The organizer of a kayak group cited by state officials over the weekend for allegedly engaging in commercial activity in state waters without a permit says he was simply leading a club on an excursion.
Robert Twogood, former owner of Twogood Kayaks Hawaii Inc., was with a group of 21 boaters Saturday morning when they ran into trouble and “became the subjects of an ocean rescue,” according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
As the rescue was unfolding, a Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement officer was called to the scene to investigate “possible illegal commercial activity at the Makai Pier,” said a DLNR news release.
The DOCARE officer initiated the investigation as Honolulu Ocean Safety lifeguards brought boaters back to shore, and learned that Twogood was the group’s coordinator.
One man told the officer that he felt as if he had been clinging to his kayak for an hour before being rescued, DLNR said. He also said he was asked to pay a $50 fee to cover “insurance fees.”
Twogood says he was leading a monthly excursion for the Hua Iki Paddling Club, which is organized
via the Meetup platform.
“This was not a commercial activity at all,” he said. “This was a kayak club.”
The club takes small trips every month around Oahu’s coastline, he said, and has been doing this for 30 years.
“We go around Oahu in small trips each year,” he said. “This group was started from a class I used to teach at (the University of Hawaii). I taught kayaking safety at UH for almost 20 years.”
Among his lessons were how to launch kayaks safely into the surf, as well as how to judge when and where it’s safe.
Twogood said he sold his business two years ago to new owners who renamed
it Sun &Salt Adventures.
As for the $50 fee, Twogood said members of the club are asked to pay the amount annually and that it goes toward annual liability insurance.
“It’s not for profit for me or anything,” he said.
So what happened?
Accounts from officials and Twogood differ.
Honolulu Ocean Safety said lifeguards at Makapuu Beach on Saturday morning recognized many paddlers in distress, with some flipping over and unable to get their kayaks back upright.
Ocean Safety said it responded with multiple units, including two jet skis, and assisted 21 paddlers to shore safely.
Surf at the time was reported to be about 5 to 6 feet, with up to 12-foot faces.
Twogood said a group of about 25 met and launched from Makai Research Pier, with plans to go around Makapuu and on to Hawaii Kai.
The weather forecast that he checked the previous night and that morning indicated wind would be light, at 0 to 5 mph, which he said were ideal conditions for the trip.
“The weather caught us off guard because the weather forecast was not accurate,” he said. “The weather forecast was wrong.”
After the group launched into the ocean, he said he noticed the wind picking up and getting stronger, particularly as they paddled toward Makapuu Point.
At that point, he said, he was thinking of turning around.
He said this is when one of the paddlers — a woman — tipped over and was unable get back onto her kayak, even with help from his assistant in the rear. The entire group stopped, he said, because he asks them to stay together.
Twogood said he was eventually able to help the woman back onto her kayak but that she was exhausted after the struggle, so he accompanied her to the surf break at Makapuu Beach, where lifeguards helped her to shore.
A few other paddlers decided to get out, too, according to Twogood, while the rest returned on their own back to Makai, packed up and went home.
The paddlers are a mix of different levels, he said, including novices as well as experienced paddlers.
“That’s the purpose of the group,” he said. “To get beginners out with experienced people so they can learn from the people who have experience.”
Keoki Osorio, who said he participated in the excursion with his own kayak, shared that he helped some others who were capsized get back on their boats before lifeguards reached them.
“I was helping them,” said Osorio, saying he has gone around the whole island with Twogood and that he
is a good leader. “It (the weather) totally changed while we were out there. We went in thinking it was going to be calm.”
He is still grateful that lifeguards showed up to help.
Ocean Safety Lt. Kawika Eckart said conditions around Makapuu are challenging, with numerous risks including a backwash of waves that create a “washing machine effect,” along with rocks and deep water.
It is not ideal for novice paddlers or for a leisurely excursion, he said, and there was a swell that day. For experienced paddlers it’s one of the most challenging runs.
“Even for veteran paddlers it’s a challenge to go around Makapuu and do that run,” he said. “It’s just choppy-ugly, and there’s no place to come up to other than up on the rocks.”
It’s important to use common sense when planning, he said, and to make sure conditions are safe. People can always check in with a lifeguard before heading out.
According to the club’s Meetup page, which has nearly 1,900 members, a
9.5-mile kayaking excursion from Makapuu to Hawaii Kai is planned for Saturday, noting possible whale sightings.
The Meetup post asks participants to “know your capabilities, limits, forecast conditions and check your equipment before you go.”
In 2021, BLNR fined Twogood Kayaks $25,000 for at least five separate incidents of commercial activity without required permits in Kailua waters. DLNR said Twogood was prohibited from getting a new commercial permit for at least two years.
DLNR said there is no record of Twogood having a current commercial use permit. The fine for unpermitted commercial activity ranges from $50 to $1,000 per violation.
Twogood is scheduled to appear in Kaneohe District Court on Feb. 29.
