The Hokule‘a and Hikianalia voyaging canoes will set sail again today for a two-week training voyage to Papahanaumokuakea.

The voyage will test six young navigators on five deep-sea legs, with stops at locations including Nihoa, Mokumanamana and Lalo. The “Navigating the Kupuna Islands” voyage will focus on the cultural and ecological significance of the destinations.

“These precious islands are a school that holds lessons for all of humanity and the earth and our canoes are the classrooms,” said Nainoa Thompson, “pwo” navigator and president of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Thursday in a news release. “Because they are so rare and special, these islands will help us learn how to behave in the sacredness of nature. The crew will learn about the cultural and environmental importance of this Marine National Monument, which is one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world.”

On this voyage, PVS is also partnering with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to do an underwater survey of Lalo to assess damage to the atoll and coral reef from Category 3 Hurricane Walaka, which hit in 2018. The crew will also identify areas with large amounts of marine debris.

“Papahanaumokuakea is one of the greatest natural laboratories in the world,” Randy Kosaki, NOAA’s research coordinator for Papaha­naumokuakea and Hokule‘a crew member, said in Thursday’s announcement. “The lessons we learn here will help us to better malama the coral reefs of our inhabited main Hawaiian Islands.”

“Navigating the Kupuna Islands” is the second training voyage in advance of the May 2022 Moana- nuiakea Voyage, a 41,000-mile, 42-month sail around the Pacific that will cover 46 countries and archipelagos, almost 100 Indigenous territories and 345 ports.