I’m back in AZ, and it is ungodly hot. It was 100 degrees in my bedroom last night, way too hot and sticky to sleep.
So I just sprawled out underneath the fan and watched this video over and over again. I don’t get insomnia very often, but when I do, surfing videos are my favourite thing.
It was around the twelfth time through when I finally passed out.
Waimea Bay Surfing Drone Video. from Makai Creative on Vimeo.
A few pictures from my trip to Hawaii in November. I always try to fit in a trip to Pillboxes when I’m on O’ahu, no matter what.
It really doesn’t matter how many times I’ve been there, it always takes my breath away.
“Never say ‘no’ to adventures. Always say ‘yes’, otherwise you’ll lead a very dull life.” ~ Ian Fleming
I’m writing this from a beach house in Waianae, Hawaii. I booked my ticket Friday night, and left Saturday morning.
I struggled for a few minutes, over whether or not this was a practical thing that a normal, well-adjusted person would do, and then realized, I don’t care.
On our last full day on Kauai (we flew out later that evening) we did the Holo Holo Na Pali coast boat tour. There are a few different options, but we ended up picking that tour because we would get to go over to Ni’ihau.
Ni’ihau is another Hawaiian island, it’s called the Forbidden Island because nobody outside of the people who live there are allowed to go. You need a special written invitation to visit, and it’s very hard to get one.
The Holo Holo tour doesn’t land on Ni’ihau, but it does take you on a cruise around the island, and then stops for snorkeling at the crater just off the coast. The crater is supposed to be amazing to snorkel because the water is very clear, and it’s a sheltered area so there is great visibility and lots of fish.
The tour leaves from the South side of the island, and at 7:45 am so we had to leave our place at 6:30 to get there on time. We arrived a little early and milled around a bit. After check in and a speech from our captain, we were off. There were about 40 of us on the boat, but it was plenty big enough, at least at first.
It wasn’t the nicest day, it was actually kind of cloudy and windy, but the weather was quickly forgotten once we pulled out of the harbour and encountered a pod of wild Spinner dolphins. The ride to the start of the Na Pali coast was about an hour, and they chased the boat the whole way. By the time we were almost there, it was getting pretty windy, and everyone at the front of the boat was getting drenched from huge waves coming over the front.
My sister and I decided to embrace it, and went to the front to get soaked and ride out the bumps. It was really fun for awhile, but eventually one of the deckhands came to get us off the front, because the waves were getting huge and apparently we were in danger of getting catapulted off the front.
That’s when things started to get a little weird. Everyone was clustered inside or at the back of the boat to try to stay warm and dry, but then people started to get sea sick from the waves. By the time we got to the coast, about 1/4 of the people on the boat were sick. I was seasick one time on a ferry in Cozumel, when I was about 13, and it was scarring enough that I am pretty much religious about taking Gravol before going on a boat on the ocean.
Once we got to the coast we were sheltered a little bit, and we slowed down to enjoy the view (it was gorgeous), so most people started to feel better. The sun came out, and we had a delicious lunch. Unfortunately, the captain had told us at the beginning of the day that because of the wind he would make a call later about whether or not we’d be making the journey across to Ni’ihau, and I was pretty devastated when he decided we couldn’t go because too many people were sick.
But we made the best of it and cruised back down the coast, and the boat stopped for snorkeling in a little cove on Kauai instead. We didn’t end up getting in because the water was super murky, and there had been shark sightings in the area, and based on what we’d learned about sharks a few days earlier, I felt like drinking beer on the boat was the better option.
The day was basically saved for me by the crew, they were a group of local Kauai guys, and we spent the day hanging out with them, and hearing all their crazy stories about their families and life on Kauai. One of their mothers had broken into their ex-girlfriend’s house and threatened her with a knife for trying to take his kid to live on the mainland.
Kauai is so small, and everybody knows everybody else, so there were definitely some interesting tales.We ended up having a blast with them, and they let us sneak into the beer/wine stash a little early since we weren’t getting in the water.
Overall the tour itself was great, we just had bad luck with weather and with people who hadn’t been out on a boat before and didn’t know to take precautions against seasickness.
If you are going to do this tour, book it as soon as you can on your trip. When we arrived in the morning they gave everyone the option of waiting and going on a different day when the weather was better, but it was our last day so we couldn’t.
If you book it on your second or third day, you can reschedule if it’s miserable, because you will enjoy it 10x more if the weather is nice.
I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited for anything than I was to see the Na Pali coast in person, and to be able to do the Kalalau Trail hike. When I moved to Hawaii 7 years ago it was one of the first places I heard about, and even though I’d been to Kauai once before, it was such a quick trip that we hadn’t been able to get over there.
