2014 Year in Review: Life on Oahu

2014 Year in Review: Life in Oahu

  Having only spent a couple of months in Oahu before the year 2014 rang into existence I wanted to spend some time to explore the underwater depths around my new island. I came to realize that I shouldn't expect the variety and color of Maui scuba diving, or the coral covered drop offs of the Big Island. It may be the big waves or the development associate with nearly a million people, but the underwater world here is a bit more on the rugged side. Not too much beautiful coral, and tougher to find nudibranchs, but you can easily find sea turtles and spinner dolphins carousing the near shore waters. The waters can be very, very clear, and there is almost always one side of the island that is protected enough to head out for a photo session.

  For dolphins I found that Electric beach over the on the west side is the place to go. I see them there in

Spanish Dancer

Phoebe and her turtle

 mornings seventy percent of the time. This is also a good place to see sea turtles. One of my favorite nudibranch pictures from Oahu came from a summer time dive along the North Shore at a spot called shark's cove. The north shore only has good diving conditions during the summer. All winter long this is a surfer's paradise but during the calm summer months the divers flock to it in droves. Heidi and I found a huge red margin spanish dancer nudibranch here. Shark's Cove is also were we took out Ed on his first dive in Hawaii. He brought some pretty amazing luck with sea turtles, moray eels, nudibranchs, spotted eagle rays, and a very rare Hawaiian monk seal all making appearances during his dive.

Ed SCUBA diving

  Along the south shore there is plenty of wreck diving to keep the scuba companies in business. The dives here are all a little farther offshore so a boat is pretty necessary. There can be lots of good life around the wrecks, but getting to them is the issue. No real shore diving to speak of off the south shoreline.

  And last but not least there is the east shore. Down around the southeast corner of the island there is some pretty great diving. But the conditions here only allow it at certain times. Rugged terrain along the coast means entry/exit points are few and far between. So this is not the place where you want to get stuck in a current and dragged down the shoreline. But this is the one place where you can check out a steep dropoff. The water can be crystal clear over here on windless days but those days are few and far between.

   Visitors

 

The Higginbothams

Sister Lea ontop of Diamond Head Crater

    Our house can be a bit like a youth hostel at times, but as Heidi knows all too well, that is how I like it. We get friends and family coming out to Hawaii all the time. Sometimes they come just to see us and other times they are out on vacation and take the opportunity to hang out. We had some great visitors over the year and fun adventures with them all. I just want to say too all of you who made the long trip out this year, "Mahalo, and I hope you had fun!" 

Mom exploring botanical gardens

Nate and Kelly sunset at Point Panic

Ed and Jamie in a tree

Fireworks over Waikiki

Makani Olu Tallship Crew

Sailing around the Hawaiian Islands

 

Events:

From airshows to fireworks to tall ships, this year in Oahu has been filled with interesting events. Honolulu definitely feels like a big city when these events bring tens of thousands of people together. Every friday I can go see fireworks over Waikiki, but others, like the lantern floating festival at Ala Moana beach are only once a year. Winter time brings big surf competitions like the Sunset Pro and Pipemasters. It is humbling to watch Kelly, John John, Jamie O'brien and other world class surfers tackle these amazing waves. 2014 marked the first time I have ever gone to an air show. That was a memorable event. I remember my mom telling me about the Blue Angels when I was a kid so it was fun to finally see them in action.

Blue Angels

Lantern Floating

  A very special event that I was able to participate in twice was sailing as a mate aboard the 96ft tallship Makani Olu. We sailed around the islands of Ni'ihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Koho'olawe, Lanai, and Maui over the two trips. We had some strong winds and high seas but I quickly regained my sea legs and had a wonderful time exploring the Hawaiian islands by sea. Not to mention getting to meet some amazing people while doing it.

Surfing:

    I found that Oahu doesn't have the same quality of scuba diving that you will find on Maui but the surfing conditions are some of the best in the world. And it was one of my missions this year to become a better surfer. The fabled north shore definitely lives up to its reputation, housing some of the most famous waves in the world. I've tried my hand at the Bonzai Pipeline and Sunset Beach, although I admit I still get a little nervous heading into double overhead waves way out at sunset beach. In between the really well known waves are tons of other great breaks like Jockos, Pauena Pt, Lani's, and Chuns. Some of my favorite surf sessions of the year came at a little known break farther west in Wailua town where my buddy Eric lives. Here I have had overhead, glassy waves, all to myself. I never thought I would find that on the north shore of Oahu.

  However, the south shore, while less famous, houses some pretty consistent waves during the summer months. Big winter storms in the Antarctic send waves up from the southern hemisphere rocking our south shores all summer. This September was all-time, having swell after swell. I caught some fun diamond head days, a massive day at Kewalo's which was closing out the boat channel, and even leftover hurricane swell at my go-to spot of Point Panic. The water is warm, the winds are either light or offshore, and the crowds seem to stick to certain breaks so finding an uncrowded break is possible. I already miss being able to surf before or after work, only 12 minutes away from my house.

  

Hidden Gems:

Byodo-In Temple

  Every time I found a new hidden gem here on the island I felt a great sense of accomplishment. Some places are well marked and not too far off the beaten track, others you had to research and ask around and still stumble your way through the forest before finally finding it.

Halona Blowhole at sunrise

Bonzai Pipeline action

 Different hikes on the island like the Pali Puka, Lanikai Pillbox, and the Manoa Waterfall are wonderful places to enjoy some different scenery. Massive waves at waimea bay and the blowhole at Halona are incredible picture opportunities. There are ancient ruins deep inside bamboo jungles, and secret waterfalls at the back of almost every valley. After spending a year looking for the next crazy adventure here on Oahu I still have more on my list. Even though I specialize in underwater photography it is hard not to become a landscape photography enthusiast here.

Heidi high above Lanikai Beach

Monster waves at Waimea Bay

   Sometimes you don't even have to go far from home to find some great pictures. I explored this island quite a bit, and became a tour guide so I could share what I found with others, but I think 2015 will bring some new crazy explorations on the island. 

Chinese cemetery close to home