Capturing the Moment

  February has been a month of friends and rain out here in Oahu. Our house has been bustling with guests and I have stayed busy exploring the island as the tour guide. I wanted to show my good friend Phoebe what Oahu snorkeling was like so we headed to the southeast corner of the island. I knew Phoebe was a great swimmer and free diver so we headed to the cliffs near the Halona blowhole. The waves were small, so the kick out from Eternity Beach was quite easy. We could feel a slight current but no "Molokai express" today which can be a dangerously powerful current ripping along the coastline here threatening to whisk snorkelers and divers off to the far off island of Molokai. We kick against the current while following several green sea turtles out into the blue. The water clarity was great so we stayed in the deeper water until eventually circling back along the cliffs. The cliffs here rise up over a hundred feet and plummet down another forty feet underwater. A few

  Swimming with dolphins is always such a pleasure. These pictures are of a pod of Hawaiian spinner dolphins ( Stenella longirostris ) that frequents the western shore of Oahu. I haven't seen them the last few times I have been over to that side so I was pleasantly surprised to see them playfully leaping out of the water just offshore.   I had my kayak and snorkel gear so I loaded up my gear in the kayak and shoved off in between sets right from electric beach. A couple of snorkel boats were zooming in to check out the dolphins so I headed farther offshore to where I saw a whale blow. I was hoping to get to see some humpback whale action but after one sighting of two blows from about 500 yards off I never saw them again. But it was a beautiful day to be in the kayak and the slight breeze felt great. After a while I paddled back in to where the dolphins were still playing.   As the dolphins turned to swim towards me I slipped in the water and peered into the blue. It took a f

Water Lily Madagascar Day Gecko   Hidden in the back corner of beautiful Manoa valley is the Lyon Arboretum. For the nature lover it is set in a lush rainforest with a small waterfall at the end of the trail. For the birder it may be your only chance to spot white cockatoos and green parrots screeching in the tree tops. And don't even get me started for the plant lover. From water lilies in small ponds, to entire gardens of bromeliads and heliconia, this garden has it all. Orchids grow wild up in the trees and down on the ground, and some time in the next 40 years their two Halipot Palms are going to put on one heck of a blooming show.   Started in 1918 by the Hawaii Sugar Planters' Association (HSPA), the Lyon Arboretum began as a reforestation effort to protect that valuable watershed. In 1953 Harold Lyon urged the HSPA to transfer ownership over to the University of Hawaii with the stipulation that it will always be used as an arboretum and botanical garden.

Breaching Humpback Whale   If you are a wildlife lover and think Hawaii has not much to offer then think again. On a recent trip to Maui I was able to see some of the biggest wildlife and some of the smallest in the same day. Right now the oceans are thick with humpback whales mating and having babies. I saw quite a few in between Lana'i and Maui on my flight in from Honolulu. And I couldn't wait to get up close on one of the whale watching boats with my friends at Pacific Whale Foundation. Mom and Baby   The whales did not disappoint. On a two hour whale watch I saw breaches, tail slaps, peduncle throws, pec slaps, fluke up dives, and brand new babies. I still think that Maui has got to be one of the best places in the world for whale watching during the months of February and March. I'iwi (Honeycreeper) out in the open I'iwi bird feeding   Seeing 40 ton animals launching out of the water is pretty amazing, but my other goal while on Maui was t

  Sometimes I feel like all my luck gets used up in one fell swoop. Take for example this latest experience in the water off Maui. I swim out to test my new camera and who should show up but a very playful group of Hawaiian spinner dolphins. I have swam with them before but this time was different.    Instead of cruising back and forth in a 300+yard area, this pod was circling in the same spot. I counted around 30 dolphins, many of which were playing 'keep away' with bright orange leaves. They would swim with the leaves on their pectoral fins, tail fin, dorsal fin, or even the tip of their beak. Every once in a while a leaf would shake off and the dolphin would circle back to catch it again. At one point I noticed one of these leaves floating next to me, so I grabbed it, made a few circles with it and then tossed it out away from me. Low and behold one of the dolphins eventually made its way over and swooped up the leaf.   Playing keep away with a leaf Easy to see wh

  No matter how quick a trip to Maui might be there will be hidden gems found and great times had. After a little snafu with my flight I made it standby to Maui, picked up my rental car, and rushed off to meet my friends on the road to Hana. We met at Frog Pond, one of our favorite swimming holes near the beginning of the road to Hana. After some rock hopping and cliff jumping here we decided to check out the hidden waterfalls at mile 11. I'm not sure what the name of these falls are but there are two of them, each with their own swimming holes. It is just off the highway but separated by lush jungle. A rope swing beckons the adventurous and rocks warmed by the sun give you more than enough reason to while away the afternoon.

 We were hoping for an early morning sunrise hike somewhere on the southeast shore of Oahu but mother nature had other thoughts. Once we crossed over to the windward side of the island the rain became pretty consistent.   Not to be deterred we drove down the coast until we hit Sandy's Beach park. Known for its pounding shore break and body boarding it also turned out to be a great place for sunrise pictures. I was hoping that the sun would poke up in between the cloud layer and the ocean. While it didn't do exactly what I wanted it still gave me some nice colors to work with. I got these pictures during that magic hour by standing very close to the waves breaking over the lava rock shelf. A long exposure was used to capture a feeling of the movement of the waves over those lava rocks. I knew we had a good location for the sunrise shoot when I saw a van full of people on a round the island photo tour pull up next to us.

Volcom Pipe Pro Champion Kelly Slater fan club   What a final day at the Volcom Pipe Pro. The rain stayed away, the sun came out, and the swell came in. Competitors from the North Shore like Mason Ho competed against surfers from as far afield as Brazil, France, and Puerto Rico. But the standout of the competition was 11 time world champion Kelly Slater. I lost count of how many times Kelly would disappear behind a wall of water only to emerge unscathed 6 or 7 seconds later. It was no surprise seeing him win the entire competition. Pipeline claims another board Mason Ho   The surfer nipping at Kelly's heels was young Mason Ho. He comes from a very famous line of North Shore surfers. His father is Michael Ho and his uncle is Derek Ho. Mason's goal is to be bigger than both combined. Pipeline claims another bone Slater paddling out to victory   The waves were the best I have ever seen at Pipeline. A south wind was blowing offshore causing the barrels t