First Off, Mahalos
Mahalo for your thoughts and prayers as we went through and have rebuilt from the March 11th Tsunami. We were blessed by your concern and the messages we received! We are all healthy and the waters around Kealakekua Bay and Kamakahonu Bay at the Kailua-Kona Pier are open. Repairs to the damaged buildings, sidewalks and other structures that were affected is ongoing.
The Tsunami
The tsunami was caused by the 9.0-magnitude "Tohoku earthquake" that rocked Japan on March 11th 7:46PM HST and caused horrible devestation there. Our hearts go out to these people and their families locally. (One way to support Japan's rebuilding efforts is through Kokua For Japan.)
The wave traveled around 4000 miles to Hawaii in about 8
hours, hitting the Kona shores around 3:30AM HST with a wall of water between a
foot and several feet depending on the location. Several places on the Big
Island received minor damage with the most severe damage being in Kealakekua
Bay, Kona Pier, and a few spots farther north of Kailua Kona.
Beach Shack Renovations Completed Days Before Tsunami
As luck would have it, we had just completed some serious
renovations to our beach shack at Kamakahonu Bay. Needless to say, when the
Tsunami alarms sounded we were a little nervous that our shack may now be
located in the middle of Kailua Bay. When we arrived on scene in the morning, we were stoked to
see our little shack standing strong against the waters. Maybe it's because
it's on sacred ground, maybe it's because it has palm trees growing through the
middle of it, or maybe it's something else...but our beach shack withstood the
storm! Here's some pretty unbelievable footage of someone standing on a break-wall a few hundred yards from the shack.
Kamakahonu Bay
Kamakahonu Bay completely overfilled, knocking a small
corner off the Ahuena Heiau, filling the shack with water, dropping many of the
nearby canoes hundreds of yards away onshore, and filling the King Kamehameha
hotel with a couple feet of ocean. In the end, the entire Kailua Kona Pier area sustained a
fair amount of damage. However, the people and the county have reacted quickly
to repair and clean up. As of today, the only obvious damage remaining is the
new "keiki pond" in front of our shack that used to be a sidewalk and a
palm tree. Beating the impending wave, they moored the canoe a couple
hundred fathoms out from the pier. Then, they spent the night on the water
through the tsunami until it was safe to return to shore. We give big props to
Kawika and Kalani for braving the storm, saving the canoe, it's history, and
this piece of Hawaiian heritage. 
Wa'a At Risk
Also, our wa'a (Hawaiian outrigger canoe) was at risk,
sitting on the shoreline in front of the King Kamehameha hotel. Receiving the
warning call first, our guide Kawika took to the water with the wa'a's builder Kalani in the
middle of the night. The House in Kealakekua Bay
We love Kealakekua Bay. It's history and heritage are
amazing. It's views and experiences unmatched. And it's one of the best
snorkeling spots in the world.
Area residents, friends, and businesses rallied though.
Hundreds of hours were volunteered and days worth of trash pick up and diving
clean up have cleared a good deal of the wreckage out of the bay. It has been
great to see everyone pulling together! Through their hard work and
volunteering, Kealakekua Bay is still beautiful and open for visitors to
experience its wonder.
We're Good To Go
All in all, we're back to normal operations and looking
forward. We've been encouraged by all the support and concern we've received
following the tsunami. Both Kealakekua Bay and Kamakahonu Bay are clean,
recovering and open for visitors. We're stoked to be helping people having fun
on the ocean and can't wait to see you again! 
