"An excellent book for Hawai'i's people as well as visitors who want to gain a better understanding of and appreciation for our beaches." --Esther Mookini, Hawaiian language translator and author

"Clark relates fascinating facts and local lore that would otherwise be forgotten. This is local history at its best!" --Carol Silva, Hawaiian historian and author

"A cultural and historical achievement" --Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 5 May 2002

"An awesome amount of work went into gathering the information for the 2,500 entries ... and Clark deserves a big mahalo." --Honolulu Advertiser, 15 December 2001

In his latest book, John Clark, author of the highly regarded "Beaches of Hawai`i" series, gives us the many captivating stories behind the hundreds of Hawai`i place names associated with the ocean--the names of shores, beaches, and other sites where people fish, swim, dive, surf, and paddle. Significant features and landmarks on or near shores, such as fishponds, monuments, shrines, reefs, and small islands, are also included. The names of surfing sites are the most numerous and among the most colorful: from the purely descriptive (Black Rock, Blue Hole) to the humorous (No Can Tell, Pray for Sex).

Clark began gathering information for the "Beaches" series in 1972, and during the years that followed interviewed hundreds of informants, many of them native Hawaiians, and consulted dozens of Hawaiian reference books, newspapers, and maps. A significant amount of the oral history he collected was unrecorded and remained only in his notebooks and memory. Hawai`i Place Names: Shores, Beaches, and Surf Sites is the final result of those years of research, and like its popular predecessors, it benefits substantially from Clark's having spent a lifetime surfing and swimming Hawai`i's beaches.

Presented in the same convenient format as Pukui, Elbert, and Mookini's Place Names of Hawaii (UH Press, 1974) this rich compendium of information on Hawai`i's surf, shore, and beach sites will satisfy visitors and residents alike.

John R. Kukeakalani Clark, a former lifeguard, is deputy fire chief of the Honolulu Fire Department and a private consultant on ocean recreation and water safety.

Read excerpts.