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A few hundred yards beyond the end of the pavement for Farrington Highway.
This is the fourth of a series of caches that I'm calling the "PEANUT BUTTER" series because the coastal ones will all be in small peanut butter jars. I want to lure people out to the Leeward side of O`ahu, to me the most beautiful side of the island. A few will be in “lush” Wai`anae Valley. Yes “lush” Wai`anae! The very back of the valley is a “rain forest” and not a desert, it is also owned by the State of Hawaii. There are a number of trails that to the average hiker on O`ahu are unknown. I hope to change the view of Wai`anae in the minds of those that have never been here or have spent little time on the coast.
This cache is placed near the "famous" MOI HOLE. A favorite fishing spot on the Wai`anae Coast. Moi is the Hawaiian word for the Threadfish, (Polydactylus sexfilis), which can be caught in these waters.
The water here can be very DANGEROUS when the waves are high and washing up onto the upper reef. BE CAREFUL watch your keiki (children) if you bring them along. Stay away from the ocean edge of the reef.
To reach the cache, begin walking toward Kaena Point until you reach the coordinates:
N21 33.392 W158 14.989
There is a short dirt track going up the bank on the makai (ocean) side. Climb up and follow your GPS to the cache. After finding the cache continue north on the reef until you come to the Moi Hole. If the surf is small you can walk up to the edge and see the cave in the back on the far side. When finished with your look turn mauka (toward the mountains) and climb back to the road. You can now head out to Kaena Point and other caches, or go back to Keawaula for a nice swim.
BEWARE-The area at the end of the pavement can be dangerous to you car and anything you leave in it. LEAVE NOTHING in the car when you look for this cache or the others out to the point.
To point out how dangerous the ocean can bee read the following:
I’m not sure of the year but I believe it was in the 1960’s or 70’s that a man was washed over the edge into the little bay by the Moi Hole by a big wave. He could not swim out to sea to escape so he swam into a cave. The famous big wave surfer and lifeguard from Makaha, Buffalo Keaulana, was called to attempt the rescue. The waves were to big and strong even for Buffalo to save the man. He was heard screaming for help as the tide came in and he was smashed to death by the wave action at the back of the cave.
The following story was copied from a web page.
On January 25, 1993, Hugh Alexander, 26, and his friend Katja Teip 25, both of San Francisco were vacationing in Hawaii. They were out on a rocky ledge near Yokohama Bay overlooking an area known as the "Moi Hole". At approximately 2:30pm, as the two were sightseeing, a large wave came crashing over the 20-foot high ledge and swept both victims into the surf below. Katja was pulled from the water and up onto a cliff by a group of soldiers who witnessed the incident. Hugh Alexander was not so fortunate. He landed in the water at the mouth of a 10 foot high cave known as the "Moi Hole". The huge waves and the currents swept him into the sea cave. The mouth of the cave is mostly underwater, but the inside has an above water chamber with ledges onto which a person can hang. Only by crawling into a deep recess in this upper chamber was Hugh able to avoid being smashed to death by the pounding waves which now were about 8 to 10 feet high.
Responding to the emergency were Lt. Brian Keaulana, Buffalo's son, and Craig Davidson, both are water safety officers of the Hawaii Department of Parks and Recreation, assigned to Keaulana Beach Park. They responded to the scene on a Yamaha Waverunner. Also dispatched to the scene was a Honolulu Fire Department engine and a fire rescue helicopter. "When we arrived at the scene, there was no one there", exclaimed Keaulana. They searched the water in the area and found nothing. And then it hit Keaulana, the victim had been swept into the cave. "We began making passes at the V-like cove opening of the cave between sets and we could hear him in there yelling, 'Help Me, Help Me'. A person swept into that cave will live until they are smashed to death against the cave walls or die of hypothermia. Swimming out of the cave is rarely a possibility, even for a strong swimmer," said Keaulana.
Just then a huge wave hit the jet ski on which the two lifeguards were riding and swamped it. They were not able to get it restarted in the pounding surf and had to have it removed. Davidson stayed with the jet ski as it was towed away by the helicopter.
Keaulana then tried to swim with fins and rescue tube into the cave. "I get into the cave, and these giant waves are crashing in. I could hear him, but I didn't know where he was. The pressure was incredible when the waves hit the cave. Then one wave hit, and I knew the only thing I could do was to dive to the bottom and hold on. I thought this was it, I was going to die! I surfaced and grabbed a breath and took one shot at swimming out of the cave. I got lucky and made it. "
At this point, another lifeguard, Earl Bungo arrived with another waverunner. Keaulana took over the operation of the waverunner and Bungo took a position on the rescue sled behind the jet ski. They made repeated passes at the mouth of the cave calling to the victim. At this point the victim escaped from the cave and was momentarily in front of the cave. As Keaulana and Bungo attempted to make a pass at him, a big wave crashed and drove the victim back into the cave. Keaulana and Bungo continued to make passes at the mouth of the cave, during lulls in the sets of the 10-foot waves. After two hours of courageous rescue efforts and trying to coax the victim out of the cave one more time, the victim appeared during a lucky well-timed lull between waves. As Keaulana maneuvered the jet ski into position, Bungo grabbed onto the victim at the same time the victim grab Bungo's arm. "I knew if we didn't get him this time, he'd die and if we did, we still might all get killed," stated Keaulana. Bungo then managed to get the victim onto the rescue sled. "I saw another set coming, and I just swung it and hit it. The wave hit us, and they were both knocked off the sled," exclaimed Keaulana. Keaulana swung around and picked both of them up as Bungo secured the victim on the sled one more time. Keaulana then raced the jet ski into deep water and safety.
The rescue took more than 2 1/2 hours. The victim was treated for lacerations to his head and back. "The victim was fortunate to escape with his life and suffer only scrapes, cuts and bruises," said Ralph Goto, Water Safety Administrator. Keaulana credited the Honolulu Fire Department with helping communicate from shore. "We were already in the water when they got there and they could tell us with megaphones how the sets were running so we could time our passes at the cave," s aid Keaulana. "Lifeguards Brian Keaulana, Earl Bungo and Craig Davidson conducted the difficult rescue operation under harrowing conditions. The lives of the rescuers as well as the victim were threatened," proclaimed Goto. The three lifeguards received the Valor Awa rd from the Department of Parks and Recreation.
At the last National Board of Directors Meeting of the USLA, Brian Keaulana received the highest award possible from his peers, The Medal of Valor. Congratulations to Brian, Earl and Craig for a job well done.
Additional Hints
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