As a young boy growing up in ahupuaa o Niu, now known as Niu Valley, Nainoa Thompson would go to Maunalua Bay with a family friend, Yoshi Kawano. “And we would go fishing. And that’s where my love for the ocean started, through fishing,” Thompson remembers. In this interview from August 2015, Master Navigator Nainoa Thompson discusses sailing the Polynesian voyaging canoe, Hokulea, on a voyage around the world to raise awareness about the importance of taking care of our earth and the ocean that he loves.

TOP STORY: Students from Wai‘anae High School in West O‘ahu go aboard the Hōkūle‘a voyaging canoe, back from its celebrated worldwide voyage. They show us how the current crew is teaching traditional navigation techniques to a new generation and how this experience is connecting Hawaiian students to their culture.

Find out what Polynesian voyaging canoe master navigator Nainoa Thompson wishes for his students.

Polynesian Voyaging Canoe Master Navigator Nainoa Thompson shares that during these challenging times, the worst thing we can be is apathetic.