Capturing the Moment

  Once every couple of weeks we take the Safari Explorer far south on the west coast of the Big Island to explore some of the rugged lava rock coastline accessible only by boat. We take the guests out on skiffs and kayaks to get a closer look at the coastline which is pocked with caves, arches, and other interesting lava rock features.  This week brought much needed calm winds and small swells which opened up some new adventures. I had always eyed this one sea cave as a good potential for cliff jumping. The water was deep and clear in front of the cave opening and I had explored it inside and out by kayak in the past. I was leading the skiff tour this time so to spice things up I announced that I was going to give the folks a photo opportunity and dove off the front of the boat.    Getting up onto the rocks was trickier than I thought as the swells picked up just as I made it to the rocks. But after a few aborted attempts and a few scrapes I scrambled up the ro...

  I am always on the lookout for interesting and off the beaten path spots to watch the sunset here in Oahu. I stumbled upon this spot called 'spitting caves' while searching for a hidden land bridge hike near Hanauma Bay. These cliffs are stratified into pancake layers due to wind and wave erosion. Multi-million dollar mansions line the top of the cliffs but you don't need a million dollars to share the view. A small trail winds down between two of the mansions and deposits you at the top of these very steep cliffs.  I arrived just before sunset and was surprised to see a crowd of photographers all gathered but facing away from the impending golden sunset. I quickly realized that some guys were performing some pretty awesome cliff jumps down into the mouth of the spitting cave. If you look at the top left picture closely you can see one of the boys mid-flip. When they timed it just right they would land just as the cave was blasting water back out with a thunderous noi...

Trying to escape the bad weather that has been hounding our attempts to hike on the glaciers we took off south in search of thrills and adventures. We knew that Queenstown, the city of adventure, lay at the end of this road, but what we didn't know was how amazing the journey itself would be. Roaring Billy Falls    We had heard about road closures and curfews on driving the mountain pass between Haast and Wanaka, so we made sure to get an early start. We stopped to check out Hunt's Beach on a tip from a local surfer but the massive swell from a few days earlier had all but disappeared. Once we turned inland and passed the tiny village of Haast, the scenery started changing into dramatic mountain landscapes. Often the road would wind its way following a river before inclining more for a climb higher into the mountains.   The scenery was beautiful from the road but it was the numerous trails leading into the jungle that provided the most stunning views. Huge, ca...

 The road to Hana here on the rain forest side of Maui is already an off the beaten track kind of adventure. But if you have that drive to explore you can find yourself under a 400ft waterfall with no one else around. The beauty of this place is that except a few of the bigger, well known sites most of waterfalls, swimming holes, cliff jumps, and other incredible sites don't see too much foot traffic. But unless you are a local or have done your research there won't be any signs that point your way.  One of my favorite hikes here that is a pretty easy skill level is the Waimoku Falls hike above Seven Sacred Pools. This is a little beyond Hana and is also a great place to camp. If you do camp here don't just set up in the parking lot, set off and follow the trails. They lead to beautiful, secluded camp sites on the cliffs overlooking the raging seas. We had an owl, the first I've seen here on Maui, fly right into the tall grass near our camp site here. The pools ...