1. Makani and Kai Kō: Winds and Currents

2. The navigator needs to know how to read the winds, currents, and stars to guide the wa`a (canoe).

3. Kaho`olawe was an ideal place for navigators to learn winds, currents, and stars.

4. There’s a strong ocean current at Kealaikahiki. This current provided a good starting point for canoes to launch their voyages to the south. Photo: Momi Wheeler, PKO

5. From Moa`ulaiki, navigators could observe the currents in the channels.

6. The clear skies from this peak provided ideal conditions to study the stars at night.

7. The best place to study the winds was at Hālona. More than 260 different winds passed through this area.

8. How are winds generated?

9. The sun heats the Earth, generating the most intense heat at the equator.

10. When air is heated, it expands and rises. Warm air at the equator rises and spreads toward cooler regions. Cold air at higher latitudes is more dense. It sinks and is replaced by the warm air. The movement of the air, rising and sinking, creates a convection current. The spinning of the Earth creates 3 major convection cells in each hemisphere. These cells drive the winds.

11. Convection currents cause local breezes and global winds. How many major currents to you see in the Pacific Ocean?

12. What do you think is causing currents in the ocean? Let’s find out.