If it’s brown water or was recently brown, turn around from Keehi Lagoon, site of the 65th annual Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association state championships.
If it’s brown water or was recently brown, turn around from Keehi Lagoon, site of the 65th annual Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association state championships.
That appears to be the mindset for a number of paddlers and clubs, including several top contenders for the Division AAAA (21-41 events) title.
Oahu’s Lanikai, Outrigger and Hui Nalu have pulled out from the state regatta due to high bacteria level concerns.
Those clubs finished 2-3-4 in quads or Division AAAA last year at Hilo Bay, where Moku O Hawaii’s Kai Opua was sixth or last, competing with just 30 crews.
For Saturday, Big Blue entered 27 crews but had a half-dozen crews pull out. (Kai Opua is required to race in quads because its classification was set last week at the lane drawings.)
“We’ve dropped at least six crews,” said Kai Opua athletic director Mike Atwood. “I’m pretty sure it was because of the bacteria concerns. The brown water is gone. They (state Department of Health) lifted the advisory Thursday.
“It’s typical Keehi Lagoon water. It’s no different than any other state championship we’ve had in the past. Leading up to the event, the water was definitely bad. You can be on the water, but they don’t recommend you swimming in it. They’re advising not to have boat holders.”
There are still high levels of bacteria, and the state tests a strain called enterococcus as a measuring stick for water quality.
Enterococcus is a bacteria that lives in the intestinal tracts of warm-blooded animals, including humans, and indicates possible contamination of water by fecal waste, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The water doesn’t have to be brown for the enterococcus to survive. The bacteria is capable of cellular respiration, meaning hitting it with 20 paddles won’t kill it.
For those who have never been to Keehi Lagoon, the best description is it’s a drainage system off Nimitz Highway and does nothing to disguise its appearance.
All the locals on Oahu know that it’s one of the last places to take a family for a day at the beach, considering Ala Moana is just seven miles or 58 minutes of traffic away.
In a way, that’s why Keehi Lagoon is so convenient for canoe paddling. No one wants to swim there, so paddlers don’t have to deal with tourists on flotillas, only those pesky water bugs.
The 65th annual state regatta is already historic with the number of pull-outs, and crews could still scratch at the last minute. All it takes is one paddler uncomfortable with the bacteria levels.
“The water looks good,” Atwood said. “It’s not clear, but there’s no dead fish in the water.”
The Kai Opua chief is well aware that looks can be deceiving, though.
“Keehi is a drainage area from Kalihi,” he said. “Any type of rain and stuff winds up down here. A normal tide or current will take it out. But how long it stays depends on how thick it is and the concentration.”
Kai Opua gold?
A Moku O Hawaii Outrigger Canoe Racing Association club has never won the top-division title in the 64 years of HCRA’s state history.
Does Big Blue stand a chance, even just with 21 crews?
“I don’t think so. Hawaiian is bringing most of its paddlers,” Atwood said. “Only a few adult crews have dropped out.”
Atwood is quite familiar with Diane Ho, the competitive head coach at Hawaiian, the three-time defending quads champion and winner of 12 of the last 15 years.
He also knows Hawaiian’s tradition by heart. The club’s paddlers love chanting, “Maui no kai oi,” after the Valley Isle paddlers reel in another Quad A trophy as the state’s best club.
Atwood noted that Kai Opua’s freshmen, sophomore, junior, and senior men have dropped out. Those classes are typically the strongest for any club. The men’s 50 and 65 pulled out as well.
Teddy Bear Bo
If Kai Opua president Uncle Bo Campos were covered in fur, he would pass as a 6-foot Teddy Bear.
If a vote were taken by Moku O Hawaii or even HCRA state paddlers, it’s a good bet that Uncle Bo would be named friendliest paddler and person.
Try to shake his hand and he’ll give you a bear hug instead.
After Puna beat Kai Opua, 201-200 points, for the Aunty Maile Mauhili/Moku O Hawaii crown on July 16, there was no dimming the sunshine for Uncle Bo.
“It’s OK. It’s OK. We’ll move on,” he said, then turned his attention to states. “We’re going on a suicide mission. If we qualify 25 crews, we’re going to take all 25. We won’t drop any to go to a lower division.
“I couldn’t tell any of our paddlers that you’re not going to states. That would definitely break my heart.”
That in a nutshell is Uncle Bo and Kai Opua, too.
“We’ve got several new coaches for the kids and adults, and we’re building our program,” Atwood said. “All our coaches and paddlers feel that the best way to build our club is through opportunity and experience.
“We’re not going to leave home paddlers if we feel we could win a lower division. Our foundation as a club is we want to give people that experience.”
Green Pride repeat
There’s no chance Big Island clubs will go 1-2-3 in Division AAA (13-20 races) like last year when it was Puna, Keauhou, and Kai Ehitu, respectively.
For one thing, Keauhou, a longtime mid-level power under president Bill Armer, suffered a significant numbers depletion.
The West Hawaii club entered 18 crews at states last year but qualified just five for Division A (1-6), a far cry from its glory days.
Keauhou seized the state Division AAA crown three years in a row from 2010 to ’12 and took another in 2014.
Meanwhile, Puna goes in with 19 crews, and if there are no late scratches Green Pride is a strong contender to repeat as Triple A champion.
And one thing is guaranteed. There will be sunshine with Big Blue’s Teddy Bear around. It doesn’t matter if it’s raining either.
“We’re going to paddle and have a good time,” Uncle Bo said.