Hawaii in Black and White

Posted by Laura & Claire on Mar 24, 2012 | 14 comments

Hawaii is one of the most colorful states I’ve been to, but sometimes being colorful is what makes the most interesting black and white photographs. Here are a few of my favorites…

Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay

Posted by Claire on Mar 18, 2012 | 6 comments

Countless people began telling me, “Go to Hanauma Bay!” as soon as they knew I was heading to Hawaii. Not even knowing what it was, I had no idea what to expect. I picked up a few brochures at the airport with photos of Hanauma Bay… but they all looked too good to be true.

Still, I didn’t know what I was in for.

Not until I arrived at the infamous snorkel reef formed from the core of a volcano did I realize the beauty of the bay. Not only were the brochures right, the bay is even more amazing in person!

I walked down the curving path to the beach, threw off my flip-flops, and took in the moment by pressing my feet in the sand and listening to the sound of children’s laughs… THEN I took out my camera!

We ventured over the left side of the bay, where the shuttle driver told us was the best place to snorkel. The company we went with is called Snorkelfest and they are great, I highly recommend calling them if you are going to Hanauma! It’s family-run by a lady named Rachel and she’s very nice! They are the most reasonable company we could find, plus they pick you up from your hotel, provide all the equipment you need, and then drop you back off afterwards!

The fish at Hanauma are beautiful! The left side of the bay was definitely the place to be! It was, however, a time of low tide, as we were warned, so it was harder to get over the coral in some parts.

I found myself at times just stiff-legged, stiff-armed, floating over the water, trying not to scrape my knees on the rocky coral. As the waves began crashing, that became a difficult task and I ended up getting slammed into the coral once. I learned my lesson and stayed away from that area after that incident!

For the rest of the day I enjoyed just swimming around and enjoying watching all the beautiful fish. I was wanting to see a sea turtle or two, but unfortunately they weren’t anywhere to be found. Apparently they are a common sighting around Hanauma Bay, so I’m sure you’ll have better luck than I did if you go!

Aloha!

Check out the video from my trip with lots of underwater footage of Hanauma Bay:

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Oahu, Hawaii

Posted by Laura & Claire on Mar 16, 2012 | 7 comments

For my spring break, I (Claire) ventured out to Oahu with my mom. Here’s a little bit of what I did and some tips I have if you are traveling to the island sometime soon!

Snorkeling

For my first big Hawaiian adventure, I went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay… I have three words…

It… Is… Beautiful…

As I walked up to the ledge to see where I was about to take a dive… this is what I saw.

My jaw dropped, but my excitement sure didn’t. I started down the scenic walk to the beach and headed into the (freezing) water…

The fish began to swim right up to me… it was so awesome! I spent about two hours swimming around, searching for sea turtles and trying not to get slammed into the coral by the crashing waves. Unfortunately the area was turtle-less that day, but I still saw some magnificent-looking, brightly-colored fish and coral!

Golf

Golfing is one of the most sought after activities on Oahu and the surrounding islands. As you can imagine, golfing next to the pristine beaches, tall palm trees, and tropical mountains only add to the exquisiteness of the perfect getaway.

If you are one of the many who want to go golfing in Hawaii, we recommend getting a discount tee time because golfing in Hawaii can be pretty expensive (as you would expect).

Photo from Flickr

Some of the most beautiful courses on Oahu include Turtle Bay, Ko Olina, and Waialea Golf Club. All three host LPGA and PGA championships! Beware, they are difficult courses, but they are without a doubt beautiful.

Secret: Waialea is actually a private club, and they don’t publicly sell tee times to anyone. HOWEVER, if you are a member at a private course, you can have your head professional call in and set up a tee time for you ahead of time.

Photo from Flickr.

I would have gone out for a round, but I left behind my clubs at home…

Shopping & Eating

The higher end hotels and timeshare resorts in Hawaii are located in prime areas like right on the beach, next to the mountains, or adjacent to restaurants, shops and clubs. You should do your research and choose a hotel in a location that suits your needs, but I definitely lucked out in terms of the shopping available within walking distance of my hotel.

My hotel was right in Waikiki in the middle of some amazing shops. In fact, all of my favorite stores were within three blocks from my hotel. With Forever 21, Sephora, Apple, and The Cheesecake Factory (to name a few) within minutes away, I knew I was in trouble. Let’s just say I could barely zip up my suitcase when it came time to pack up!

Even better, all the stores are open REALLY late. Most are open at least until 11 pm every night. And shopping at night was the best. The stores are all lit up with torches, musicians are playing on the sidewalks, and the streets are filled with fancy cars and people dressed up.

Beach

And then of course, there’s the beaches…. Right across from my hotel was Kuhio Beach. The first night I arrived, there was a luau going on right on the beach.

The Kuhio beach park is full of cool photo opportunities. And I feel like photos are the best way to explain a beach, so here’s a few I took…

I took a two hour bus ride to the other side of the island (North Shore) in search of some sea turtles and better beaches. While I still didn’t find my turtle friends, I did find a very cool beach called Waimea Bay… In the summertime, you can jump off “the rock” which is supposed to be really thrilling and fun. The lifeguards wouldn’t let anyone during this season, but I still enjoyed the beach!