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Aloha Kayak Owner and Founder Iwa K.T. Kalua - Kayaking / Ocean Experience and Background Aloha, My name is Iwa K. T. Kalua I am a native Hawaiian small business owner on the Big Island of Hawaii. In the small town of Honalo 3 and ½ miles north of the turn off to Kealakekua Bay. My business is located at its original location @ 79-7248 Mamalahoa Hwy across the street from Teshima's Japanese restaurant. I started my business at this location in 1998 and I am proud to still be in business today after all the ups and downs of today's economy, 9-11 etc... I started my business with a loan from the O.H.A. Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund (NHRLF). And paid them off on a timely manner. I have have a Keauhou Bay Ramp Launch Permit since 1999 and have continued to meet the requirements and criteria for that permit ever since I got it . I am a certified Life Guard and have an abundance of extensive knowledge in ocean and water safety and pride myself on my aquatic abilities. I have a reputation as one of Hawaii's best tour guides and a pioneer at doing tours in the South Kona area. I invite you to come out kayaking with me to see first hand the way I operate. In addition to those talents I had extensive experience in the hospitality industry after high school as a waitor. Working in that field taught me how to communicate with strangers and make them feel comfortable in a kayak or on the ocean. As a young boy I was raised by my single father Andrew "Black" Richard Jr. on our 9 acre avocado farm in Honaunau , towards the top of Telephone Exchange Road just south of the 105 mile marker in Honaunau. I spent my days as a young man helping my father with the farm . But every opportunity that I had to get off the farm and chase my true passion , the Ocean I did . My father would go down to the beach every afternoon whether it be Kealakekua Bay, Keei Beach, Honaunau Bay or Hookena Beach. Those were my stomping grounds that I flourished in as a young man .And areas that I have lots of my relatives as residents in. My passion pertained to everything ocean whether body boarding at Napoopoo beach and Keei Point or fishing off the cliffs of Keei or night diving in Honaunau Bay with my older cousins ,I learned a lot about the ocean and how to respect it and understand it at a very young age. I was also privileged to have met many Kupuna's in my younger years . Many of them are no longer amongst us . And from these individuals I grasped a wealth of knowledge . I learned about many different stories of these areas that I call home . Some of these stories fiction and some fact . But through these stories I gained a better understanding for my culture and the history that makes up my culture. Today I am engaged to Kapuailohia Van-Dorpe one of the world leading authorities in the art of Kapa cloth making .I am also blessed to have had her and her family enter my life . Thru them I continue to learn more knowledge of my culture and continue to be introduced to Kupuna and Professors, and spend time with them. Even today ,there are things that I am still fascinated by pertaining to my culture and history that occur daily in my life today ,now in my older years too. Today through my small business I pride myself on educating my family , my staff and my customers from every corner of the world those lessons taught to me in my younger years and the things that I continue to learn today . To help do my part to help another young Hawaiian be self sufficient or to show a visitor about the history and culture of these areas so that they can also gain the same deep rooted understanding and respect that I have gained over the years for this my island home . The things I do in my everyday practice are with the intention to protect and preserve our history, culture, Kai (ocean) and Aina (land) to the best of my ability and with the tool that god has given me . I try to use my business as an educational tool to teach my customers but I find that I am also learning daily there is always something that comes up that I never encountered before from either environmental, historical or just business related I still continue to learn . And I love what I do. I will continue to practice what I do the sme way I have always done it . With respect for the Aina first and its users second. With education as our tool we can and will accomplish our goals. |