For local Hawaiians Jenny Kalmbach and Morgan Hoesterey the ocean is their backyard and most treasured playground so when they formed the Destination 3 Degrees team and decided to complete a 300 mile stand-up paddle adventure across Hawaii’s nine legendary open-ocean channels to raise awareness for the protection of marine life it’s no wonder their hard work and passion paid off.

Destination 3 Degrees, named for the three degrees of latitude that separate the Hawaii Islands, was first inspired by Jenny and Morgan’s love of adventure and their passion for protecting the oceans.  The team is the first to stand-up paddleboard across all of Hawaii’s nine ocean channels, which can reach depths of 10,000 feet and see wave heights of over 20 feet.  

Jenny and Morgan pushed themselves and their sport in order to give back, raising funds for the Long Beach, California based, Algalita Marine Research Foundation.  Algalita seeks to better understand and protect the oceans from the impacts of plastics contamination.

And, it was the local marine life, including whales, dolphins and sharks, who often popped up to check them out and follow along in support as well as Santa Barbara-based lifestyle apparel company, Horny Toad, who believed in the girls and helped sponsor their adventure. Horny Toad is a clothing company which celebrates the adventure in everyday life (both outdoors and in) and is oriented around community, sustainability, and looking for new ways to accomplish traditional business goals.

To learn more about Destination 3 Degrees, see amazing photos and video of Jenny and Morgan’s awesome paddle and help support their cause, visit www.Destination3.com.

We talked with the girls and found out more about what it’s like to be out there amongst the big waves and wildlife, what’s happening in the sport of paddleboarding for women and where are the best spots to explore and paddleboard in Hawaii.

EXP/G: What drives you personally to tackle such a big adventure and to raise awareness for the protection of marine life?

Jenny and Morgan: Adventures are what make life fun.  Personally, I don’t think we ever really allowed ourselves to focus on how big this adventure would actually be we just knew that we had a goal and that we wanted to work hard to make it happen. It has been a privilege to be able to raise awareness for such a worthy cause along the way.  We spend so much time in the ocean, and the ocean is such a big part of our lives that we have a responsibility to do what we can to protect it, and this seemed like a great way to raise awareness for a cause that we both believe in.

EXP/G: How long have you been paddleboarding?  Is this your favorite sport or do you transition from surfing and other sports?

J and M: I started paddleboarding in the beginning of 2008.  I did a lot of swimming, surfing and free diving before standup paddling, so the transition into a new ocean sport was an easy one.  I just want to be a part of the ocean in any and every way that I can, so when standup paddling came along it was something I was really excited to take up. (Answered by Morgan Hoesterey)

EXP/G: What was your biggest fear making the journey over 300 miles of Hawaii’s 9 open-ocean channels?

J and M: My biggest fear throughout this whole experience was the possibility of failure.  We knew what we wanted to do, and we knew that we had worked so hard to make our dream a reality, but in this type of situation where we were dealing with weather, the elements, and several other factors that we couldn’t control, it is hard to not think about the possibility of things not going your way.  We were so incredibly fortunate though throughout the entire trip to have good conditions that worked in our favor instead of against us.  (Answered by Morgan Hoesterey)

EXP/G: What were the biggest size waves you encountered while out in the channels?

J and M: We had swells that were over ten feet in at least two of the channels.  In the Kauai channel, we had the biggest waves we had seen the entire trip, and at times they were coming at us from the side.  These waves added an extra level of difficulty to that channel, especially when it got dark.  While waves this size can be intimidating, they really aren’t as bad as they sound.  Open ocean waves don’t break the same way as the ones close to shore do; they tend to be more forgiving.  If the swell is moving in your favor, the bigger waves actually help push you in the right direction and can make channel crossings really fun.

EXP/G: Did you encounter any other sea life, whales or sharks on the journey?

J and M: We were really fortunate to have had the opportunity to see a lot of cool things throughout the journey.  From the very start of the first channel, we had humpback whales swimming right under our boards, and a hammerhead shark that followed us around for awhile.  In the Molokai channel, we had a small pod of false killer whales come and play with us for awhile, which was a nice distraction from the paddling.  They would come up under our boards and blow bubble rings at us, and they would move with us so close to our boards that we had to actually be careful of where we put our paddles because we didn’t want to hit them.  In the last channel, we had some rough toothed dolphins come and play with us for a bit.  It is always a privilege when the wildlife chooses to acknowledge you when you are out there.


