Maluhia and Mainei Kinimaka By Jericho Rell
Kauai has surfing legends that are mythic. These stories are large in character and born from the sea. Titus Kinimaka is a man prominently entrenched as a legend of surfing. Titus’s daughters, Maluhia (age fourteen) and Mainei (age sixteen) have been born to these waters and have been competing since they were ten and fourteen. His wife Robin sat down with me and we talked about what it is like to raise girls on Kauai and how important it is to her for them to get an education. With this combination it is no surprise these girls are strong and wise beyond their years. When the Kinimaka girls came in through the door, I was at first struck by their striking beauty, but during the course of our interview I was blown away by their open honesty. With smiles and a lot of laughter and often finishing each other’s sentences, they told me a little bit about what it is like coming into being young women in the competitive surfing world.
Bryce Johnson
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