HAWAIIAN PADDLE OUT FOR LAHAINA at Waikiki Beach, Oahu

Maui, known for its breathtaking landscapes and vibrant culture, has recently faced one of its greatest challenges - wildfires. These wildfires have left a trail of destruction, affecting both the environment and especially the people who call this island home. The deadliest wildfire in the past 100 years in the U.S. tragically burnt much of the historic town of Lahaina to ashes. At this time there have been 114 lives reported lost with only 58% of the rubble being searched. Much of the touristic and economic hub of Lahaina, on the island’s western edge, was destroyed. A perfect storm of hurricane-force winds mixed with drought and wildfire led to the deadly blazes. The fire spread at speeds up to one mile per minute, creating a dangerous inferno and leaving those in the area little, to no time to escape. Today, on Oahu, many came together to mourn in solidarity with a paddle out and reinvigorate the local community to help Maui heal over the long haul. Many on Oahu are closely connected to Lahaina whether it’s through friends, family or community. There have been donation drives and a lot of aid coming from Oahu directly to Maui to help those suffering. The Hawaiian paddle out is a traditional Hawaiian tribute to the life and legacy of people who passed away. The practice was born in the Hawaiian Islands, but made common by The Waikiki Beach Boys in the early 1900’s with the growing Hawaiian surfing community. Waikiki is the perfect place to actively continue this tradition, with hundreds coming out to participate and pay homage to the West Maui communities suffering. Participants brought flowers, leis, and boards with Native Hawaiian community leaders leading a chant or prayer in unison directed toward helping Maui heal. Let the paddle out and community coming together inspire, and invigorate the next steps of healing, protection, and rebuilding of Lahaina and her surrounding community struck by tragedy. Let us remember that this is a marathon, not a sprint and that there will be a lot of resources needed by the community to survive and rebuild. Please consider donating and supporting the West Maui community. Ways to support: Directly to families: Go Fund Me - Strat Streetman, local Maui resident who has been volunteering since the early days of the tragedy, trusted friend, Maui drone op and amazing person: share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer Maui food bank: Maui Humane Society: Amazon link with goods going directly to those impacted: Prints for Maui - 100% of proceeds going to Maui For daily updates on the disaster, here are a few pages to keep up with on Instagram: @countyofmaui - for official updates @KaiLenny -local pro surfer and avid volunteer @communityreliefmaui - volunteer opportunities and updates Let’s stand together with Maui in their journey towards recovery and restoration. #MauiStrong Thank you to Na Kama Kai and Duane Desoto for helping lead organize the paddle out. Oahu Drone Op & Editor: Connor Trimble @ConnorTrimble Maui Drone Op: Strat Streetman @Stratocous Water Video: Tommy Pierucki @TommyPierucki Thumbnail Image: Matt Leong The intent of this video is to bring awareness to the tragedy that has befallen Maui. To inspire others showing the community coming together and showing the world the unity of the people of Hawai’i. That’s why news agencies and individuals can use the video footage for non-commercial purposes. See below for details: Copyright: “License: This video is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. You are free to share and adapt this content for non-commercial purposes, as long as you provide proper attribution to Connor Trimble, Strat Streetman, Matt Leong and Tommy Pierucki. Commercial use and resale are not allowed without explicit permission from Connor Trimble.“ Music: Aloha Oe - Harry Kalapana Aloha Hawai’i - Harry Kalapana #lahaiana #lahainafire #maui #mauistrong #waikiki #waikikibeach #paddleout #hawaiianpaddleout #hawaii #hawaiian #hawaiianislands #alohaoe #aloha #surf #surfing #surfers #oahu #kuhiobeach