It Came From the Ala Wai: 6 Strange Creatures That Thrive in Waikīkī’s Sewage Filled Canal What lurks in the murk of Honolulu’s most prominent drainage ditch? Lots of things, including a fish that can literally give you nightmares. October 23, 2017 Photos: Elyse Butler Mallams An old film clip in the archives of the Bishop Museum shows a group of children and adults, in early 20th-century swimwear, frolicking in the waters of the Ala Wai Canal. It probably dates to the 1920s, the same decade the two-mile-long canal was dug to drain Waikiki’s wetlands and create more buildable ground there.