Hanging out at the Mokes

We’re in paddling paradise. The turquoise water laps gently against the hull of the canoe, creating bright reflections on the Pueo’s khaki coating. I carefully follow Jas as we wind our way single file through the maze-like reef at Lanikai, avoiding the light coloured patches that indicate coral just beneath the surface.

Cath and Nic

Jas spots a turtle, popping its head up for a quick breath to say good morning.

It’s our second day at the Mokes. Yesterday we went around the outside of the islands and caught the remnants of swell back to Flat Island opposite Kailua. 

Kez catching a few waves at Flat Island

Today, we’ve packed the esky, and are setting up shop on the island beach.

Heading to the Mokes

There’s only a slight breeze thanks to Hurricane Jimena, which is sitting north of the islands and blocking the trades; contributing to the sweltering, humid heat this week.

But there’s a great break between the Mokes that’s curving around the island and looks fun to play with.

Turtle!

And yep, it’s as much fun as it looks! Annett catches the wave of the day; and we all practice our surfing and ama flying. Jim steers the OC4 and takes the girls canoe surfing – by the look on Cath’s face when they get back, they caught a few good waves.

Annett's wave of the day

 

Canoe surfing with Jim

We swap around canoes – Ehukai, Antares, Pueo 2, Scorpious XS. I enjoy the Pueo and Scorpious the most for their ease of picking up the bumps. Some of the other girls prefer the Ehukai. It’s great to try them all.

Amanda, Kath, Annett & Shell in our beach colours

We spend some time on the beach with Jim and Koa talking about steering.

“Every good crew needs a good steerer, and every good steerer needs a good crew”, Jim tells us.

“Everyone in the canoe should be able to steer – to understand what the steerer is doing and better respond in their individual seat,” he continues.

“And always put an experienced person in 5. That will give your steerer a lot of confidence and support when they need it most”.

We grab some lunch and realize we’ve been out for 4hrs already. The sunburn has started to set in, so it’s time to head back home for rest and milkshakes.

For more about our trip, follow this link. For more pictures, visit the Gallery