Do you know how long it takes to edit a slide show? It seems like forever, but I finished the video this morning. Two months may as well have been two years. I love looking at this slide show because being in Hawaii for that long was magical. Most people go for a week or two. Now, I wish I had stayed longer.
For those of you who don’t know me well, I hate to make plans. I had to plan for two months and more (what would I do on my return?). Finally, I sat down with many photos and created a slide show of my two months in the Fiftieth state.
What was special about my time there?
Soft and Gentle Trade Winds Keeping Me Cool Twenty-Four Hours a Day.
Green and Lush, Everywhere I Looked.
Birds I Have Never Seen Before.
Big, Really Big Waves.
Sunsets, Golden Glowing & Sunset Watchers. It is a Passion.
Visiting With Friends. They Let Me See Their Hawaii
Flowers, More Than I Could Begin to Describe. What Were They?
Orchids
Volcanos That Chose Not to Errupt When I Was There.
Kind and Wonderful People Everywhere I went.
Pineapples.
Shaved Ice.
Octopus and Other Colorful Fish. Snorkeling in the Beautiful Blue Hawaiian Water.
Green Sea Turtles Deep Sleeping on the Beach.
Mojitos and Lava Flow.
The list could go on, but I don’t want to bore you. Maybe you could go to Hawaii sometime and experience another amazing place on our planet. Then, you will find your own memories and magic moments.
Enjoy the slide show. It is a bit long. Just remember, I am a photographer. It is hard to eliminate too many photos when there was so much to see and do.
Today, I am thankful for the adventures in my life and for your willingness to join me in my experiences.
It is incredible how quickly a month can go by. I left Oahu for Kauai on February 1. Where did the time go?
I have seen big waves and surfers. Beach walking was a favorite activity for me. I frequently walked to the beach and then the half mile to Banzai Pipeline. It is interesting to think that it is smooth and glassy where the swells are now during the summer months. What? How can that be?
I really enjoyed my month on Oahu. I had a lovely apartment to stay in. I liked sitting on the porch and feeling the warm Hawaiian trade winds blow through. The rains went from soft, gentle female rains to raging, windy, male downpours. I saw the results of the flooding of the falls of the Waimea River that tore through the sandy beach, creating small, perfect swells that the surfers enjoyed.
And then there were the perfect sunny, blue-sky days with the soft Hawaiian trade winds keeping the temperatures cool. It was as close to perfect as was possible.
I have snorkeled, hiked, and even taken a boat tour to swim with dolphins. And oh, has that camera been busy.
The waves were twenty to twenty-five feet high the first weekend I was on Oahu. Only the bravest of surfers will tackle these waves. By the time the surfer reaches the foot of the wave face, they may be going upwards of 35 mph. Whoa! It is hard to imagine going that fast on a small board. How do you keep your balance? How do you breathe? How does it feel to have that body of water racing behind you? What happens when the wave wins? I will never know. Yet I will seek those waves out because they fascinate me.
Backdoor Shootout Surf Competition
I arrived as the Backdoor Shootout Surf competition was going on. I left the North Shore as the Lexus Pipe-Pro championships were beginning. I enjoyed the spectator part of this sport. I had no idea many people like me enjoyed watching the surfers and cheering them on.
Spending a month in one place has allowed me to relax my pace and not feel like I have to do everything all at once. If it was a rainy day, I could stay home. If I got tired, I could nap. Well, heck, I can do that any time, but I don’t when I am out traveling in Emmylou. I am a girl on the go.
Walking the Beach to the Point, Oahu.
My friend Tina joined me at the end of my time on Oahu. After a month on my own, it was good to have company. Since I had spent a month there, I got to show her some of my favorite spots and explore other places she knew of. I still believe that adventuring on my own is fun. Adventuring with someone else is even better.
Kauai the Magic Isle
Tina continued on to Kauai with me. After five days she left yesterday, and my friend Mary arrives late today. I still have a friend to adventure with and explore. In the meantime, I am snorkeling, enjoying sunsets, and relaxing on the beaches of Kauai. This is a magical isle.
Sometimes the choices I make are OK. Sometimes the choices I make are listed under “The Best Things I Ever Did”. Traveling for a winter to Hawaii is in the later catagory. And I am not even done yet. I still have the Big Island to explore.
“If you get to North Shore during the winter months, and the conditions are right, you might witness some monstrous waves How tall exactly are the waves? Well, you see, during the winter, the waves can be more than 20 feet high or 2 stories tall – and remember that in Hawaii, wave height is measured from the back. That means north shore surfers zoom along waves with 40-foot faces or higher!
