COMING TOGETHER, Maile Orian, the Dream, the Family, the Place
By Brad Yates

This is the story of a very special person and how she made her dream come true. The story takes place on the Southeast Coast of the Big Island, in the district of Puna. The pictures tell the story; a surfer living her dream, in the place that she calls home, surrounded by a portion of the people who mean the most to her. For five hours, I became part of her world, a very special place indeed and a very unique experience. The experience is still very much with me, probably always will be. I was met at the airport in Hilo; given a gorgeous purple orchid lei, received like a celebrity, treated to breakfast, and then taken on the tour of the local surf world. The locals at every stop welcomed me. They invited me into a community that an outsider would never see and I was fortunate enough to experience the beauty, the intensity, the spirituality, the love, the sadness, and the absolute power of a volcano and the destruction it caused to this place. Maile Orian was my host and this is her story.

The Person
Maile Orian, 38 formerly a professional surfer, lifeguard, firefighter, house builder, and presently the owner of Hawaiian Mermaids Surfboard Company. Maile grew up on the North Shore of Oahu; she was the HOT little kid who surfed at Val's Reef. In the words of Bernie Baker, "everyone knew from the beginning that she was a special surfer and person. As she progressed from Val's to Sunset Point to Rocky Point, she surfed with an intensity that set her a part from the rest. In the water, most of us forgot she was a little kid, much less a girl. But out of the water, she was quiet, shy and very polite."

At the age of 18, after dominating the age group meets, Maile decided to turn pro. For the next ten years she traveled the world, scraping by on the meager earnings the woman's tour offered in those days. Always just on the brink of success, she tired of being poor and not having a home so she gracefully retired from professional surfing and moved to her new country home on the Big Island. In the words of Jack Shipley, "no question, today Maile would be a super star, making big bucks on both the long board and short board tours. The real shame is that she was so far ahead of her time, no one could relate to a girl surfing Sunset. In her own way she made a huge statement about what woman could do in big waves. Unfortunately, she only got credit from the underground, those of us knew firsthand that she had the talent and the courage to surf the country."

With the support of her family, Maile quickly adapted to living the country life, Hilo style. She easily made the transition from the surf tour to the world of work. Working seven days a week at the best paying jobs available, she was able to save enough money to buy some land and build her own house. Build… as in hammer and nails, framing and siding, Maile built the house. During this time the local girl, conditioned by her culture to know her place, was starting to break out. No longer limiting her intensity to her daily surf sessions, she began to have the courage to take her self seriously and reach out for what she wanted. She sold the house, banked the money and plotter her course.

The Dream
As a kid, the backyard shaping rooms on the North Shore had fascinated her. Hanging out and watching Kenny Bradshaw, Ed Barbera, and John Carper shape and John Orlando, Charlie Walker and Ed Searfoss glass, she secretly dreamed of being able to build her own boards. On two occasions she tried and failed, being 5'3" the set up was always awkward and intimidating. Then suddenly the time was right, she built her own shaping room and the confidence was in place. In Maile's words, "one day, I just knew, I'm a shaper." Eighty boards later, her identity is in place, she is the first lady of surfboard shaping in Hawaii. Whether she is the first ever, her dream has come true, she is making her own boards and sharing them with the community she loves. "It's not about me," Maile insists, "I'm just a surfer, I want to make my living doing what I love, live in Kalapana and share the results with my family." She shapes, glasses, sands and polishes each board by hand. Maile loves to shape and she puts all of these feelings into each board.

"Nice going by you," I said, as I attempted to acknowledge Maile for making her dream come true. Attempted is the operant word, before I could finish she said, "I never would have done it with out my family. In some ways, I think it was more important to them." When I pushed for an explanation of "family" out rushed the answer: "My immediate family; Mom, Dad, Sisters, Brothers and their kids, and a special someone; my shaping family; Dave Parmenter, Abner Agee, Myron Guerrero, and all the shapers I've watched through-out my lifetime and my surfing family." As I paused to take in what Maile had just said I noticed that she was crying. "Sorry," she said, "sometimes it hits me how lucky I really am, I'm so grateful for my family."

The Family
The surfers who live to surf this place appreciate and respect her presence. As Maile introduces me to a few of them I feel the connection. "Hey, Auntie, how are you?" There faces light up when they see her, they look at her intently… waiting for her approval, and when they find out I'm with her, they look me right in the eye with respect. "How's it," they say, complete with a nod of the head, "welcome to our spot." I'm a little more than impressed, "Wow, this place is really special!" I was speaking about the people, the surf, the beauty, and all of it. Maile's smile covered her entire face. "I'm glad you like it, I love it here and most of all I love being their friend, their friendship makes me feel good about myself."

