Channel of Bones | Crossing Ka Iwi

LIFT bring you: The Channel of Bones. A film that dives into the recent M2M and M2O channel crossings.

The Ka Iwi Channel has always been more than a race course. Each year, hundreds cross it during M2O and M2M. But for Lift team rider Mala‘e McElheney, this moment is rooted in something deeper. Channel of Bones is a short film by Dane Wilson, told through the voice and eyes of Mala‘e’s grandfather, Keliiopunui Pau Miller Koomealani Byron Amona. As foiling redefines what’s possible on the ocean, this story brings it back to lineage, humility, and the race within. From nights aboard the Hōkūle‘a to the challenges of crossing Kaiwi, the film explores how connection to water is passed down, carried forward, and lived in new ways.