So needless to say, the morning that we were finally going to hike there, I was pretty pumped. Not as pumped as I would have been if we hadn’t been out until the wee hours the night before, hitchhiking between bars on the island, but that’s a different story for a different day.
We ended up getting up really early to walk (this seemed like a good idea until about 10 minutes after we left, when we realized we were still miles away from the restaurant, trudging in the blazing sun. Apparently it’s easier to hitchhike at night?) to this really delicious restaurant called the Kountry Kitchen, where we ate lilikoi french toast with coconut syrup.
It was about a 45 minute drive from there to the coast. Parking is kind of a problem, so make sure you get there early, especially if you are going on the weekend, if not you may end up walking a few miles before you even get to the trailhead.
The full hike is 11 miles long and you need to pack food and camping gear (which is still something I’m desperate to do), but there are shorter hikes which is what we did. There is one that is 2 miles in to Hanakapi’ai beach, and then you can go another two miles to Hanakapi’ai waterfall.
Our original plan was to go all the way to the waterfall, but one of our group fell on the rocks at Hanakapi’ai beach (more on that later) which is actually quite treacherous, so we just ended up doing the 2 miles each way.
The hike isn’t too strenuous, there are some definite uphill and downhill parts, and it feels a lot further than 4 miles (my mom’s FitBit actually said it was 6 miles round trip) but the views are pretty spectacular. You start at the trailhead just climbing up and all you can see are trees and mountainside, but after about 5 minutes you come up to the first cliff lookout and the view is absolutely breathtaking. I could honestly just have sat there all day looking at it.
The water is so intensely blue, and the massive, craggy cliffs are incredibly green and they rise out of the sea and it’s so beautiful. It actually reminded me of some of the islands around Palawan.
Hanakapi’ai beach, which is the turn around point for the shortest hike was not really what I was expecting, it was really rocky. Be very careful if you are walking on the rocks, because they are loose, and we saw quite a few people wipe out, a twisted ankle on that trail would not be cool.
You also can’t swim there because the current is really strong and there is a shore break. There is a little cave you can climb into on the cliff though, and it’s a good spot to stop and have a picnic lunch on the rocks.
Right when you come up to the beach, there is a stream you have to cross to get there. A lot of people were taking off their socks and shoes and walking in the water to get across.
I don’t know about you, but putting my shoes back on when my feet are wet and sandy sounds pretty awful, and I’m pretty stubborn so I figured there had to be a better way, and I set off to investigate. It turns out, if you walk down almost to the ocean, there are a string of large boulders you can hop across to the other side without getting wet. You’re welcome.
When I first moved to Hawaii I had a professor who was telling us about Na Pali, and how there are local Hawaiians who live back in the mountains but that if you do the full hike you will sometimes meet them.
He told us that they aren’t keen on non-locals wandering through their lands, but he said to take chocolate with you as a gesture of friendship because their kids really love it, and they don’t get it very often. I’m not sure if that’s true, but it could be, and really, is bringing extra chocolate ever a bad idea?
If you are going to Kauai, you absolutely have to visit the Na Pali coast, it’s mandatory. And if you are doing the full Kalalau trail, can I come with you? I’m sturdy like a little mountain goat, and I can carry a lot and I don’t eat very much and I’m pretty friendly. Call me?
Wailua Falls is a pretty famous waterfall on Kauai. If you’ve ever been to Kauai, you’ve probably been there. There is a viewpoint right off the road, so if you want to go see it, it’s very easy to jump out of the car and take a few pictures.
The first time I was in Kauai, that’s all we did. This time, I was with my sister who has spent a lot of time in Kauai, and she wanted to show us a better view. We ended up jumping over the stone fence and hiking down the side of the mountain to get down to the bottom of the walls, despite about 10 signs instructing us not to do that.
Local people on the island do it all the time, and I had seen people down there the last time I visited, I just didn’t know how to get there, so I wasn’t that worried about it. The hike was pretty steep though, and there were a few parts that were a little tricky, so if you are going to try it, make sure to wear good shoes and take your time.
The valley at the bottom was cool and green, with some really cool big rocks that were most likely brought here by aliens. Once we got down to the bottom we wound around the side of the riverbank back behind the falls. It was awesome to see such a big, powerful waterfall from the back, and we got a nice cool down from the hot day from the waterfall mist.
It only took us about 15 minutes to climb down (there are some ropes, but they are definitely old so be very careful) and a little longer to climb back up to the top.
We were walking back to the car when we saw some people coming back out from behind the fence the other way, so we went to check it out. You can walk along a little river to get to the top of the waterfall.
There are a few times you have to shinny across a fallen tree, but it’s not very dangerous until you get closer to the falls, where the water starts flowing faster. You definitely don’t want to fall into the water there, because it’s a long way down, so watch your step.
