Kanemilohai Coast

Kānemilohaʻi, also known as French Frigate Shoals, consists of low sandy islets and a crescent of reef around an open lagoon in the northwestern Hawaiian chain. The pale sides of its isolated basalt pinnacle could deceive sailors at night. On 6 November 1786, La Pérouse's Boussole mistook the guano-whitened rock for the sails of her companion Astrolabe. Breaking waves revealed the reef just in time for the French ships to avoid grounding.

Whaling brought another encounter with the shoals. On the night of 11 February 1823, George Pollard's Nantucket whaleship Two Brothers struck a reef during stormy weather. Her crew spent the night in small boats before finding the accompanying Martha sheltered near the pinnacle; all were rescued and returned toward Oahu. For ships crossing the northern Pacific, these waters combined a recognisable landmark with hidden shallows, capable of turning an ocean voyage into a struggle for survival.