Paddling for Hawaii's Marine Wildlife
Last summer, Hawaii's Donna "Kahi" Kahakui began a journey that had been attempted but never completed: she paddled a record 73-miles from Kapalua Bay, Maui, to Honolulu, Oahu, in a solo outrigger canoe. Setting the under-20-hour record was secondary: her primary goal was to raise awareness and funds for ocean wildlife through Hawaii's Kai Makana Foundation, a non-profit conservation group she founded to support marine wildlife conservation. Kahakui is far from resting on her record-setting laurels. In May she completed another record-setting, fund-raising paddle: 131 miles from the tip of the Big Island at Opolu Point to Waikiki Beach on Oahu. The records, however, are still secondary. "The purpose of these paddles isn't about me setting new records," says Kahakui. "The primary reason is to show that everyone has the potential to make a difference." Kahakui grew up in Oahu and her love for paddling in both team and solo outriggers began at a young age; she is currently on the Outrigger Canoe Club team and was named the 1998 Tiffany & Company's Athlete of the Year. She holds several prestigious women's titles for solo canoeing including O'ahu Champion and Hawaii State Champion. Through her foundation, Kahakui has raised more than $40,000 for such projects as the Waikiki Aquarium, The Endangered Hawksbill Sea Turtle Project, The Center for Whale Studies Research, and The Hawaii Nei Dolphin Protection Project. As a subsidiary of the Hawaii Wildlife Fund, the foundation's primary focus in 1999 is the Marine Debris Project, aiming to clean up Hawaii's waters from pollution affecting marine wildlife and coral reefs. Pollution, agricultural runoff and over-fishing is expected to destroy 25 percent of Hawaii's coral reefs in the next 10 to 20 years. "Resource over-utilization has become a significant threat to marine wildlife," Kahakui says, already planning her next record-setting paddle for conservation. "Marine debris is killing our coral reefs, monk seals, turtles, dolphins and whales. We need to address this problem before it's too late." —For more information on Kai Makana call (808) 955-2282 or contact the Hawaii Wildlife Fund at (808) 667-0437, wild@aloha.net. Donations may be sent to Kai Makana, P.O. Box 22719, Honolulu, HI 96823-2719.
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