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Up above the busiest little town on Kaua'i, Lihue, on a vast mountain country side lies Iliahi Estate. Not only is this lush piece of the island beautiful, it is also the home to some of the most active invasive species eradicators, the Gayagas 'ohana.

I got a chance to tag along on a hunt with the ace animal control team as they spent the day teaching some visitors about this important Kaua'i lifestyle. The visitors for the day turned out to be the Texeira family from Los Angeles. They were filming their pilot episode of a new reality television series featuring three sisters, Christa, Keana, and Sophie, traveling and learning local culture called "Traveling with the Texeiras".  It was an adventure and a challenge for me as our group hunted alongside the most skilled dogs in the muddy jungle. 

Billy DeCosta was our educational guide for the day. You can follow his hunting adventures here: @handsome_wild_bill

 I brought some of our newest gear to field test. ;)

Our hosts for the day were Boyd and Gaylene Gayagas. I knew I was going to make new friends that day, but I had no idea they would make me feel like family. 

Can you guess which one of these girls will kill a wild boar!?

Small kine rain delay. Still smiling! Film crew were troopers!!!

Boar down! It was sister Keana in the pink Tamba hat who got to the boar first!

Nice work ladies! 

Boyd is Mr. Aloha up on Iliahi Estate! 

The mud made for some great blooper footage. The girls mamma did it all in a dress! 

Such a great group of people! A lot of us were first timers and everything went as smoothly as it could. The boar will be made into smoke meat and there will be one less pest digging up crops and ruining precious agricultural land.  Thank you everyone for such a wonderful adventure!

This is why taking care of our 'aina the pono way is so important, the next generation. Love you Duke! 

• No lifeguards
• Reef break
• Sandy beach
• Beginner swimmers/surfers okay
• Bathroom and outdoor showers
• Parking
• Volleyball courts
• Close to hotels, restaurants, and shops 

A short drive South of the Tamba Surf Shop is a small sheltered surf spot called Kalapaki Bay. Located between the Lihue Airport and Nawiliwili Harbor, this bay is the the first beach you can see when flying into Kaua'i. 

Kalapaki is a great spot for beginner surfers year round. The main break is out on the reef on far right or left side when out in the line up. The reef gets more shallow the closer you get to the wall. When the waves are pumping, you can surf the inside and even body surf the shore break. I would recommend a long board for this surf spot as it is a bit of a paddle or a boogie board for the inside. There are no life guards on duty, so watch the waves and maybe talk to a more experienced looking surfer out in the water. Kalapaki is one of the most friendly surf spots on the island.

There are 3 main areas to park at the bay. The small beach access parking lot at the Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club is very limited but convenient if you plan on dining at one of the many restaurants within walking distance. 

The upper parking above the hotels has a great cliffside lookout and offers the perfect vantage point to check the surf. The rough dirt parking lot on the far west end of the bay is the more local area of Kalapaki. If you choose to park on this side, drive very slow and smile at the locals enjoying their pau hana beverages. This last are is also where you will find the public restrooms and the best outdoor shower. If you park this side, you may have to cross the small river mouth to get to the beach. 

Beach front dining and an ABC store steps away from the shore make this a spot you could spend the whole day at. It is very relaxed and there are lots of picnic tables, and shaded, well manicured grassy areas for taking in the sights. There are several permanent volley ball courts on the beach for public use. There is also good people watching here.  

July 1st, 2017 the Tamba shop in Kapa'a town stayed open late as friends and family stopped by to shop and enjoy the free food. This time our vendors Jen from Sacred Surf Art had custom art hats and originals paintings, Marina Miller sold fine art photo prints, and live art by Caleb Aero who free hand spray-painted a mural.

Boss man made the salad and served over 100 FREE steak plates and shave ice to everyone walking by. People really enjoyed the delicious food and watching Caleb the aerosol artist, create real art in front of their eyes was unreal! 

Thank you to our volunteers and vendors for making this such a successful night! 

On a warm summer night in June, Tamba invited all the 'ohana for an evening of free food, shopping, and shave ice at the shop in Kapa'a. Local artists and vendors set up in front of the shop and sold their creations as everyone enjoyed the delicious steak and fish plates. Volunteers made shave ice all night and everyone enjoyed the family friendly environment. 

Mahalo to all our vendors:

Cheyanne Jewels Kauai

Sacred Surf

Kauai Fish Market

and our neighbors Hanai Market

Cheyanne Jewels Kauai brought lots of mermaid treasure to sell. 

Jen with Sacred Surf painted a Tamba board for the event! 

Ikaika Kam gave out poke, sashimi, and more to everyone. Kauai Fish Market on FB

Paul kept the store open late and enjoyed the food!

Musician John Rivera helped BBQ all the steak! 

April 9th 2017 was the day everyone waiting all weekend for, the weigh in day of ReelNauti Kauai's Spring Shoreline Challenge. Here are a few words about the event from ReelNauti owner Stanton Yoshimori:

"This was my second year holding a shoreline fishing tournament and it was a success. I had a lot of sponsors which helped me a lot. I got big sponsor names like Penn Fishing, Izuo Brothers, Dakine, and Tamba which is well known on the island of Kauai. When I make my tournaments, I wanna leave no one empty handed from adult and kids entrees. I'm just a local boy trying to provide fun activities for the community of Kauai. I would like to thank Tamba for always donating to my tournament and helping me out."

A lot of variety of fishes were caught in the 8 categories: ulua, papio, omilu, moi, oio, 5lb. over, 5lb. under, and biggest eel. Fish that were also weighed in were ukus, nenue's, awa's, and perches.

