Surfer Girl Honoliβ€˜i: Aloha Kapono

Honoliβ€˜i is not an easy spot to surf, but for those like Aloha Kapono, who grew up surfing in its chilly waters, itΚ»s a beach with beauty unlike any other. This surf break is located at a river mouth in Hilo, which means that the rain upstream is constantly changing the size of the stone beach as well as the shape of the waves. These ever-changing conditions are an inspiration for Kapono as a graduate student at the University of Hawaiβ€˜i at Hilo. Much of her research is collecting data on the effects of climate change on her home break and other coastal areas of Hawaiβ€˜i Island.


When Kapono is not in school, there is a good chance you will find her dawn patrolling Honoliβ€˜i on her 9Κ»2” single-fin log with OluKai Ambassadors Haunani Kane and Brandy Serikaku. Kapono and Serikaku are also hula sisters and members of Hālau Hula O Ka Ua Kani Lehua under the guidance of legendary Kumu Hula Johnny Lum Ho. Kapono strives to incorporate the elegance of hula with the glide of heβ€˜e nalu (surfing) with every wave she slides.


Kapono is one of five ocean-loving kids and Honoliβ€˜i is a special place for her entire β€˜ohana (family). Here’s how she first started surfing at this β€œsmall bay” and how she is using her career to benefit the Hilo community.

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Q: What does Honoliβ€˜i mean and why is this surf break so special?

A: So Honoliβ€˜i – β€œhono” is a bay or cove and β€œliβ€˜i” is small or little, so it directly translates to β€œsmall bay or small cove.” There is also this moβ€˜olelo (myth or legend) of the sand always moving, the sand always changing, and itΚ»s usually never the same every time you go there. I think what makes that place special is that it is constantly changing, the dynamic of the beach is always different. ItΚ»s exciting!

Q: Where is your favorite peak at Honoliβ€˜i?

So, there are three peaks at Honoliβ€˜i: The Point, which is right by the lae (cape) on the left side if youΚ»re looking toward the ocean, then right in the middle is MidΚ»s, and on the right side you have PrivateΚ»s. So, naturally, as a longboarder, I like to surf MidΚ»s and catch the right all the way to the river mouth.

Q: Why do you love this wave?

A: Growing up, we kind of lived right above Honoliβ€˜i. My mom had a house up there. Ever since we were young, my brother, Cliff, would take us titas (sisters) down to the water to go surf. It was always a fun time. You left really early, you had the sunshine, the slight breeze, and it was glassy. Just a place that holds such a feeling of comfort. It was a real β€˜ohana dynamic going down to Honoliβ€˜i and I think that also influenced my love for that place.

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Q: If you have ever seen Honoliβ€˜i itΚ»s obvious why you love this break so much.

A: I feel like everyone that had the opportunity to go surf at Honoliβ€˜i, we all hold those memories of just being there, floating in the water, the waves breaking, to see that poβ€˜i (top or crest of a breaking wave) and watching that β€˜ohu (mist coming off the wave). That gets me every time. The beauty that this place holds is so substantial. Every time I go down there I want to just give back to that place because it has given me so much.

Q: How are you using your education to mahalo Honoliβ€˜i?

A: I graduated from Hilo High School in 2012 then graduated from the University of Hawaiβ€˜i at Hilo in 2016 with a BachelorΚ»s in Geography and Environmental Science. IΚ»m currently a graduate student at U.H. Hilo in the tropical conservation, biology, and environmental science program.

Q: How do you want to use your career to positively impact your community?

A: My project right now, IΚ»m looking at remote sensing time series of Honoliβ€˜i and areas of the Hilo Coast. Basically, itΚ»s how our landscapes are changing through looking at aerial imagery. We have these drones and all of this technology that is advancing so itΚ»s really been more accessible to look at different changes at a lower cost than previously before. How do these places change? Specifically, these places I want to understand and look at are places like Honoliβ€˜i that are so important and have so much meaning. If you look at the place, whatΚ»s changing? Are the plants changing? Is the kai (ocean) coming up? If so, what is the rate of that? How can we build resilience within this community and these people that I identify as my community? And how can we plan for the future?

Q: It sounds like youΚ»re looking at the effects of climate change on your home break: Honoliβ€˜i. Why is that important?

A: Right now we have this really sick helicopter with a camera-mounted system in the belly that is going out and capturing these images. With fieldwork and processing all of this stuff we can look at all of it over time. WhatΚ»s the growth like for, letΚ»s say, urbanization? Or structures? Or things like that. Coupled with historic, archival images from satellites which are really cool because they orbit the Earth every day and there are thousands of them. How can we take this information and do something with it to better understand the changes of our β€˜Δina (that which feeds us, land)? Basically, I want to give back to my community by understanding this change over time to better provide information to people making these really important decisions about our home.

Q: What does it mean to be a wahine (woman) in modern surf culture?

A: ItΚ»s when elegance meets the glide. For me, IΚ»ve been super honored to have mentors like Haunani Kane who grew up surfing WaikΔ«kΔ« and Cockroach Bay. She has one of the meanest dropknee turns IΚ»ve ever seen. Then there is my hula sister Brandy Serikaku and she combines her style of hula and surf and itΚ»s so evident when she is out in the water. I remember when we would all surf early in the morning and then go train for Merrie Monarch during the day. I think when you can capture elegance and combine it with how you glide on the wave, that to me is being a wahine in todayΚ»s surf culture.

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