King Kahekili's Legacy

Ella, Dallas, Kelley, and Justin treated me to a fantastic seafood pasta dinner last night. Over dinner Dallas and Ella told me they were learning about the swan dive in swim class. I told Dallas there were people in a place called Acapulco that do beautiful swan dives into the ocean from very high cliffs. I went on to say that this took lots of courage, to which he responded, "What's courage?" So, this is for Dallas.

courage - A quality in which a person can face danger or pain without showing fear.

"...the sport of cliff diving is the acrobatic perfection of diving into water from a high cliff...the sensational sport originated from the Hawaiian Island of Lana´i in 1770. Kahekili, the king, demanded that his men leap off high cliffs and enter the water feet first without a splash, to prove their courage and loyalty. Today, after centuries, the activity has expanded into a sport that is marked by immense courage, focus, thrill and risk...education and training are a must for this extreme sport..." - Cliff Diving By Jimmy Sturo