Brian Keaulana is the quintessential Native Hawaiian waterman, well-known in Hawaii and beyond for his deep understanding of the ocean, gifted with surfing and lifeguarding skills passed down from his big-wave rider father.
But some people, including fellow Hawaiians, want to stop the project and say it's a waste of water and pointless when there are many nearby beaches for surfing. –
“They’re profiting off a cultural practice by controlling it by making these wave pools, which are going to destroy the actual beach that is nearby,” said Healani Sonoda-Pale, a plaintiff in a civil case seeking to stop the wave pool. “I cannot speak for other Hawaiians. All I can I say is as a Hawaiian ... it goes against my culture.”
The lawsuit — filed in state environmental court by a group of Hawaiians and residents near the proposed site — alleges the 7 million-gallon artificial pool would damage nearshore limu, or seaweed, and desecrate iwi kupuna, or ancient Hawaiian remains. “The ocean is the greatest treasure that we have," he said, but"it can be flat. It can be big. It can be dirty. It can have, you know, sharks here and there."
His business partner, Keno Knieriem, said waves can be customized with a tap on a tablet, noting an electromechanical system would use panels to generate up to 1,000 waves per hour, mimicking ocean swells up to 8 feet high. Some 80 surfers could work different waves simultaneously: barrelling waves, big waves, kid-friendly waves, Knieriem said.
Sonoda-Pale, who calls herself a water protector, questioned whether a wave pool is really necessary to excel at surfing. While she surfed in her youth, she’s no longer an active surfer.
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