In an archipelago like the Hawaiian Islands the water between islands is typically called a channel or passage. Described here are the channels between the islands of Hawai?i, arranged from northwest to southeast.
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?Alenuih?h? Channel
The ?Alenuih?h? separates the island of Hawai?i and the island of Maui. The maximum depth of this channel is 6100 feet (1900 m), and the channel is 30 miles wide. There is a significant wind funnel effect in the channel, which is subject to scientific investigations. ?Alenuih?h? means "great billows smashing."
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?Alal?keiki Channel
The ?Alal?keiki Channel separates the islands of Kaho?olawe and Maui, at a distance of 7 miles. ?Alal?keiki means "crying baby."
Kealaikahiki Channel
The Kealaikahiki Channel is the channel between L?na?i and Kaho?olawe. It literally means "the road to Tahiti"; if one takes a bearing off of Kealaikahiki Point on Kaho?olawe while in the channel and heads directly straight, one arrives, more or less, in Tahiti. In practice, however, Polynesian navigators probably did not quite ply a straight route to Tahiti. The channel is 17 miles wide.
?Au?au Channel
The ?Au?au Channel is one of the most protected areas of ocean in the Hawaiian Islands, lying between L?na?i and Maui. The channel is also protected by Moloka?i to the north, and Kaho?olawe to the south. The depth of the channel reaches 108 feet (33 m), and its width is 8.8 miles (14.2 km). ?Au?au channel is a whale-watching center in the Hawaiian Islands. Humpback whales migrate approximately 3,500 miles (5600 km) from Alaskan waters each autumn and spend the northern hemisphere winter months in the protected waters of the channel.
?Au?au translates to "to take a bath" referring to its calm bath-like conditions.
Lahaina Roads
The middle of the ?Au?au channel off Lahaina is known as the Lahaina Roads. Once filled with whalers when Lahaina was a capital for that industry, Lahaina Roads were later adopted as an alternate anchorage for the main U.S. Pacific Fleet based at Pearl Harbor. In the planning for the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese had hoped that the Pacific Fleet still utilized Lahaina as an anchorage as ships sunk in the deep water there would have been unrecoverable. However, Lahaina was not utilized, and the bulk of the fleet remained moored in Pearl Harbor. The Roads are still a common moorage for oceangoing cruise ships and naval vessels of many flags, including the U.S., whose crews enjoy liberty on the island.
Pailolo Channel
The Pailolo Channel separates the islands of Moloka?i and Maui. Although the channel is only about 8.4 miles (13.5 km) at its shortest point, it is one of the windiest and roughest in the Hawaiian Islands. Pailolo translates to "crazy fisherman" referring to the typical sea surface conditions and who would attempt to navigate therein.
Kalohi Channel
The Kalohi Channel is the stretch of water separating L?na?i and Moloka?i. Depth of water in this channel is about 260 feet (79 m) and width is 9.3 miles (15 km). This is one of the less treacherous channels between islands in the archipelago, although strong winds and choppy sea conditions are frequent. Kalolohia beach on the L?na?i coast is also known as "Shipwreck Beach" because of a wreck on the reef there. Kalohi means "the slowness."
Kaiwi Channel
The Kaiwi Channel (also known as the Moloka?i Channel) separates the islands of O?ahu and Moloka?i, and is 26 miles (42 km) wide. Maximum depth is 2300 feet (701 m). There are annual paddleboarding and outrigger canoe paddling contests which traverse this channel. Ka Iwi means "the bone."
Ka?ie?ie Waho Channel
The Ka?ie?ie Waho Channel separates the islands of Kaua?i and O?ahu, at a distance of 72 miles (116 km). Ka?ie?ie Waho means "Outer Ka?ie?ie," named after the ?ie?ie vine (Freycinetia arborea).
Kaulakahi Channel
The Kaulakahi Channel separates the islands of Ni?ihau and Kaua?i. It is 17 miles (27 km) wide. Kaulakahi translates to "the single flame (streak of color)."
Kumukahi Channel
The Kumukahi Channel separates the islands of Ni?ihau and Lehua. Kumukahi means "first beginning."
Ho?omo?a Channel
The Ho?omo?a Channel separates the islands of Lehua and Nihoa. Ho?omo?a means "to cook."
Hawai?iloa Channel
The Hawai?iloa Channel to the northwest of the islands of Nihoa. Named after Hawai?iloa, hero of an ancient Hawaiian legend about the settling of the Hawaiian Islands.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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