Wailua Falls was much more memorable my second trip, but if you aren’t into fence hopping, there are so many other waterfall hikes to do on Kauai, just pick one of those instead.
A few more snaps from my time in Kauai. I’d been there once before, but only for a short weekend, so I was very excited to go back. It’s such a beautiful place, and I was so glad to be able to spend more time there so I could really explore the whole island.
Unfortunately, the more creeping around I did, the more I found that there was still a lot to see, so I’ll just have to go back again. How sad.
Also, if I ever go missing, I am definitely, absolutely not hiding out in that green house on the North Shore of Kauai, so probably don’t look there.
I flew out of Honolulu late the night of Memorial day, so we went down to the Ala Moana Beach Park for the Lantern Festival before my flight.
The Lantern Festival is held every Memorial day, and people come from all over the world to participate. Anyone can buy a lantern (last time I checked I think they were $15) and decorate it with messages to their loved ones who have died.
The ceremony starts at sunset, with a couple of speeches, and some hula dancing. There are groups of people in outrigger canoes that start paddling across the cove in front of the beach, releasing lanterns into the water. Then people on the beach start to wade into the water and release their own lanterns.
The lanterns float out to sea for awhile, and are eventually pushed back to the beach by the waves, but when it’s dark and all the whole cove is lit up with paper lanterns, it is truly beautiful to see.
If you want to participate, make sure to come by the park earlier in the day to get your lantern so you’ll have time to decorate it, and so they don’t sell out.
The beach gets really crowded as sunset approaches so make sure to get there early if you want to get a good spot, but if you set up a blanket and think you are going to be able to see, think again. Everyone stands in and along the water, so if you are sitting behind you won’t see anything but people.
The cove is large though, so if you want to go, and you want to see, you will be able to, even if you are a little farther away. This year was the second time I’ve been to the festival, and I think it’s a beautiful tradition. I haven’t been there early enough to get a lantern yet, but I’m sure I will one day.
In honour of Shark Week, I’m finally sharing my experience free diving with sharks off the North Shore of Oahu. We left from the boat harbour in Haleiwa. It was a pretty small boat, they most they can take is 6 people. It was $140 each to do it, and then $75 to do a ride along.
I wasn’t scared when we signed up, I kept pushing everyone in my family to agree so I could call and book it, but as it got closer I was absolutely terrified, I had nightmares the night before. The one thing I held onto ferociously was that this was an accredited, insured business, and if everyone that went ended up getting eaten, they would probably get shut down? Right? RIGHT?!
When we were getting on the boat, there was the most adorable British family getting off, and they had just done what we were about to do. They all told us it was an amazing experience, and they appeared to still have all of their limbs intact, so I was slightly comforted by that. They took us out about 3 miles off shore, apparently it’s a place near the crab traps so a lot of sharks hang out there hoping for some scraps, but we didn’t see any other boats.
On the way out, our guide told us about the different types of sharks we might see, it’s not called a shark dive because sometimes they see dolphins, whales, and other types of animals, but predominantly it’s sharks. It changes every day, but the earlier group had seen Galapagos sharks, and Silty sharks, which are very rare. They also see Tiger sharks and Hammerhead sharks, but we didn’t see either (sad we didn’t see a Hammerhead, SO GLAD we didn’t see a Tiger.) They haven’t seen a Great White there in over 10 years.
Once we were almost to the spot, our guide started briefing us on what was going to happen. He would get in the water first, and then if the sharks didn’t seem agitated, he would have us get in, two at a time. Then he started telling us about shark behaviors and hierarchy. The closer sharks are to the surface, the higher they are in the hierarchy, so as snorkelers, and closest to the surface, we needed to assert our dominance.
In order to do that, we had to stare the sharks down. He told us if a shark thinks you can’t see it, or you aren’t paying attention, it will come closer to investigate. But if you stare it directly in the eyes, it sees you as more dominant and won’t come closer. And then he gave us big flippers to “make us look bigger”. And that’s when I decided there was no way in hell I was going.
But somehow I ended up in the water. My sister and I reluctantly agreed to go first. He told us to enter the water the same way we would be in it, with marks and fins on, because sharks remember behavior, and if something changes, they get curious and come closer to see why. He told us to slide smoothly off the back of the boat, which we did, and right away we saw at least 5 big Galapagos sharks swimming around.
To be totally honest, I freaked out a bit. I couldn’t catch my breath in my snorkel, so I kept having to lift my head up to try to breathe, but then I was scared because I couldn’t see them when I did that. It only lasted about a minute though, I got my breathing under control, and started to watch them swim around.
They had told us not to splash, and not to swim with our arms, which was nerve wracking in itself. I had my arms glued to my sides the whole time, but I was paranoid at first that I was splashing a lot with my feet without realizing it. It was very deep there, about 675FT, so once we were in the water all we could see was blue from all directions. And then all of a sudden a shark would swim out of the blue.
