Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 22, Number 7, 1 July 2005 — CALL OF THE SEA [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CALL OF THE SEA

A Wai'anae-based program helps loeal students prepare for maritime careers By Sterling Kini Wong

While working in the maritime industry for 29 years, Kaipo Pōmaika'i noticed a trend around Hawai'i's docks that bothered him. He saw few of the Native Hawaiians who spent so mueh time in the oeean where he lived in Wai'anae working as seamen. What was more disheartening for Pōmaika'i was that many of the Native Hawaiians from the Leeward Coast were getting in trouble with drugs and crime. So Pōmaika 'i and his wife, Donna, started the Wai'anae Maritime Academy to provide loeal people from around the state, especially Hawaiians, with a new career option that could steer them in a positive direction. Since its first class finished in April 2004, the program has graduated 91 students, more than 80 percent of whom were Native Hawaiian. One of the main attractions of the maritime industry is the pay. Pōmaika'i, a longtime tugboat eaptain, said that entry-level pay usually starts at around $42,000 a year. And if a worker is dedicated, he said, after five to eight years they

ean elimh the industry ladder to the level of captain, meehanie or engineer, where salaries ean get as high as $100,000. But one of the roadblocks that has kept Native Hawaiians out of the industry is the cost of obtaining the certifications required to start working as a seaman. Licenses from the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.N.'s International Maritime Organization, as well as lifeboat endorsements, ean set a hopeful mariner back as mueh as $2,000. "Frankly, most guys don't have that kind of money," Pōmaika'i said. "The people in Wai'anae work hard. A lot of them are watermen. All these guys need is a break." In May 2004, the Office of

Hawaiian Affairs launched a partnership with the Wai'anae academy to help provide that break. Over two years, OHA will appropriate $250,000 to fund 226 scholarships for Hawaiians to enroll in the program. The partnership is part of OHA's larger vocational program, called Ka Liu 'Oihana (employment preparation), whieh includes an additional $1 million in scholarships for Hawaiians to attend two other career training organizations: the Hawai'i Technology Institute and the Building Industry Association. The goal of the academy, whieh has also teamed with Leeward Community College's West O'ahu campus, is to prepare students for

entry-level positions in the maritime industry. During its five-week course, workshops are held three evenings a week, with a lab all day on Saturdays. The program also conditions students for the psychological aspect of life at sea. Leighton Tseu, a port engineer who has worked in the industry for 34 years, admits that life at sea isn't for everyone. "I've experienced 90foot waves; I've lost 27 containers over the ship," he said. "To be a seaman, you have to have it in your koko (blood)." The program has drawn interest from men and women of all ages. At a recent class, Gil Perez, 48, said the program appealed to him because he wanted to improve his career opportunities. He was working as a paniolo at Kahuā Ranch on Hawai'i island until an injury forced him to change professions. For the last two years he has worked as a eook on several boats. "I love the water. I grew up diving and surfing. I just love this lifestyle," he said. Chris Vincent, 25, from Kāne'ohe, said he decided to take the program because after he graduated from Honolulu Community College with a diesel mechanics degree, he couldn't find a good-paying job. "Sometimes, degrees don't matter," he said. For more information on the Wai'anae Maritime Academy, eall Donna Pōmaika'i at 864-3777. ī-1

lnstructor Oeean Kaowili tests the strength of a floating human rescue ehain. Inset: Wai'anae Maritime Academy co-founder Kaipo Pōmaika'i helps a student put on an emergency immersion suit. Photos: steriing Kini wong