Capturing the Moment

  Whenever I am in Maui I have to check and see if my favorite wave is breaking. Way up on the Northwest side of the island, about twenty minutes past Lahaina, an idyllic bay sits in the perfect position to wrap big northwest swells around its point, creating a perfect peeling right known as Honolua Bay. Always better with friends     A 'right' as surfers know it means that because of the direction the waves breaks over the reef, when you pop up on your board you travel to your right down the wave. I prefer 'lefts' since I surf goofy-footed, or right foot forward, and going left leaves me facing the wave. But I can't pass up a right as perfect as Honolua. I will often pig dog the wave, which means to reach down and grab the rail of the surfboard like I'm doing in the picture above.    It can be a mission just getting up to Honolua, so it's always better to do it with friends. This time my good friend Ben was also surfing. He is a goofy-foot as wel...

  One of the more well known shore snorkels/dives on the Kona coast of the Big Island is a place called Two Step, or O'Hanaunau Bay. Not only is this the site of a ancient city of refuge for the Hawaiians, but quite possibly some of the most stunning snorkeling in Hawaii that is easily accessible from shore. There is parking nearby and even though it is a lava rock coastline there is an easy entrance formed by two smooth lava rock shelves that you can step down into the calm water from. Two Step is located about 20 miles south of Kona town. My dad's sea turtle encounter   Big schools of yellow tangs graze the expansive coral reef in the shallows. Sea turtles are also in the area, often napping under ledges or feeding on algae in the shallows. The water here stays clear and calm almost every day of the year thanks to the direction the bay is facing and the lack of runoff due to being in an arid environment. Spinner dolphins diving down   One bonus that som...

Akaka Falls Tips for Exploring the Big Island: Waterfalls   There are three ways to drive from Kona to the Hilo side of the Big Island; south past Captain Cook, South Point and the black sand beach, middle across the scenic saddle road, or north along the Hamakua Coast. All of these options have amazing sights, but for this blog post I am going to focus on the Hamakua coastline, or what I like to call the "Waterfall Coast".   This is the rainy side of the island, and that point is obvious once you get through the little cowboy town of Waimea. Here the dry yellow grass turns into lush green pastures, which quickly gives way to tropical rainforest. The road curves around huge gulches which have been carved out by thousands of years of heavy rainfall. Flame trees light the canopy up with bright orange flowers among the many shades of green. Wild ginger and heliconia fight for space with huge ferns which remind me of Jurassic Park. And with all the rain this is where y...

  It is pretty amazing what you can do with just one week, a boat, and an adventurous spirit here in the Hawaiian Islands. This past week onboard the Safari Explorer I had the benefit of a smaller charter group who had a focus on photography. I tried to go all out in their itinerary giving them ample opportunities for amazing photos and after looking through all of my photos I think the rest of the crew and I delivered big time.   Some of the stops this week were the normal places we usually go with the Safari Explorer, however we added a few extraordinary ones with the focus on photography. One of these was a morning dedicated to snorkeling with spinner dolphins. This was a bit tricky for me to organize because on some islands this just isn't done (Maui County), and even on the Big Island it is only accepted in one area.   Right in Kailua-Kona bay a circus of snorkelers and boats happens every morning, dropping people in with a small pod of resting spinner dolphin...

Dolphin Photos Here    I remember spinner dolphins often swimming through the snorkel area at Kealakekua Bay, also known as Captain Cooks on the Big Island. However with all the boat traffic these days its no small wonder that these dolphins give the snorkel zone a wide berth now. However, every once in a while we still get lucky, and today was one of those days.    I could hear the high pitched squeeks and squeals underwater before I saw the pod of spinner dolphins. Once they broke the surface with their telltale triangular dorsal fins I was able to plant myself in their probably path. There is always something so magical about a pod of dolphins appearing our of the deep blue. The intelligence is etched in the eyes as they swim by, looking deep into you. They gave me a couple of passes before heading back out to deeper water.  Find more photos of dolphins for sale at www.daimarsphotos.com