06/09/2026
Finding Harmony: Adrenaline, Ancestry, and Why the Ocean Always Wins
If you’ve ever competed, you know the absolute madness of the days leading up to the first race. The crew line-ups usually aren't called until a day or two before, making the anticipation unreal.
When you finally line up at the flags, the adrenaline is exhilarating—and incredibly difficult to manage. You want to perform at a high level, but when your hands are shaking, and your chest is tight with excitement, it’s so easy to blow out. The hardest part is calming your nerves to blend perfectly with the five other people in the canoe. In a short regatta, there is zero room for error. Sometimes, the faster crew loses simply because of a bad lane, a tide change, or a lucky wave. Lining up at that start line requires a profound mix of faith, confidence, and hope that your months of training will show up when the flag drops.
But when you are racing in that koa canoe, you can feel the history. The energy inside the boat becomes almost tangible. The race itself goes by in the blink of an eye, but the day and festivities surrounding it stay with you forever.
Being a waterwoman is about everything that happens outside the boat, too. It’s talking story on the sand after a grueling piece. It’s lifting each other up after a loss and cheering until your throat is raw when you win. It’s the unwritten rule that when you step out of the canoe, you grab everyone else's paddles, no matter whose they are. It’s a beautiful, rare culture where everyone brings more than they need and takes less than they need.
Testing yourself against the elements is the ultimate lesson in humility. No single person, and no crew, will ever beat the ocean. The ocean wins every single time. So when you do experience a win, or even just a perfectly executed race, it feels like you’ve successfully found a temporary harmony with nature. It is deeply spiritual.
I am not Native Hawaiian, but I come from a long, ancestral line of Nordic seafarers. Seafaring communities are in my blood. Being out in the wild water, testing my limits, and respecting the volatile elements wakes up something very ancient and inherent within me, even though I’m far from where I came from ancestrally; the ocean connects us all.
This deep connection to the water is the driving force behind my photography style. It’s why I specialize in in-water imagery and beach lifestyle sessions—because the ocean is a place of healing, playing, and resetting. When I bring clients out into the elements with me, my goal is to help them experience that exact same magic, freedom, and connection to the place I love most.
Learn more and book your session at KendallLeue.com
