Polynesian Voyaging Society Launches Youth Navigator Program With 100 Apprentice Slots

The Polynesian Voyaging Society has launched a formal Youth Navigator Program that will train 100 young people ages 14 to 21 in traditional Polynesian wayfinding, celestial navigation, and ocean seamanship aboard the iconic voyaging canoe Hokule’a.

The program, funded by a $3.5 million grant from the Omidyar Ohana Fund, represents the most ambitious effort yet to pass navigational knowledge to a new generation. Participants will undergo a two-year curriculum combining classroom instruction, shore-based training, and open-ocean sailing legs aboard Hokule’a and her sister canoe Hikianalia.

“Nainoa Thompson and the original navigators are in their sixties and seventies now,” said PVS Executive Director Haunani Kane. “This program ensures their knowledge doesn’t retire with them. It becomes living tradition.”

Applications opened Monday and are available to any Hawaii resident in the target age range. The program is free, with travel, lodging, and equipment provided. Selection will be based on commitment and potential rather than prior sailing experience — organizers specifically want to reach youth who haven’t had access to ocean activities.

The curriculum integrates traditional Hawaiian knowledge with modern marine science. Apprentices will learn to navigate by stars, swells, and wind patterns while also studying oceanography, marine biology, and climate science. UH Manoa will offer college credit for program completers.

Master navigator Nainoa Thompson, who pioneered the modern revival of Polynesian wayfinding in 1980, will personally mentor the first cohort. “Every generation must find its own stars to follow,” Thompson said. “These young navigators will carry this tradition into waters we haven’t sailed yet.”