Capturing the Moment

   While the North Shore is flat calm and ripe for scuba diving, the South shoreline has all the waves for surfing. Waves churned up by winter storms thousands of miles away in the southern hemisphere make their way over the equator to land upon our shoreline here in Oahu.   I have been pleasantly surprised by the size of the swells this summer. While the forecasts call for 2ft surf there are head high waves with windless, glassy conditions. It makes me realize just how blocked Maui's southern shoreline is by Koho'olawe island nearby. It would take a really big swell to make Maui's best waves start to open up. And forget surfing in the middle of the day or the afternoon. The wind would fill in and make conditions very tough.   So I guess this means I better get these waves while I can. And while these swell was only a 2-3ft swell, I imagine at least one big one has yet to come. When it does I will be ready.    Heidi has been behind the lens fo...

Monkey in a Tree   Ed and Jamie were in for adventure when they stepped foot onto Oahu. Right off the plane we headed through muddy jungle paths to ancient ruins before driving up a winding ridge road to an overlook of  nighttime Waikiki all lit up.      Chillin at the Summer House of Kamehameha III    They experienced the underwater wonders that Oahu has to offer from the fabled Hanauma Bay to Shark's Cove on the North Shore. Jamie mastered snorkeling after only two times and Ed scored one of the best Oahu dives anyone could ask for. His underwater luck brought in some spotted eagle rays, moray eels, a sea turtle, and a rare encounter with a Hawaiian monk seal. Heidi even found a few nudibranchs to show him. Jamie saying "I've got this!" Heidi and a Wrasse   Throw in some waterfall hikes, Buddhist temples, overlooks, beaches, sea glass missions, and surf, and you would still only scratch the surface of their trip. It was gr...

Shark's Cove, North Shore, Oahu Ed and Heidi descending    My friend Ed had just become a certified scuba diver before coming to Oahu and Heidi had recently procured an underwater camera so we were all anxious to check what was below the waves of Oahu's North Shore. We picked up tanks from one of our favorite dive shops located in Haleiwa, called Hawaii Eco Divers. The three of us packed in our dive gear and Jamie came along to do a little solo snorkeling. We headed to our favorite North Shore spot called Shark's Cove. There is a pretty easy shallow entry near the entrance to the huge tide pool. Lots of huge boulders give fish plenty of places to hide near shore and excited snorkelers who don't want to stray to far. Ed, Heidi and I headed away from the protected area out to the point where we were going to drop down and start our dive. Just before we arrived I heard Heidi's tank banger and whipped around to see a pair of spotted eagle rays gliding under us....

Turtle Photos for Sale   On a recent scuba dive at Shark's Cove on Oahu's North shore I had great success finding and photographing sea turtles. After that I decided to return to the North Shore with freediving gear so I could follow the graceful reptiles to and from the surface with ease. Sea turtles have lungs so they need to come to the surface every once in a while to replenish their oxygen. It is hard to bounce up and down while scuba diving. The freedom and maneuverability that comes with freediving can be a great way to photograph marine reptiles and mammals. "Breath of Life"   I took out a 24mm prime lens on my canon 5d mark ii in my Ikelite underwater housing. I also had two Ikelite strobes set up on either side of the housing to provide some light. The strobes are important if you want more than just the silhouette of the turtle while photographing from below. Turtle Reflection Among the Clouds   It took about 45 minutes to find the fir...

  After finally convincing Nate and Kelly to make the move out to Maui, just as Heidi and I were switching islands to Oahu, they were finally able to island hop over to see us on our new island. We only had two and a half days and I wanted to make it count so we crammed a lot into their quick Oahu visit. We had great weather, beautiful sunsets, fireworks, exploratory snorkels, and surf sessions. Eternity Beach Makapu'u Lookout   These pictures are from our exploration of the southeast coast of Oahu. The beautiful bay pictured above is a tiny stretch of beach called Eternity Beach. It was made famous by a movie in the 50's called 'From here to Eternity', starring Burt Lancaster. The cave goes from the beach all the way back under the highway. The pics below are from an overlook high above Makapu'u beach. The offshore island behind us in Rabbit Island, which did have a bunch of rabbits populating it at some point. Can you find Heidi, Nate, Kelly,...

Byodo-In Temple   One of Oahu's hidden gems for visitors and photographers is the gorgeous Byodo-In temple. Located just past Kaneohe on Oahu's east side, this Buddhist temple is nestled up against towering green cliffs. The reflection pool in front is filled with bright orange koi fish and black swans, and peacocks stalk around the grounds as well.   Whenever I come here with a camera I end up staying well over an hour. The temple itself is modeled after the ancient home of a Japanese aristocrat in southern Kyoto that was built in the 11th century. A massive bell can be rung upon entering the complex and the sound it makes is said to rid the mind of temptation and evil. The center building of the temple houses a nine foot wooden statue of Buddha. The burning of incense as offerings and prayers are made in front of the Buddha statue creates an instant escape to the heart of Asia. I am always transported back to my time in Japan when I enter the main prayer hall. ...