Nalu Law, the hot young pro is home for a visit. As Maile introduces me, Nalu is quick to acknowledge his mentor. "Maile helped to get where I am today, she helped to get my act together and keep it together." As Nalu paddles out for a surf, Maile and I continue the tour. Maile speaks freely of the challenges that face young people growing up in this rural area. "Drugs are a major distraction, we lose many of our top surfers and athletes to a lifestyle that eventually pulls them down and keeps them stuck. It really makes me sad when we lose someone from our group to drugs. Nalu, Myles Tadaka and Johnah Morgan are the three major success stories from our community." I can feel the urgency in Maile's voice and I comment, "you feel responsible, don't you?" Maile's reply came after a long silence, "yes, and more than anything, I want to make a difference." As we continue our drive down the coast, I feel like I'm getting a sense of just how important these surfers are to her and her dream. "I think I'm getting it," I state, "you wanted to be able to build your own boards, you did that and you loved the experience. Then you made boards for your friends; they liked the boards, so everybody won. Now you want to have a team so you can promote your business so you can sell your boards on the mainland." Maile smiles as she states, "it's hard for me to talk about myself, but yes that's right." I'm thinking out loud as I continue. "So there are really three parts of your dream; become a great shaper, shape boards for your friends including the members of your team and be able make a good living so you can stay in Kalapana." Maile smiles, we slap hands and she comments, "thanks for writing my mission statement."

The Place "We were forced to paddle in from way down the road; we paddled for an hour to get to Drain Pipes, the waves were 6 feet and very hollow, tubing in both directions. The lava is flowing into the Ocean causing a backwash, a wave of water heading straight out into the surf." Maile and I are standing on the beach at Kalapana looking up at Kilauea Volcano, the most active volcano in the world. Maile is telling me about the night that she and a few of her friends had to paddle in to surf her favorite spot. The date is April 26, 1990, Kilauea's major episodes. A large stream of hot lava has marched to the sea, destroying a subdivision of approximately 180 houses in the process. As the lava crossed the highway and headed to the beach, the police closed the area.

Maile continues to describe this incredible event. "The scene that evening was surreal; perfect waves, the steam like smoke and a loud crackling sound as the lava hit the water. It was like a scene out of a science fiction movie, only the scene was very real and frightening. We surfed until dark; hooting and hollering with a combination of stoke for the waves and fear of what was coming. Looking up at the red-hot lava flowing down from Kilauea into the water right in front of us is a picture that is recorded in my mind in complete and vivid detail. In the morning, our worst fears came true, Drain Pipes was gone. On the spot where the waves had broken stood a wall of lava six feet high. In all we lost ten surf spots."

As Maile finishes I'm struggling to imagine what that ordeal must have been like and what it meant to her. I know enough about the legend of Madame Pele to realize that the Hawaiian people attach a huge amount of spiritual significance to such an event. "So, dramatic," I began my question, pausing out of respect and pointing to the road above the beach and the 400 yards of lava that destroyed the surf, "how do you feel about all this destruction?" "I'm staying," Maile responded, "I love this place, it's my home." Characteristically, Maile stayed and build her house right on top of the lava flow. "I bought five acres of land right up there," pointing to a spot that overlooked the beach. "I built a small, 20 x 20 room really, up on stilts so I can see the water. I don't have a telephone or electricity and I'm powered by solar energy. I know I'm living in an area that could easily be destroyed again. But I'm not afraid, I have faith that this place is where I'm supposed to be."

Coming Together Maile has worked hard to become a great surfer, a talented shaper and a kind and loving person. She is also very bright and accomplished; she owns a business that allows her to express her creativity. She radiates Aloha, as she dropped me off at the airport, she said, "thanks so much for coming, I hope you had a good time and thanks for wearing the lei. The fact that you wore it makes me feel really good." As I walked away I was struck by how interrelated the person, the dream, the people and the place really are. Maile Orian has realized her dream with the help her family in the perfect place. Hawaiian Mermaids is bound to be a success, she has captured the essence of her desire and an entire community supports her. The Mermaid Ohana agree, on Saturday, August 18th they came out to express their thanks. As the word of her boards gets out, more people will want to experience her boards, her family and this place.