Paddling in Hawaii Photo Essay by Joss

You've seen outrigger canoes from the shore, either riding waves in Waikïkï or moving along the shore in team practices or long-distance races, and you've seen the smaller one- and two-man canoes on the roofs of cars. Now you can experience the beauty and excitement of this sport from close up. In a series of photographs, Joss Descoteaux captures the essence of an activity as old as Hawaiian culture, and reveals to those unfamiliar with canoe paddling and confirms to experienced canoe paddlers the special attraction of challenging the ocean in a craft that is the product of ancient engineering genius. These images are the work of a skilled professional photographer and an expert in the sport. Whether picturing the canoe as cultural artifact or as a practical vehicle, being lifted by a wave or resting on the beach, these are photographs of great artistic quality, many taken from the center of action, to give an intimate sense of the physical demands, the skills, the wild exhilaration and even some of the mishaps of this sport.

JOSS fell in love with Hawai'i and its waters at age seventeen after racing in the Moloka'i Hoe for the Canadian crew. Today he is a fulltime Hawai'i resident, photographer, and waterman. www .JOSS4.com