Waimea means sacred/reddish water. The Ha‘i ‘ōlelo (oral history) of Waimea begins with the high chief Kama Pua‘a. Kama Pua‘a, according to traditional history, was given a gift from the Kahuna Nui (high priest) Kahiki‘ula. This took place sometime in the eleventh century. The gift was all the lands that begin with the word Wai. The word Waimea means “sacred water.” ⁣ ⁣ In the 1800s, Waimea Bay became the sandalwood capital. Huge cargo ships would anchor offshore to load sandalwood. By the 1830s, sandalwood was beginning to disappear and the sandalwood trade soon came to grinding to a halt.⁣ ⁣ Today, Waimea Bay is known as one of the premier big waves for surfing around the world. Every winter, powerful Pacific storms to the north of Hawai’i drive huge swells towards the Islands that can produce waves up to 60 and 70 ft faces. First pioneered for surfing in the late ’50s and early ’60s, today Waimea has become the proving ground for Big Wave enthusiasts and is home to one of the most l...