We were stoked to see everyone at their spots on Friday afternoon when the tournament started. Ulua poles lined the whole East shore that weekend! Keep up the good work Stanton! 

 

WINNERS:

Ulua

Keanu Frasco-Rull 72.4

Robbie Silva Jr 54.0

Robert Shibukawa 43.4

Papio

Jan Bartolome 9.9

Roland Rull 9.6

Robert Shibukawa 8.0

 You can read more about the fishing tournament and see more photos here on the ReelNauti website. Aloha! 

Hanalei is the best surf town in the world according to National Geographic. If you were there on April 8th, 2017, you would totally agree. Not only were the waves firing, the whole community seemed to be on fire with the aloha spirit. Gathering to remember Kauai's own World Champ Andy Irons and share the love of surfing, family and friends gave 100% their time and efforts back to the keiki of Kaua'i, and all with a smile. 

Situated on the shores of Pine Trees, our tent was the place to be all day long. We started the day off with hot chocolate and hot malasadas freshly made on the beach. Slowly word got out and we couldn't make malasadas fast enough. Thanks to Aunty Maco for yet again making the malasada dough.

Next we had the grill at full capacity of hot dogs, hamburgers, and opihi for the uncles. Gotta feed the kids! To make sure they had enough energy for the finals, we started up two shave ice machines and got everyone cooled off and sugared up. 

To take a break from making shave ice, Tamba himself jumped in the water to help with the keiki push-in heats. This was my favorite part of the day. Moms and dads cheered on their kids aged 5-8 as they did their best to balance and ride the white wash. Kaua'i grown surfer dads Bruce Irons, Dustin Barca, and Aamion Goodwin, were spotted pushing the next generation into some fun waves. The energy out in the water was electric!

Back on the shore, contest organizer Milo Murguia, kept the day running smoothly and made sure all the kids got in the water in time for their heats. He also collected boxes of canned food for the Kaua'i Food Bank. Got Games Rentals had all the groms entertained with games, puzzles, activities, and toys in the tent next to us. It was a good day to be a kid. 

To round out the holy trinity of sugars, we cranked up the cotton candy machine. This may have been the longest line yet! Seeing all the smiles on the kids faces as they got their fluffy sweets was reward enough for all our volunteers. We were so happy to see so many families taking the whole day to focus on their kids' love for surfing and healthy competition. 

After all heats were surfed, it was time for the awards ceremony. With over 250 kids entered, the crowd was buzzing with excitement. As a sponsor since day one, Tamba Surf Company is always looking for a new way to outdo it's self. This year we gave away ten brand new surf boards to ten lucky kids. All ten boards had artwork done by our friend Josh Kamalani. The rising sun was painted on half the boards is synonymous with Andy Irons. The lightening bolts on the other half of the boards are a symbol of our feelings when we think of the next generation of surfers. We are so stoked we get to be a part of this contest every year. Remembering our friend and his generous spirit and sparking the love for surfing in so many young kids is what this event is all about. Congrats to all the groms! We can't wait to see what the future holds!

 Girls 9-10 winners

Boys 9-10 winners

Girls 11-12 winners

Boys 11-12 winners

Keiki push-in winners ages 5-8

Tamba surfboard give away winners

All photos from the day can be found on our Facebook page. Give us a like and rating and download your photos for free

• Lifeguards
• Surf spot
• Sandy beach
• Fishing
• Bathrooms and outdoor showers
• Off road parking

Just a few minutes drive North of Kapa’a town is the a big sandy beach called Kealia beach. This is the closest surf spot to the Tamba Surf Shop where you can rent surfboards and boogie boards and can be easily seen from Kuhio Highway. Surf at Kealia is very consistent and has a wide sand bar on the inside and an outer reef break. Make sure you watch the surf for at least 15 minutes before paddling out. Conditions do change rapidly with wind swells and tide change. If you aren't sure about your skill level, check in with the friendly lifeguards on duty. If in doubt, don't go out!

Kealia is a large sandy beach great for long walks when the surf is too big for swimming. Lots of locals can be found walking their dogs on leashes, surfing the beach break, and spending the day fishing from the rock jetty. This is a great beach to spend the day because of it's facilities and close proximity to several restaurants and food trucks in Kapa'a town. Visitors should always check in with the lifeguard stand that is located in the center of the beach for valuable information on strong currents and wave conditions. You can also ask the lifeguards about jellyfish or shark sightings.

Kids will want to spend hours playing in the sand at Kealia! Make sure you bring an umbrella and lots of sunscreen lotion, as there are not any shady areas on the beach. You will never be bored at this beach as it is a super popular surf spot. Watching the locals rip up the shore break is super entertaining and the best free surf show in the East side! This is also a great spot to watch the sunrise. 

Be careful when navigating the parking lot. It is not paved and is super bumpy. On the South end of the beach, you will find a river mouth and beautiful views of the whole area.

If you are staying nearby in Kapa’a, the bike path, Ke Ala Hele Makalae, follows the coast right up to Kealia Beach and more. When riding on the bike path you can spot whales in the winter and dolphins in the summer. There are bathrooms and showers on the North side (far left when facing the ocean) of the beach. This is also where you will find covered picnic tables and the calmer, protected side for swimming and boogie boarding when conditions permit. Always lock up your car and take your valuables with you. 

When looking for a family friendly, conveniently located, entertaining beach, Kealia has it all. Enjoy!