At one point there were at least 15 big sharks swimming under and around us, and our guide was like “there’s a lot of them, so stay together”. And I was like, yeahhhh NO PROBLEM BUDDY. What he said about the sharks was really true though.
If one was swimming towards you, and you stared it directly in the eyes, it would turn and swim away. I noticed though that if one was coming up behind you, and you didn’t notice it right away, it would swim closer until you turned around and stared at it, and then it would swim away. I don’t know if that’s true of all types of sharks, but it was definitely true for these.
Most of the sharks were pretty chill, you could tell they were as scared of us as we were of them, but still curious. There was one that was kind of a dick though, he was pretty big, and would swim right at us full speed and then veer away at the last minute. The closest any of them got to us was about 6-8 feet, which feels pretty close when it’s a 10 foot long shark.
My sister and I were in there about 20 minutes before our guide decided to let my dad and brother in, and once they got in, a few of the sharks left. They were probably intimidated by all of our large flippers. But there were still always at least 5 of them swimming around. We got brave after awhile, and just started to swim around, and dive down a bit.
As scary as it was to get in (we all agreed that was the very worst part) after we were in there for awhile, watching them swim around was actually veryyyyy relaxing. Like the fish tank at the dentist’s office, but with more teeth. Our guide had told us what to watch out for in the body language of the sharks that indicates they are going to attack, like rapid jerky movements, arched backs and downward pointed pectoral fins, and we didn’t see anything like that.
After about 45 minutes, I started to not feel very good. At first I thought it was just because I had been so nervous that my stomach was in knots, but then I realized I was getting sea sick from floating around in the open ocean for so long. We were almost done anyways, so I got back in the boat.
Now this is the part of our guides cautionary tale that I almost could not believe. He said he sees about 80% of people do this, which was mind blowing to me. He said a lot of people get out of the water onto the platform at the back of the boat and then sit there, dangling their flippers in the water for awhile before they get into the boat.
After everything we had just learned about shark behavior, curiosity, and splashing, that was about the last thing I ever would have done. I literally log rolled my whole self out of the water onto the metal platform at the back of the boat. I scratched myself all to hell but you know what? Worth it.
All I kept thinking was, I just had this completely amazing experience, and I accidentally still have all of my limbs, now let’s keep it that way.
I’ve been scuba diving for years, and I’ve seen sharks many, many times. But there was something about it just being us and them, no fish, no reefs, nowhere to hide, that made it so much more exhilarating.
I’ve always been pretty scared of sharks, and after that experience I’m both more and less afraid. On one hand, it’s hard to see them as terrifying killing machines after an experience like that. Most people that get bit are in murky water, or are splashing around like a chubby baby seal, and they are curious. Unfortunately, they don’t have hands. If they come to see what you are, they have to use their mouth to investigate.
On the other hand, I had no idea how many sharks were around us while we were sitting in the boat. I couldn’t see any until I got in. So knowing how often they are probably around when you don’t know they are there is still pretty scary.
All in all, it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done, and I’m really glad I was able to do it with my family. I would encourage anybody to do it, especially if you have a fear of sharks. You learn a lot about them, and develop a whole new respect for these amazing animals.
One night in Kauai we went out to Rob’s Good Times Grill, we ended up hitchhiking there from Kapaa (it seemed like a good idea at the time). We were going to hike the Na Pali coast the next day (we did, and it was amazing! More on that later) and someone at Rob’s told us we should also check out Hideaway Beach.
Hideaway beach is on the north shore of Kauai. It’s supposed to be similar to the Stairway to Heaven on Oahu, but down instead of up. which is pretty much the only thing I want to do before I die, but unfortunately it was damaged in a storm this year and will likely be taken down. It was always illegal to do but it was possible, and I wish I would have done it when I had the chance.
Hideaway Beach is pretty cool, but it’s hard to find if you don’t know what you are looking for. It’s right near the St. Regis resort, right before you get to the resort you’ll see a little parking lot surrounded by chain link fence, this is the parking for Hideaway. If you hit the gates to enter the resort, you’ve gone too far.
You walk down a little sand alleyway to the edge of the cliff, and that’s where you’ll see the stairs. Be very careful with the stairs, they are old and rusted and broken in places. There are a few very jagged pieces where the railing has broken off, but it’s not a terrible hike down, only 5-10 minutes.
The beach at the bottom is beautiful, and good for swimming. You can also do a little bit more exploring around the area, there are rock cliffs you can crawl up to keep going one way or another around the little cove.
Hideaways can also be reached by Kayak, or by swimming around the point from the St. Regis, but descending the stairs overgrown with lush green plants against the backdrop of the bright blue ocean is pretty spectacular.
