Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 5, Number 7, 1 July 1988 — Kaanapali Facility is Hawaiian Owned and Operated [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kaanapali Facility is Hawaiian Owned and Operated

Native Oeean Sports, Culture Alive and Well

By Kenny Haina, Editor Ka Wai Ola O OHA "Waikiki is so used and abused already. I look at it and I cry. I'm hurt. I don't want to see the same thing happen to Kaanapali," lamented a former Honolulu resident who surfed the Queen's Surf area for over 20 years. Because of what he saw at Waikiki, Randy Burgess and three others set up the only Hawaiian owned and operated business along the Kaanapali strip giving instructions in native Hawaiian oeean sports — outrigger eanoe paddling, surfing and surfboard riding. Plans are in the works to add Hawaiian-type fishing such as spear fishing, net throwing and laying nets. Burgess and other members of their Maui Beach Center at the Whalers Village on Kaanapali Beach adjacent to the Maui Westin Hotel also conduct Hawaiian culture tours on the only commercial double hull sailing eanoe in the world — the E 'Ala, on loan from the Wai'anae Hawaiian Civic Club through the assistance of Agnes K. Cope, executive director of the Waianae Coast Culture and Arts Society ine. They sail offshore at Kaanapali, giving a history of the plaee and to the channels at Pailolo, Kolohe and Auau. The E 'Ala is captained by Gil Santiago of Waihee who proudly declares he is one-quarter Hawaiian. Like Burgess, he has over 20 years of experience in surfing. The E 'Ala is only one of three double hull canoes in Hawai'i. The others are the Hokule'a and the Mo'olelo, owned by the Lindsey family of Lahaina whieh rests in their oceanfront backyard when not gliding along on the oeean. The Mo'olelo is privately owned and is not in commercial competition. Burgess said he often hears people asking where's the Hawaiian at Kaanapali. He says, "I'm here. We dispense Hawaiian music, meet other Hawaiians, cut coconuts, explain our Hawaiian culture, legends and traditions and anything else Hawaiian the visitor requests." "We've had Sam Ka'ai and Leon Sterling of the Hokule'a on some of our E 'Ala trips explaining about double hull canoes, the Hokule'a and other cultural information," he observed. Burgess explained that his main thrust is surfing but when he gets on E 'Ala "I always feel some very heavy mana; I get very spiritual and I get a big lift. This eanoe really does something to me." Burgess, who virtually heads all operations of

Mau'i Beach Center with his brother, Rodney Keali'imahia'i Burgess III, said they are also thankful to Alu Like ine. for its employment training program in providing them with the right kind of workers. Of the dozen or so employees they have, a majority of them are Hawaiians. Two other partners who started with the operation are no longer involved. Santiago, incidentally, learned about the Kaanapali waters and double hull canoes after eight years with the Mo'olelo. In essence, E 'Ala is now his "baby." In addition to its Kaanapali location, Maui Beach Center is also in Lahaina across from the new Cannery Shopping Center on the oeean side at 1295 Front St. This shop deals heavily on retailing such items as surf and body boards, beach wear and equipment and a full line shop for oeean activities. While native Hawaiian oeean activities kept the center operational, Burgess said they had to join the competition about a year ago in going contemporary with snorkeling, scuba diving, catamaran and glass bottom boat rides, charter fishing, helicopter, van and neighbor island catamaran tours. Burgess believes Hawaiian waters should be

confined to Hawaiian activities, noting that such thrill craft as jet skis shouldn't be in Kaanapali. "I'm not against anyone going into business but these kinds of crafts shouldn't be in Kaanapali," he declared. Maui Beach Center is proud of the fact it has the only surfing safari in operation. Following surfing lessons first thing in the morning, Burgess' crew takes the group on vans to the best surfing spots in the area and puts these eager students to the test. Burgess tells them about safety tips while on the board, timing, paddling, getting off, lying down, how to ride the waves, standing, placing hands properly in preparation for standing, how to follow a guide line and everything else one needs to know about surfing. He puts his students through a dry run and tells them about wave and oeean conditions, what to look for and how to avoid accidents. Burgess is full of energy and know-how about native Hawaiian and all oeean sports. He is a firm believer that native Hawaiian oeean sports should be perpetuated and that Maui Beach Center will eonhnue to take the lead in this area.

Randy Burgess of the Maui Beach Center at Kaanapali, who teaches native Hawaiian oeean sports, instructs this young iady on the proper way to position herself on a surf board as others look on.

Gil Santiago, captain of the E 'Ala, is shown with one of the steerinq oars.