Husking a Coconut with a crowbar

While we were watching watching this man

do this I watched another man almost drown in a rip tide just beyond him in the ocean. I heard a an airhorn and someone warning the man of the riptide as he swam by in the current very fast. Luckily, he remained calm and didn't panic and was able to grab rocks before he was swept out to sea in the tide here on the island of Maui, Hawaii on this very stormy day with white caps and waves and a very strong riptide.

The basic idea with husking coconuts is you don't want to injure yourself doing this. Also, if you see ants on it leave it alone and also if you can't hear water shake when you shake it leave it alone or if you smell it being fermented (unless you like that sort of thing) leave it alone.  So, unless you are skillful with your hands (I used to use a machete myself) you don't want to be doing this. Because if you make a mistake you might lose fingers or cut your hand. So, a crowbar is less likely to take off a finger than a machete. Also, when you get the nut out take the rounded end of the crowbar and lightly whack the coconut (after you have drained the coconut milk out into a glass or have drunk it straight out of one of the three spots it is easy to puncture on one end to get the milk out).

Where we are staying right next to the ocean there are a few coconut palms that aren't trimmed because where the coconuts tend to fall people don't usually go much so there isn't the danger of being killed by a falling coconut so much where we are. So, in the storm a few coconuts came down in the night so there were coconuts to harvest this morning after breakfast outside.

Also, the man who is in his 50s or 60s appears to be slightly injured who almost got swept out to sea and might be in shock. So, my wife is calling the front desk to get help. More people don't seem understand how dangerous it is and are still on paddle boards so my wife is worried about them too. My wife just said, "If they don't close the beach today, they are going to lose someone today."

As an old surfer I think I agree with her assessment. This is a very unusual weather day in the ocean and is deadly, and anyone who doesn't realize that when they go in is in potential danger here.

If someone gets caught in this current it is moving about 6 knots and taking people over rocks and coral near the surface. This is very dangerous for people who aren't really experienced ocean people. 

My wife is a life long Heavy weather sailer on yachts and I am an old surfer of the 1962 to 1969 era and a snorkler and boogie boarder and body surfer my whole life since I was about 6. So, we both know the ocean very well. But most people here are from mainland U.S. and not everyone grows up in the Pacific ocean like we did. 

Later: 3 more people this time on Boogie boards had to be rescued before they were swept out to sea.