Each summer, ocean athletes chase the trade winds from Māliko Gulch to support Camp Imua.
Story by Jen Murphy
Photographs by Daniel Sullivan
MOST DAYS, MĀLIKO Gulch feels like a quiet sanctuary on Maui’s North Shore. On Paddle Imua morning, that stillness and tranquility give way to electric energy. The start is still three hours away, but the gulch is already backed up from its rocky mouth to Hāna Highway with every imaginable form of ocean craft and throngs of athletes.
CRADLED BY STEEP cliffs and shrouded in Jurassic-sized ferns and banyan trees, this deep ravine offers refuge from the harsh elements of the island’s rugged, exposed windward coast. Its coveted protection makes the gulch a prime launch spot for ocean escapades, including the storied Māliko Run.
KNOWN AS THE holy grail of downwinding, the route crosses eight miles of open ocean from the gulch to the sands of Kanahā Beach Park. It has become a rite of passage for elite ocean athletes, and Paddle Imua is an annual proving ground for downwind prowess.
EACH SUMMER, HUNDREDS of competitors gather with outrigger canoes, stand-up paddleboards, foils, kites and sails. International athletes and local pros share the start with Maui ocean enthusiasts who come for the course, the camaraderie and the cause.
“THE VIBES ARE so great at the start,” says one-person outrigger canoe paddler Andy McComb, a repeat Paddle Imua competitor. “It’s different than other big races where the energy is intense and competitive. Paddle Imua is still a race, but it’s more inclusive and everyone is cheering for each other.”
THAT CAMARADERIE COMES from knowing Paddle Imua supports Camp Imua, a free, one-week overnight camp for Maui County children ages 7-14 with cognitive or developmental disabilities.
IMUA FAMILY SERVICES, which has supported Maui County children and families since 1947, runs Camp Imua. Its therapists and educators help young children with speech, movement, learning and other developmental needs. They also show parents how to reinforce those skills at home.
EACH SUMMER AT Keʻanae Uka, every camper is matched with two youth counselors. Together, they spend the week riding horses, kayaking, swimming, pounding poi, making art, singing around campfires, taking the stage in a talent show and dancing.
ONE OF THE week’s most anticipated traditions announces itself before anyone sees it: rotor blades echo across camp. Helicopter rides have been part of Camp Imua for five decades, and Blue Hawaiian Helicopters now provides the flights. Some campers are about to fly for the first time. Others have waited all year to climb aboard again. From the windows, Maui’s coastline, waterfalls and valleys spread below.
WHEN DEAN WONG, CEO of Imua Family Services, joined the nonprofit, Camp Imua was struggling for funding. Aware of Maui’s tight-knit ocean community, he approached water sports enthusiasts Samantha Campbell, Devin Blish, Maile John, John Smalley and Kaimana Brummel. Together, they launched a stand-up paddle race to raise money for camp. Wong estimates Paddle Imua now covers 40 percent of the costs of hosting campers and counselors.
“WITHOUT PADDLE IMUA, we wouldn’t have Camp Imua,” he says.
THE FIRST RACE drew 125 stand-up paddleboarders. Paddle Imua has since grown into a showcase of ocean sports. The innovation in ocean craft is on full display as competitors ride everything from one-person outrigger canoes to parawings and prone foils.
WHEN THE START gun goes off, waves of athletes hit the sapphire-hued water. From above, the mélange of tangerine, lime green and electric blue kites, sails and wings looks like exotic birds gliding across the swells. The scene may look graceful from the air or shore, but the open ocean is nothing but raw power. Trade winds tug at kites, sails and wings while rolling swells lift and drop every craft.
“THE WAVES ARE huge,” says Josh Bogle, a Maui para-surfer who regularly competes in the prone paddle division. “You are on the top of a bump looking down the face of a drop just trying to connect bump after bump. It’s extremely challenging.”
MAKING THE PODIUM at Paddle Imua was satisfying, Bogle says. Being asked to volunteer at Camp Imua meant even more. He spent a day mentoring one camper and took him tandem surfing on a 12-foot board.
“I GOT TO be a camper’s mentor,” Bogle recalls. “For an entire day I was his shadow. To put him on a 12-foot surfboard with me and ride tandem was so cool. Imua is such a blessing for someone with a disability. When you pair these kids with a wingman, it helps activate their inner superhero. That confidence lasts more than the few seconds they’re riding a wave with you.”
BY EARLY AFTERNOON, the free ʻOhana Festival is in full swing at Kanahā Beach Park. Athletes cross the finish line to whoops and cheers. Campbell, a founding Paddle Imua committee member and longtime Camp Imua volunteer, zooms in on her wing foil and bows her head so a camper can place a lei around her neck.
“THIS IS THE real highlight,” she says.
IT’S HARD TO tell who has the bigger smile: Campbell or the camper.
