On December 4, 2015, the Physics, AP Physics, Oceanography, and AP Environmental Science classes raced their cardboard boats at the Wet ‘n’ Wild waterpark in Kapolei.
The boat building process stretched over a month and led up to a roughly 16-minute race. During the heats, boats endured the calm water in the Hawaiian Waters Wave Pool with varying degrees of success. Some boats took on water and sank, while others lasted the length of the heat. The top three boats from each heat went on to compete in the final race.
For the final race, the wave machine was turned on, creating currents and choppy conditions. Teams were left to paddle against the rough conditions and most groups failed to move past the starting line as their paddling was negated by the waves. Eventually, a clear winner emerged from the unrelenting walls of water. Kmark, a narrow-bodied vessel captained by senior Michael Tawata, cut through the waves with its low profile and pointed edge. Just halfway through the race, it was clear that the Kmark’s feat would be uncontested, and so the race was declared finished.
Photographs by Ryan Su (’17)
