Taya Starling

Hawai’i is home away from home for me.  Always has been.  We’ve been spending summers there since I was a little girl, endless tan lines, bare feet, sand everywhere.  And loving it.  To say I’m a beach girl is putting it lightly.  To say I love a good adventure is the greatest understatement of the year.  There’s just something about waking up in the morning without knowing what the day will have in store for you.  For people like Kaiwi Berry, this level of anticipation occurs daily.  As the captain of Island View Hawai’i’s boat, the Mo’o, Kaiwi sets out to sea on daily adventures with the likes of you & me.  Never considered becoming the captain of your own boat before? Kaiwi may just change your mind.  At the very least I know his story will change the way you view “a day well spent” in Hawai’i.  Just in time to officially welcome summer, you may want to book the next flight to Hawai’i & check out Island View Hawai’i’s tailored tours off the North Shore of O’ahu.

Name:

Kaiwi Berry

Occupation:

Location:

Hale’iwa, Hawai’i

What was your childhood dream?

To never grow up

How did Island View Hawai’i come about?

My whole life has revolved around the ocean. My grandfather was one of the original black coral divers in Lahaina, Maui. By the time I was born he was a crab fisherman out of Haleiwa. He was my main babysitter growing up so I would tuck behind the depth recorder and the glass window of the cab as young as a year old and sleep on the dashboard all day.  When we’d change baits from the traps with new, we’d toss the old into the water. Sharks would come up to eat the baits and eventually learned the sound of our motor. Over time, we’d get to the first set of traps and there would already be sharks circling our boat..distinct markings on the sharks would be easy to identify and I began to name them. It began to feel like they were our pets and since then I’ve had a deep connection with sharks. I spent a lot of time on the HUKI (my grandfather’s boat) up until his passing when I was 12. Around then I began to help my dad building up an old 17ft boat. At around 16 it became my boat, the Mokihana. Time went on, I got serious in surfing, eventually lifeguarding, I got my captains license, we saved up some money, and my dad’s new girlfriend, Fran had sold her house, which sparked the idea of getting a bigger boat.  Change in Hale’iwa was in full effect and I wanted to stamp my name for our family so we wouldn’t lose tradition and get over run by big commercial corporations! My dad is a master craftsman and had designed boats, canoe paddles, surfboards etc. for years. He wanted to build and remake a boat that he said would be the best riding boat in the world. It was his good friend, master/navigator for the Hokule’a sailing canoe, Nainoa Thompson. The boat was old, run down, and full of water, the motors were gummed up from the ethanol in the fuel and the gas tank was rotten. We took measurements off of it, and began pricing for the wood. Fran was always into recycling and when she saw the boat she knew we had to have it. She didn’t want us to make a new boat, instead, she wanted us to restore it and give it new life. And that’s exactly what we did. Two years of busting ass in the hot sun and the Mo’o was born; Every screw, every piece of fiberglass, paint, the cab, floors, windows, railing, motors etc., were all put on by us. Right before the boat was finished, Fran walked into the hospital for a check up and was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Within the month she had passed away. Every time we launch we can feel her spirit watching, keeping us safe. Sometimes I can hear my pops whispering to her to guide us and take the wheel then he just lets go, a lot of times this is when we get action on the fishing poles or run into weird happenings (whales, dolphins, false killer whales, fish, etc.) We created Island View Hawai’i to educate people about the ocean.  We are a culturally based ocean tour that unites individuals and increases awareness of our duty to protect our Earth’s oceans and preserve it in its pristine form.

Why did you name your boat the Mo’o?
My grandfather had a tattoo on his shoulder that I would stare at. I later learned that it was a water spirit. Many ancient Hawaiian stories talk about the mo’o. They were described as a dragon and that is kind of what the process of getting my boat in the water was like: battling a dragon. To me the name “Mo’o” was all about looking at a task so huge, unforgiving, relentless, fearful, scary, etc. like a fire breathing dragon; Staring it directly in the eye then just chopping that bitch on down with ease. A lot of stories in Hawaiiana tell about the mo’o in a lot of different forms. In this case as a monster. Fears can destroy your power, make you doubt your abilities and dreams, but if you face your fears and overcome that, you could become something bigger than you’ve even imagined–the Mo’o will reward.

What is your favorite part about the job?

Being in the Ocean.

What is your ideal day on the Mo’o?
Any day we get to launch and be in the water is epic.  Everyday is different, no tour is exactly the same so i think people get their own personal experience with different happenings each run. Whether we have a tour or not we spend our lives out there.

What do you hope fellow adventurers will take away from their experience on the Mo’o?
I would really like it if people recognize that Hawai’i is a special place that should be GREATLY respected. I’d like them to see the beauty of the ocean & its creatures. If their experience with us could spark something in their brain so they would want to learn to take care of it, that would be cool. We are very passionate about our learnings & teachings and I think it shows when we spend time with each person. I’d like to think that we could be the highlight of their vacation.
Is there a best time of year to adventure aboard the Mo’o?

Depending on what you like to do, if you like snorkeling the north shore in the summer is immaculate with plenty of fish, turtles, dolphins, etc.  In the Fall-Winter-Spring there is whale watching;  When there are big surf swells we go and watch the waves, even up to high surf advisory levels which is 15+ feet. All year long we can go check out sharks which people have been real stoked about. NO CAGE. We do a free diving pelagic fish tour in 200+ feet for people to dispose of their fears of the deep and get a better understanding on shark movements. Sharks really don’t want to eat us like a lot of people think. We will also have a safety diver to help guide you anytime you enter the water. We’ve had first time snorkelers, to very experienced champion freedivers aboard the Mo’o.

Any big dreams for the future of Island View Hawai’i, the Mo’o, and her Captain?

We’d like to make an impact on the local community as well as visitors, change the way people think about the ocean and learn to care for it rather than just take take take.

Islandview Hawaii 2014 Family Roster:

Kula-4, HJ-10, Kala-13, Honolua-15, Keone-17, Kaiea-18, Kevdawg-26, Kalani-27, Myself-28, Dad- 52

You can find Island View Hawai’i out in the ocean off the north shore of Oahu… but if you need more motivation getting there, visit them at www.IslandViewHawaii.com or check out their dreamy Instagram