage and then the guests were asked
to toss their flowers into the waters. This very spiritual ceremony helped to
set the tone of our voyage and has been part of Richard's philosophy for all
the years that I've known him. Nick proceeded to introduce each crew
member individually who came out one at a time dancing to loud,
upbeat music with Patrick taking top honors by busting out the best dance
moves. Even Captain Keith participated in the revelry and good fun as he was
introduced by Nick. And from up on the bridge he turned around to
look down at us sporting a huge fright wig and comical oversized
sunglasses. Not to be outdone, Richard was
then introduced. He at first feigned reluctance and shyness, but
with a little prodding and encouragement (and it didn't take much), he
jumped out on deck and began to dance wildly channeling his youthful
days as a male dancer making the Japanese girls squirm and giggle with
joy.
I watched Captain Keith as he steered the boat heading
North, all the while listening to continuous reports from other boats as to
whether or not there were any dolphin sightings. There were none. I stood
by the side rail, taking in the surrounding beauty of the gentle ocean,
the warmth of the morning sun, and the coastline with the impressive Wai'anae
mountain range. The crew then began handing out masks, fins, and snorkels
to the guests along with wetsuits for those who wanted. As we approached
Makua Bay, the beauty of the verdant valley spilling down into the bay
upwelled all the great memories of earlier, less complicated times when Richard
and I paddled our guests out into the bay; and after depositing our guests into
the water, leaning back in our kayaks breathing in this same beauty and
one or the other of us commenting something to the effect, "Can there be
any better way to earn a living than this!"
Captain Keith moved through the bay without seeing any dolphins and
slowly continued up to Yokohoma Bay. It was at a spot that surfers call
"Yokes" that he told Kekoa to drop anchor and killed the
engines. After safety instructions were given by Nick, our guests
followed Abbey and Patrick into the water and together they swam
toward a good diving spot to observe underwater sea life. Kekoa followed in the
one kayak to oversee additional water safety. Later I noticed
young Patrick paddling the kayak with his arms surrounding one of the
attractive young Japanese girls and showing her the finer points of
paddling. I had to smile at the memory of both Richard and
me doing the very same thing in an innocently flirtatious way of bringing
even more joy to our guests. After snorkeling and
diving, the guests were brought back on board whilst Captain
Keith had fired up the barbeque and was grilling burgers. Nothing
like fresh salt air and a refreshing swim in the ocean to
spike one's appetite. All the guests eagerly accepted the warm,
deliciously grilled burgers on taro buns along with chips and fruit juice.
The anchor was lifted and Captain Keith zigzagged back slowly heading
south as Hawaiian music was played loudly and Patrick and Kekoa danced
powerful male hula for the guests. This was followed
by sweet Abbey dancing a vigorous Tahitian-style hula and then Kekoa
singing and playing ukulele.
So far the tour was at a very high level with the guests enjoying
themselves. It was a warm and beautiful morning, a
smooth ocean, and the crew was entertaining
and interacting with the guests, being very
attentive to their needs. Yet there was one missing element, the dolphins
had not yet shown themselves. In all my years on the tour, we had
very few days of "no show". On over 90% of the outings,
the dolphins showed up for us. Captain Keith kept a tuned
ear to the radio reports coming in, all saying the same thing, "No
dolphins today". Most all of the boats were already headed back to
the harbor. At this point it was up to shacho-san (the boss) to step in. And step in he did. Richard
is, and always has been, a cock-eyed optimist with a very strong spiritual
core like myself. He asked everyone to join hands in prayer/meditation as
he spontaneously began speaking to the spirit of the
"amakua". The best and most comprehensive definition of
"amakua" that I've come across says that, "Amakua,
in Hawaiian folklore, are guardian spirits who display miraculous powers,
appearing in dreams to give warning or advice; assuming, in waking life, the
shape of an animal, a plant, or an elemental form such as a cloud or ocean
wave..." Sharks are strong amakua, as are dolphins, turtles,
and whales.
Once finished with the calling to the amakua, the music was turned
back on as Captain Keith kept his slow, meandering pattern
in the water, not wanting to give up on the dolphins. I stood on the side rail
and continued the vigil with Keith, searching the horizon line for any
sign of splashing and whitewater. It was then that the captain hollered
out, "we've got whales!" In earlier times the cry out
was, "There she blows!" The music was turned down and sure
enough, off to the starboard side was a huge whale breaching – then a
second, and then a third! All the guests pushed to the railing and with cameras
and camera phones began snapping pictures of these magnificent creatures.
Captain Keith, slowed the boat down and then, in compliance with Coast Guard
regulations, killed the engines. The whales got closer and closer to the
boat until they were not more than 20 ft. from us. For the next 45 min.
we enjoyed this spectacular dance of the whales as they dove deep
and, being the air-breathing mammals that they are, breached the
surface to take in the air and then dive once again with the lasting
image of the whale’s tail ending that cycle. It was truly a
spectacular sight, especially for the first-timers. Yet even for those of
us who had seen the whales before, it was impressive and brought big smiles. I
personally had never been a whale that close before.
Once the whales finished their show it was time to head back, and even
though we had not gotten the dolphins, the whale-watch was more than satisfying
for the guests. A nice touch on this return trip was watching the crew applying
henna/peel-off Hawaiian tattoos onto the guests’ arms or legs, or wherever they
indicated – a nice keepsake for them to wear proudly and show-off back
home. Along with this, fresh, cold pineapple was served on
platters. We pulled into the Wai'anae Boat Harbor and docked. It was
time for photos as the guests posed with Captain and crew and a group
shot. There were hugs all around as we left the boat and headed
to the waiting bus. This would be the point where most
dolphins sailing tours would end. Not "Dolphins and You".
In his ongoing attempt to give his guests the most 'bounce for their
buck', Richard offers up a hula lesson. Shuttled over to the park and
greeted by Koolea the 'Kumu Hula' (teacher of hula), each guest was given a pereo
and 'haku', (head lei). Accompanying Koolea was her husband
Ben playing ukulele as she taught and led the guests in several
dances beneath a large shade tree. Once the hula dancing was finished,
Richard gathered everyone to join hands in a circle, explaining the
alternating male-female, Yin-Yang, theory of energy flow and spoke words of
spirit and gratitude. Each crewmember was acknowledged for their good
work and a rousing cheer was given with hands held high. P.T. Barnum, the
world's greatest ringmaster once said, "Always leave them
laughing".
The bus ride back to Waikiki was very quiet as
most of the guests dropped-off into an exhausted, deep slumber. They were
let off at their respective hotels and those that had purchased a DVD of photos
of the days journey were invited to the office to pick them up.
I was so impressed with the evolution of Richard's dolphin tour,
from its very rough inception to the very professional, efficient, and highly
entertaining place to where it had come today. I also thought about
the whales showing up. Could they
have been responding to the prayer/meditation and invocation that Richard led
on board earlier?! What I am certain of is that there is no finer
dolphin sailing excursion in Hawai'i than "Dolphins and
You".....
Mahalo
0 件のコメント:
コメントを投稿