Kayaking the Na Pali Coast

Then the cable controlling our rudder snaps and we drift helplessly out to sea. Our distress call brings Melissa back and a makeshift repair restores partial control. Time creeps by and our first landing site / lunch break seems frozen a mile ahead.

Finally, we approach our intended rest stop -- the only area not blasted by surf or ringed with jagged rocks. The mood is somber but relieved as we land our kayaks and gather around a pair of picnic tables for lunch. The waterproof packs are unloaded and sandwich wraps are passed around, savored as much as the stable ground beneath us.

Our break is short-lived since we are several hours behind schedule; so we load up and push out to sea again. Stronger winds are pushing heavier seas against us but we must press on. The only safe and accessible landing site is still miles away at Poli’hale Beach (the largest beach in the state). We’re well past the originally planned landing time, but it will take another few hours of hard paddling to conclude our journey.

The incredible mountain scenery and hypnotic ocean swells ease the passage of time and finally Melissa and Reise circle the kayaks to prepare us for landing. I can tell from their tone that our high seas landing will be a very serious matter. We are told to remove loose articles and secure them in the watertight compartments. We must attempt to time our assault on the beach kayak-by-kayak, pausing to catch lesser swells (we hope). All of us are exhausted, aching and sunburned. But those concerns fade in the face of this next critical challenge.

After a final VHF call to the recovery crew, Melissa takes the lead as the rest of us hover a few hundred yards from shore. We watch her ride the swells shrinking in size as she nears the beach. Suddenly, a breaker renders her red kayak ballistic, sending both passengers in opposite trajectories across the surf.