waves are generated miles away and travel over the open ocean to the hawaiian shores. they are large, powerful, and spread far apart. for people on the beach, the water is calm one minute, but it can be a very different story the next. >> people come here, they watch the waves, they'll see a few smaller waves thinking that it's okay to get into the cove or the tide pools. and they don't understand that every few waves or so, two or three very large waves larger than normal that they're watching will come in. then they're in trouble. this is a very rocky area. >> it's referred to as the cheese grater by the life guards. the lava rock is extremely sharp and very dangerous. >> we've watched many people get hurt here. >> as the wave hits the base of the rocks, mother and son still don't realize what's about to happen. >> when the wave initially hit and he took the picture, he turns around almost happy that he got this great shot. but at that moment, i think the woman realized that they were about to get wet and she kind of crouches down but the gentleman just turned around

hawaiians as they were to alaska natives and american indians. mr. president, there was a thriving society that greeted captain james cook when he landed on the shores of hawaii in 1778. prior to their first contact with europeans, native hawaiians had a population of at least 300,000. they were a highly organized, self-sufficient society, and they had their own rules, laws, language and culture. in his journals, captain cook referred to the indigenous people of hawaii as indians because it was the established english term in the 18th century to describe native groups regardless of their race, ethnicity or their government structure. but just like many native americans in alaska, natives on the continent, the name native hawaiians chose in their own language meant "the people." from 1826 until 1893, the united states recognized the independence of the hawaiian government as a distinct political entity. we extended full and complete diplomatic recognition and entered into five treaties and conventions with the hawaiian monarchs to govern commerce and navigation. these treaties are clear evidence that native hawaiians were considered a separate and dis