Thousands of miles north of North Shore, near Alaska, the sea gets stormy during the winter. These storms send huge ocean swells south, directly to Hawaii. But that’s not the only thing that affects these giant waves… ancient submerged volcanic rocks and lava tubes – as well as coral reefs along the coast – influence the direction and activity of the waves as they break along the shoreline. These two things – the big swells and the rocks and reefs underneath the water – create the huge waves that have made the North Shore legendary.”
I arrived on the North Shore of Oahu on January 2. After I settled into my home for the next month, I took a walk. During winter, I am on the seven-mile stretch of big wave surfing. Most of it is within walking distance of where I live. I get up in the morning and walk a half mile to the Banzai Pipeline, a famous surf break. There are big waves and big wave surfers. The first full day I was there, I found two surfing competitions. I got to take so many photos on that first day. I figured out what to do better and went out the next day to try again.
Surfing here is like watching other sports, such as football, baseball, cycling, and more. When something goes right, a surfer successfully enters the barrel and comes out again in one piece; the crowds cheer. When someone wipes out on a big wave, people cheer and groan. Definitely, it is a spectator sport.
The Da Hui Backdoor Shootout Surf Competition
On the first day, I found the Da Hui Backdoor Shootout Surf Competition in progress at the Backdoor Break.
The Da Hui Backdoor Shootout is a unique surfing competition created in 1996 and run by Hui O He’e Nalu, a nonprofit entity dedicated to educating, coordinating, preserving, and supporting Hawaiian activities and culture. It aims to promote their progress.
Da Hui originated in Hawaii, founded by a surf gang called the “Black Shorts.” These passionate native Hawaiians were dedicated to protecting and preserving Hawaiian surfing, unyieldingly defending it. Their notable presence in the late 1970s, disrupting professional surfing contests on the North Shore by non-Hawaiians, marked the beginning of their significant impact on the global surfing community.
Da Hui actively supports local talents, enabling them to gain global exposure and promote the brand professionally. The Da Hui/Hui O He’e Nalu Backdoor Shootout highlights the classic Hawaiian surfing approach, focusing on style, strength, and reverence for the sea.
Participants are evaluated based on their technical skills, general strategy, choice of waves, and proficiency in tube riding, emerging with poise and flair.
The Backdoor Shootout holds a famed reputation.
It only runs when the conditions at the legendary North Shore of Oahu surf break shine in all its glory.
Each competitor is part of a team that is only announced moments before the start of the competition. The judging scale does not follow the industry standard. Waves are scored from 0 to 12.
The contest in memory of Duke Kahanamoku is held every year in January with a tight waiting period.
People love to watch surfing. If there is a competition, everyone shows up, sometimes for an hour, sometimes all day. And there are specific unspoken rules—well, not always unspoken.
I sat down next to this woman who proceeded to tell me that she knew I wasn’t from here because;
I had shoes on. She rolled her eyes when I told her I had a heel condition and had to wear shoes or not walk.
I must be a beginner photographer because I didn’t have a monopod, and all photographers carry one when shooting surfers and waves. I am not fond of monopods, so I left mine at home.
Where was my bathing suit? I didn’t have one on. And if I did have one on, it certainly wouldn’t be a string bikini like most of these younger women’s.
One thing that comes with age and experience is that I had a good internal giggle and sat there and took photos anyway. Since then, I have met lovely people and enjoyed the island experience.
I met a big-wave surfer who took me on a tour of the North Shore. I visited surfboard-making and repair shops, saw several breaks, tasted local pastry, and enjoyed my day with this transplanted New Zealander. We ended the day meeting someone who was selling him a surfboard. It was a good day.
The waves had settled down until today. Although I visit the shoreline every day, I am beginning to explore other parts of Oahu. Do I want to spend time on the beach, or do I want to explore other aspects of this island? I will likely combine time on the beach with exploring other parts of the island.
Since the above paragraph, I have ventured abroad, as far as this island will let me. Everything leads me back to the ocean, waves, and surfing.
Incredibly, a small island can have such different climates. One side is wet, and the other is dry. Mountains are in the middle of the island, and they drop to the ocean floor in some places. Big waves happen on the North Shore but not on the other coasts. When the trade winds shift, the North Shore becomes glassy and idle.
I am getting used to living in a lovely apartment with much more room than my tiny RV. It is upstairs in a house. The windows are wide open, and the overhead fans whirr quietly. It is warm and humid, but the ocean breezes help it remain a cool and delightful place. One night, I heard drums playing somewhere nearby. It reminded me of the hula.
With two weeks on Oahu remaining, I will have plenty of time to explore, photograph, swim, snorkel, relax, and enjoy my winter on the islands.
Today, I am thankful for a sense of adventure that has led me to places like Oahu. I am grateful for indulging in a passion of mine. I am thankful for the wonders of nature. I really love my camera and my love of photography.
Journeys of Thankfulness 