EXP/G: How do you maneuver the big waves on a paddleboard while out in the channel?

J and M: The waves are a really fun and interesting part of downwind paddling and channel crossings.  Since there are waves coming from all different directions, it is your job as the paddler to look at them and see how you can use them to your advantage.  Surfing open ocean waves is different from regular surfing for several reasons:  first, you have to read the waves from the back instead of looking behind you to see them coming.  You learn to judge the waves by feel instead of sight which takes a bit of getting used to.  Also, you start to learn how one wave will lead into another and which way you should go on each different wave to get the most out of it.  The overall goal is to have the waves push you as far as possible so that you can maximize the fun and the rest that the waves provide.

EXP/G: What sort of preparation did you do to be in shape for the challenge?  What’s your typical fitness routine like?

J and M: We did a lot of training to prepare for this trip.  We each had about 3 distance days per week along with some interval as well as sprint training and a lot of strength training.  One of the companies who helped out a lot was Surf Stronger (www.surfstronger.com) who provided surf and paddle specific workouts and an endurance schedule.  Their workout allows you to train anywhere not just in the gym, so it was a perfect fit for what we were doing.

EXP/G: How do you see the sport of paddleboarding and women evolving?  Is it growing?

J and M: Standup paddleboarding is growing at an incredible pace. Every day it seems like we see more and more people out enjoying the ocean and the great thing is that many of them are women. At this rate, it is possible that in 5 years standup paddleboarding will be a female dominated sport. It’s great to see so many women participating and competing and doing well at it.   

EXP/G: What challenges do women face when it comes to such a high-endurance sport like paddleboarding?

J and M: One of the many great things about paddleboarding is that it isn’t only an endurance sport. It can be anything from a mellow afternoon paddle to a surf session to long distance, channel-crossing mission. It is whatever you want it to be, as easy or as challenging as you want to make it.

EXP/G: What do you recommend for girls/women who would like to get involved in paddleboarding?  What’s the best way to get started?

J and M: The best way to learn is to find a place that offers standup paddleboarding lessons or borrow a board from a friend and ask for a few tips. It’s a relatively easy sport to learn with a quick learning curve and women tend to pick it up on the first try. It’s all about having fun, so find a few friends and head out to the nearest lake or beach!

EXP/G: What did it feel like to complete your goals for the D3D adventure?

J and M: It took awhile to sink in but when it did, it felt great. The best feeling was finishing the 72 mile Oahu to Kauai channel. It took us 16hrs and 3 minutes and when we finished, it was such a relief. We were both so overwhelmed with emotions – it’s a moment neither of us will ever forget.  

EXP/G: Why did you choose to do D3D in Hawaii?  Is this where you live?  If so, how long have you lived there?

J and M: We chose Hawaii because this is where we both live. Morgan has lived on Oahu for nearly 10 years and I moved to the Big Island 5 years ago. We wanted to do something that was both challenging and fun and the channels encompass that.

EXP/G: What’s the most special aspect to you about Hawaii and its oceans?

J and M: It is really difficult to pinpoint what the most special part about Hawaii and the ocean is.  Hawaii is an amazing place and has so much to discover that you could spend your whole life here and never get bored.  The ocean is the same way.  It is where we escape to, where we choose to spend our time, and I am not sure if either one of us would be able to live without it.  

EXP/G: Any travel tips for visiting Hawaii?

J and M: Hawaii has so much to offer so figure out ahead of time what you are looking for and plan your trip around that. If you want to get away from the crowds and relax, check out Molokai, if you’re into hiking and exploring head over to the Big Island.

EXP/G: Where is your favorite place in Hawaii out of all the islands?

J and M: There are so many beautiful places here but the place that stood out the most was Lehua Rock off of Niihau Island. Lehua Rock is located 17 miles off the West coast of Kauai and is a phenomenal scuba diving location. We were blown away when we got there, it was our last channel, which made arriving extra special but we had no idea how spectacular it would be.

EXP/G: Where have you found is the best place for paddleboarding around Hawaii?

J and M: Paddling along the turquoise waters of the Kona coast is a great place to see dolphins, whales and an array of reef fish. If you’re on Oahu, check out Kailua Beach Park on the windward side, it’s beautiful place to paddle and hang out on the beach.

www.ExplorerGirls.com / Courtney Crow

Images: Destination3Degrees