 |
| Hanauma Bay, Oahu |
Oahu's southeast shore is very rugged and has some real gems if you look hard enough. A very popular one is Hanauma Bay. Over a million visitors come to this idyllic bay every year to sunbath and go snorkeling. But just around the corner you can find almost deserted beaches, hikes out to lighthouses, and some amazing shades of blue water.
Hanauma bay is so popular because of the easy, protected inner reef. It is a great place for people learning how to snorkel or who just want to sunbath and take a quick dip to cool off. This spot use to be notorious for people walking on the reef and the effects of this can still be seen today. Old, dead reef, which should have new coral growing on top of it still remains dead close to shore. Luckily conservation efforts were slowly put into place, and in 2002 visitors were required to pay a small fee and watch an educational movie about how to not harm the reef ecosystem. It will take a while for the inner reef to recover but the outer reef is already making a comeback.
 |
| Inner reef at Hanauma Bay |
For strong swimmers who are confident in their skills, there is a cut in the inner reef which leads out to the deeper part of the bay. Once you are outside of the reef wall the bottom starts to drop and the patches of coral become noticeably more colorful. Just outside of the cut is a great place to find green sea turtles, called Honu, here in Hawaii. Following the bay out on the right side is where you can find the best reef with schools of fish and if you are lucky a passing shark. The park volunteers will give a very vocal warning about swimming out to the outer parts of the bay. Currents can be swift and the lifeguards here have made many saves over the years. So know your limits but realize if you had to deal with all these non-swimmers who frequent Hanauma, you would probably issue the same warning.
 |
| Boogie boarders at Makapu'u with the lighthouse far behind |
Around the corner from Hanauma the coastline becomes very wild. Steep cliffs and wind shaped pancake rock formations stand between the road and the sea. Sandy beach is a big body board beach break, similar to Big Beach on Maui. People are smashed into the sea floor annually here at this beach. Offshore islands provide some beautiful scenery and Molokai can be seen in the distance. Makapu'u is the beach after you pass Sea Life Park. Just before you get there you can pull off on the right side of the road and take a very cool hike out to the lighthouse overlook. During the winter it is an amazing place to watch humpback whales. Makapu'u beach itself is usually very uncrowded. If you are looking for a place to take in the sunrise or just a local secret stretch of beautiful sand, Makapu'u is the place for you.
 |
| Makapu'u Beach |
Submit Images and Footage to Shutterstock and make money!
For strong swimmers who are confident in their skills, there is a cut in the inner reef which leads out to the deeper part of the bay. Once you are outside of the reef wall the bottom starts to drop and the patches of coral become noticeably more colorful. Just outside of the cut is a great place to find green sea turtles, called Honu, here in Hawaii. Following the bay out on the right side is where you can find the best reef with schools of fish and if you are lucky a passing shark. The park volunteers will give a very vocal warning about swimming out to the outer parts of the bay. Currents can be swift and the lifeguards here have made many saves over the years. So know your limits but realize if you had to deal with all these non-swimmers who frequent Hanauma, you would probably issue the same warning. 
Comments
Post a Comment
Leaving a comment is a great way to provide feedback, ask further questions, and inspire more answers...so go for it.