There isn’t a conversation about best kayaker in the world happening right now that doesn’t include Dane Jackson. There just isn’t anyone as diverse in skill set: he’s a fantastic freestyle kayaker, a supremely gifted river runner, he can do expeditions and camp out of his boat, and he definitely loves to send.
Well, Mr. Jackson has done his fair share of exploring the world over – and as someone who board surfs as well – he found himself on the Big Island after rumors of waterfalls sent him on exploratory missions. He lucked into a gem in the Wailuku River that literally runs right into Hilo (you can see him taking out in town below). The river has a wide flow range – meaning it can be run at different water levels – and it’s loaded with big drops and waterfalls (the only drawback being that lava tears the shit out of plastic boats).
Now Jackson is pushing further into the bush to look at bigger drops. While the narrator’s sound is a little off in the video above, you can see the effort he and boating partners Kalob Grady and Kaelin Freidenson, put in to find what they’re looking for. And they’re pretty much guaranteed rain at some point on the Big Island – Hilo is the rainiest city in the U.S.
