Capturing the Moment

  Narrowing down what to do on a day off here in Oahu can be a daunting task. There are waterfall hikes, beautiful beaches, historical sites, rainforest, volcanic craters, delicious food, tropical drinks, and of course, the ocean. Surfing, scuba diving, and underwater photography are what really make Hawaii such a special place to live. Almost every day of the year you can head out into the ocean and do any of these three things. If there are big waves in the north you can scuba in the south, if there are high winds in the east I'll head west. On this day I chose to head west and look for the pod of spinner dolphins that often hangs out just off the coast near electric beach.   At first I thought I was out of luck. The conditions were overcast and grey, but flat calm. I could see the dolphins were there and a few snorkelers with them. I hustled to get ready and kicked hard to get out to where the dolphins were. Just as I got to the group of snorkelers the dolphins cru...

 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.

  After just returning home to Oahu after a wonderful surf adventure abroad I was amped to see some big waves in my backyard. Luck so happens the swell has been lighting up the North Shore here in Hawaii so after a relaxing morning on the south side Heidi and I jumped in the car and headed North.   We could tell the waves were big well before we got to Haleiwa. But when we got to the shore there were no surfers anywhere. Haleiwa, Pauena Point, Lanis, Pipe....nobody. We had seen a few big wave charges as we drove past Waimea Bay so we stopped back by after Pipe. Surfers had their big guns out for some huge sets that rolled through, and it only seemed to be getting bigger. I was impressed as a couple of women paddled out as well. Always good to see. As I snapped a couple of pictures I noticed a couple of guys paddling much shorter boards over towards the shorebreak. It turns out this was Kalani Chapman and Jamie O'Brien. From here on Jamie O'Brien stole the show. His b...

Looking back on New Zealand Hiking Mt Cook Mt Cook- We finished up our boat cruise through Milford Sound with the weather still clearing and the need to put some miles behind us. Milford is the end of the road and the farthest point from our departure city of Christchurch. I thought about heading the four hours back to Queenstown but it was such a beautiful day and driving in New Zealand is such a pleasure in itself we just kept going. As the sun was setting we turned off the main highway towards the tiny village of Mount Cook.   The mountain itself loomed in the distance, getting ever closer. Even in summer it is covered in snow which feeds a lake of pure turquoise water. We had to stop at several overlooks to take it all in. The picture postcard scenes here in New Zealand just keep getting better. Our hostel was one of only a few buildings that comprise Mt Cook village. It is a jumping off point for hikers and mountaineers. Wanting to take full advantage of the lon...

   Helped by the speed of our muscle car rental upgrade we made it up to the summit of Haleakala volcano just in time for the sun rise. We got to the edge of the vast crater in time to enjoy a few minutes of the pre-sunrise twilight. As the first glimmer of sun rose above the clouds one of the park rangers started a Hawaiian chant which has been used to hail the sun for generations at this very sacred place.   It was one of the least windy mornings I've experienced at the summit. This was a pleasant surprise since we were very under dressed, having not brought any warm clothes from Oahu with us.   The sun cast a beautiful red tinge on the volcanic rocks in the crater. It is like no other place in Hawaii. A definite must experience for any adventurous souls making their way out to this beautiful island. Hiking paths crisscross the Manhattan sized crater below, and a few overnight cabins dot the paths as well. We followed our tradition of a nature walk at Hossm...

Whale Sharks in the Philippines Photos and Experiences   In the sleepy little town of Oslob in the southeast corner of Cebu Island, whale sharks ( Rhincodon typus) congregate close to shore for a feeding bonanza. But there is something unique about the feeding activity of these gentle giants slurping in sea water and filtering out all the tiny plankton. The method they suck in and filter out the plankton is the same here as it is throughout the tropics where whale sharks can be found. It is where the food is coming from that is different. These young whale sharks are being lured into this near shore water by fishermen tossing in huge handfuls of the sharks favorite food, brine shrimp. Now the fishermen are charging money to take people out to swim with the whale sharks. I talked with a lot of people in the Philippines about this area called Oslob and the impacts of these tours. There is a lot of debate about how the local fishermen are changing the whale sharks behavior an...