Vwegba Blogging World

Modern islanders, such as Ha’a Keaulana, still observe tradition but are also more practically minded. The surfer, from Mākaha in the west of Oahu, trains by diving 30 feet to the ocean floor, grabbing a boulder and running for more than a minute. She learned the technique from her father. “I was very young and didn’t really know what it was for," Keaulana says. “It was just fun at first, and then I realized, ‘Oh, it’s training for if we get held under.’” With around 12 seconds between waves, being able to stay under for a minute after a wipeout can mean surviving a four-wave hold-down. “Doing that and moving fills your lung capacity, and the depth prepares you for the pressure if a wave were to push you deep underwater.” Her father, Brian Keaulana, knows his stuff — the big-wave rider has appeared as himself in "Baywatch: Hawaii" and "Hawaii Five-O," and, in his capacity as a lifeguard, pioneered Jet Skis for sea rescue. But his place in surfing legend is ecli...