With Thanksgiving on Nov. 24, just three days away, this week is a great time to point to some of the things Hawaii’s recreational boaters should be giving thanks for.
At the top of the list, boaters and all ocean users must be thankful for Hawaii’s comparative lack of air and water pollution. Our state’s relatively small population located on the most isolated island chain on earth is thankfully incapable of creating the amount of contamination that’s found along most continental coastlines.
Honolulu’s motor vehicles and industry obviously produce air pollutants, as we see on those days when the winds come out of the south and the vog (volcanic fog) from the Big Island mixes with them to produce smog-like conditions over Honolulu. But, for the vast majority of the time, the near-constant trade winds keep our skies clear and incredibly blue.
Our surrounding waters maintain their rich azure hue in much the same way. The shear volume of the Pacific Ocean and its currents that flow around the islands like rivers quickly dilute and carry off the various pollutants we constantly pour into it.
And of course, all must be eternally grateful for the ambient temperature of our air and ocean as they are unlikely to be duplicated anywhere else in the world.
According to the Hawaii Data Book, the surrounding ocean temperature ranges from a comfortable 70 degrees to a tepid 81-plus degrees over the year. Warm enough for comfort, but cool enough to deflate most hurricanes.
Combine that with daytime air temperatures that similarly go on average from a low of 70 degrees to a high of 84 and it’s hard to imagine why anyone would live anywhere else.
So whether one’s ocean recreation involves swimming, surfing, diving, paddling, sailing, fishing, or just wading in a tide pool, this week is a perfect time to give some thanks for being able to say, “Lucky we live Hawaii.”
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