Sand Bar BLAST

September 16, 2005
By Yu Shing Ting

It was a blast, and now a thing of the past. By word of mouth, 700 to 1,000 people gathered at the Kaneohe sand bar this past Labor Day weekend for some fun in the sun. It was a B.Y.O.B. event with people bringing coolers packed with grinds and drinks. Some even brought picnic tables and barbecue grills. Others brought their keiki and even pets. Thanks to the Vertical Junkies Crew and the Manatad ohana, there was live music by Neken and Liquid Courage, free giveaways, and even garbage bags for those who forgot. Reef also donated some clothes and slippers. "We (the VJ Crew and the Manatads) all go out to the sand bar a few times every month just to hang out and have fun," says Russ Inouye of the VJ Crew. "As you can see, it is an awesome place to hang. Sometimes we go fishing in the bay or diving on the outer reefs or surfing at some eastside secret spots in the bay, and end up at the sand bar to finish off a fun day in the water. "We don't have any set times we do the parties. We kicked things up another notch when we had a few friends who all had birthdays on the same weekend. One thing led to another, and more and more people started to come out and party. We hooked up with Neken, Kaneohe's new breed of live music. They always talked about how fun it would be to play in front of their friends and family members on the sand bar. We put our heads together and thought it would be fun to try it out." Well, it was more than fun. And as word got out, the crowds only got bigger and bigger. Some describe the sand bar parties as a cross between the Girls Gone Wild videos and MTV's popular Spring Break parties. "Big sand bar parties only happens about twice a year," says Inouye, whose VJ Crew organizes Rockstar Fridays at the Hard Rock Cafe and NJOY every Saturday at Chai's Island Bistro. "I think for us, we're done. It got too big too fast! For the safety of everyone it would be best to just keep with our little barbecues on the sand bar with our kids and a few close friends. No stress that way. God created the sand bar to relieve stress, not create more. It was fun, and many memories were made that will never be forgotten." George Goings and Kanoa Sehenk of Kaneohe are regulars at the sand bar. On this day, they knew there would be a crowd, but didn't mind the party. "I heard about it from my friend Keoni from Natural Vibrations," says Goings as he fired up some chicken, kalbi, short ribs and hot dogs on a grill. "It's fun." "This is awesome," addsSehenk. "I come every time there's a concert. I know a few friends who know the organizers, so I find out about it by word of mouth. We usually spend the whole day here. It's just nice being out here with the music. The atmosphere is good. As long as they malama - no littering and no fighting - it's all good." Clifford Salvatore and Brandon Wiggins heard about the party from some "random people" at The Wave the night before. The Air Force men based out of Hickam didn't want to miss the fun, and kayaked their way from Heeia Kea Pier to the sand bar. "It took us about 45 minutes to kayak here," says Wiggins. "We had to battle against the elements. But now that we're here, it was worth it except we didn't bring enough beers." "I party a lot, but not in the water," adds Salvatore, who is originally from Michigan. "I like it. It's refreshing. Back home they have something like this at Lake Erie, except everyone stays on their boats." Kahu Iaea, along with his friends Mike Eli, Robby Jacobs, Dude Kaaekuahiwi, Robert Santiago, Pomaikai Cacho, Denver Laurita and Jen Newhouse, also heard about the party and woke up extra early to make the trek from Makaha to the Windward side. They came prepared with their picnic table and benches, a tent, grill, jet boat, jet ski and kayak. "This is my first time here, and it's mean," says Iaea. "We'll be here for the next one and the next one and the next one." It's not easy to organize a party at the sand bar - there's the barge that takes a couple of hours to tow from Waiahole, stage set up with the band's equipment, and a lot of loading and unloading of people, coolers and bags. The past Kaneohe sand bar parties by the VJ Crew and the Manatads were free. And for those who don't own a boat, they even shuttle people to and from the sand bar at no charge. "The most challenging thing is getting people in and out," admits Inouye, who lives in Kaneohe with wife Kainani and their 2-year-old Sienna. "Everybody comes to the pier at different times, but they all want to leave at the same time! Gas is an issue, and we try not to charge and just ask for donations, but it never happens. "We supply trash bags for anyone who needs them. We take trash in every time we go to the pier to pick friends up. We are constantly on the mic pressing the fact that everyone needs to do their part to pick up after themselves. We have a crew that goes out the next morning to clean up what was missed. One of our guys had his family and friends dive the sand bar ledge and clean up anything they could find. Everyone involved is from the east side, and everyone knows how important it is to keep the sand bar as clean as we can for us to use and for our kids to enjoy in the future." While the VJ Crew and the Manatads will forever be remembered for throwing "the sickest" parties at the sand bar, partying at this Kaneohe landmark has actually been happening for decades, but on a much smaller scale. "On a typical weekend, it all depends on the weather, but if it's a nice day, it can get pretty packed with about 30 boats out there," says Earl Omoto, harbor master at Heeia Kea Pier. "There are small parties or family gatherings usually with about 10 to 15 people. The key is everything in moderation." Omoto says after the recent sand bar party, he received complaints from boaters about parking and people drinking alcohol in the parking lot. And while there's no capacity limit at the sand bar, Omoto says the next time someone wants to organize an event with a large crowd in attendance, they'll need to obtain a marine events permit. "If they're going to throw a party on that scale, they might also need to pay for insurance," adds Omoto. "I would also ask for police presence and a conservation officer present." While there were no accidents reported to harbor officials or police, Inouye says there were a couple of fights that broke out at the end as people were leaving - another reason why Inouye is calling it quits. "As for the VJ crew and the Manatads, the sand bar parties are over for us," he says. "We had our fun, but realized that this place is better enjoyed and manageable by small groups of families and friends just kicking back and having a good time." But for one Sunday with a thousand or so friends, it was a blast.