but a tiny speck in the middle of all this. so in hawaii, the waterman is an important distinction. it expresses the shared consensus that you are able to handle yourself in the ocean no matter what it throws at you. it implies that you are capable of almost mythical things. the ability to live in the water, handle its many moods above or below the surface. meet uncle ross, waterman. a canoe surfing legend and generally accepted ambassador of the aloha spirit. he's offered to share with me a truly ancient hawaiian space found only on the face of a crashing wave. ♪ ♪