The majority of our masters swim group headed out early for the Kukio Blue Water Swim on the early morning of Saturday, September 22, 2018. The venue could not be better with a swim start from Kua Bay adjacent to the Pu’u Ku’illi cinder cone looming large in the background. This early morning included a gentle rain that produced an incredible rainbow above the beautiful and majestic cinder cone reminding of how blessed we are to be able to take part in these fun events.

The Kukio community itself is situated on the shoreline including the Manini’owali Beach. The beach itself is secluded and small and has plenty of white sand extending into the water which forms the shoreline at Kua Bay. The water in the bay is crystal clear and the beach is more difficult to reach than other nearby white sand beaches as it’s entrance is unmarked and only accessible by either asking for shoreline public access at the guarded and gated Kukio community entrance or entering from the Queen “K” highway through the poorly marked entrance nearer to the cinder cone. The beach and water are spectacular but be advised that any swell that affects the shoreline here produces a shore break that can be a “neck breaker” to those that are not very careful.

We parked near the concrete pathway that led to the Kua Bay starting area and walked the 1/4 mile to Kua Bay with 50 or more fellow swimmers. After we arrived to Kua Bay we all went through the typical registration and body marking as in most races and I headed down to the beach for a warm up. I have a few friends that work at Kukio and one in particular came to mind as possibly working the race. As soon as t he thought passed through my mind, I looked up from my warm up swim and sure enough my friend Umi was nearby on a paddle board. I swam in his direction among the 100 or more swimmers in the water at the time and sure enough he recognized me and wished me good luck and a great race.

Another friend and member of our church was present at the pre-race chant and blessing, Hannah Springer. Auntie Hannah is Hawaiian and is fluent in the language and culture and has the ability to tie the Hawaiian language culture to whatever the occasion calls for using her knowledge and skills. I understand her family descends from many generations of Hawaiians particular to this very area located in the Ka’upuluhu lava flow of 1801 that extends from 4500’ up the Hualalai volcano to the shoreline at Kua Bay and northward. Auntie Hannah participates in our church services almost weekly by composing a homily given first in Hawaiian then translated into english with her incredible ability to tie both languages, vocabularies and spiritual teachings into a powerful Christian message. Lissette and I always look forward to this part of our church service and Auntie Hannah did the same this morning by tying the location of our race within her Hawaiian chant as well as calling upon our God to bless the participants and all gathered at the shoreline on this beautiful morning. This was the best part of this swim experience for me.

The race director asked us to gather at the shoreline as we all waded in for the start. During my warm up swim I noticed the ocean had the presence of a smaller but obvious south swell evidenced by a small but booming wave crashing into the beach so I knew to be careful at the start and possibly of a strong current on the race course. I decided to hold to the right side of the mass of swimmers gathered and then attempt to draft the younger swimmers that seemed to favor this part of the start also. They did a 5 minute count down and we were off in the typical sea of bubbles that temporarily causes a sense of sinking as the aeration of the water is tremendous in these mass starts. I was kicked and elbowed typically but that ended once we reached the first mark which indicated the hard right hand turn northward and along the shoreline for the next 1 mile or so.

I immediately felt the swell wrapping into and along the shore and I was thankful that I breath on my right side as the swell was coming in from my left. What I didn’t know at first was the swell was causing a current that was in he opposite direction of the course and at times it seemed that it took forever to swim over a certain portion of the course as I stared straight down at one piece of corral or other element on the bottom that marked my progress. Other members of my team reported seeing juvenile whale shark and or it may have been a member of another shark species but in either case I did not see anything other small reef fish and a lot of beautiful corral.

I felt like I ran out of gas at the last buoy marked by a small outrigger sailing canoe so I was happy to make the final turn toward the shore and head toward the finish which ws immediately evident marked by 2 large, red, inflated markers. As I was exiting the water and looked back and to my right, I caught site of another friend that I surf with, Nickie, racing me to the shoreline finish area. I saw her at the start in front of me talking to a friend so I knew she was participating but I had no idea she was a pretty good swimmer as well as a great surfer! I quickly gathered my feet underneath me and ran up the beach toward the finish line glancing backward long enough to give Nickie a big smile and shout, “Hey Nickie-It’s Ricky”-letting her know it was me she was so determined to beat. What fun! The Mauna Lani team represented well with Susan and Noe winning first in their age groups. Noe’s sister Kaela, her partner Garrison and other members of our team family did well also.

The after race festivities were definitely Kukio quality with food served by the beach club staff and post race prize giveaways that seemed like they would never end from Lululemon, Patagonia etc. not to mention the beautiful Patagonia capilene, long sleeve rash guards and swim caps imprinted with the Kukio logo and art featuring whales and participant badge. I’ve attended a lot of island race activities in the past 17 years and I can honestly say the organization, prizes, food, giveaways and setting of this event were second to none. My race results were not as fast as usual but fast results are really not my intended purpose at this stage of life. Quality time with friends and family on a glorious morning along this particular part of our island was fulfillment enough! Congratulations to the Kukio organizers and staff, this was the best local swim race event ever!

Written by Rick Oliver on October 19, 2018
Posted in: Hawaii Life | Tags: swim