the Happy Coconut » Hawaii Beaches

Around Honolulu – Pictures of Familiar Places

Surfa Aunty — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:45:47 +0000

Ala Moana - Magic Island

Ala Moana Beach

Majestic Iolani Palce

Diamond Head / Waikiki

A View from Diamond Head Road

Surfa Aunty — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:15:29 +0000

: A View from Diamond Head Road, Honolulu

Walking on Diamond Head Road and stopping at one of the lookouts – peaceful, sunny day with the waves rolling in!

8 Minute Sunset in 20 Seconds (video)

Sushi Monster — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:33:22 +0000

I wish my camera had a time lapse feature. But since it does not, I must resort to speeding things up on the time line in Premiere. Here’s what a sunset looks like at 30X normal speed.

Beach Sunset (video)

Sushi Monster — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:22:55 +0000

It takes patience and luck to film stuff where weather is involved. This sunset video was planned for about a month but rain, clouds, wind, vog, traffic,…you name it…delayed filming until this week. I even drove out to the North Shore on a semi-cloudy day hoping that the weather out there would be better than it was in town. And even if it wasn’t better, maybe, just maybe it would get better later in the afternoon. I was wrong. This first video is the actual sunset video with nice weather and everything.

This second video is from that day that I went to the North Shore hoping for better weather. Rather than just packing up the camera and heading home, I decided to shoot some video since I was already out there.

Sharks Cove Summer vs Winter Waves (videos)

Sushi Monster — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:03:15 +0000

If you and the kids want to explore tide pools to check out little fish, crabs and other creatures, Sharks Cove is good place to go (when it is calm). It features a huge tide pool shielded from waves by a natural outer rock wall making it ideal for kids. It’s also a pretty good area for snorkeling. I am not what you would call an avid snorkeler, but I do go from time to time. And of the easily accessible places besides Hanauma Bay, Sharks Cove offers a good snorkeling experience. It is certainly better than anything in Waikiki or other high traffic tourist areas.

This video was taken on December 2, 2009 in the morning a few hours before large winter swells arrived to the delight of surfers.

This video was produced by Hawaiian Outpost.

Don’t let this video deceive you. While it can be calm as show in the video, it can also be extremely dangerous with giant waves crashing over the outer wall. Here’s a video clip of the exact same cove on a day when the surf was huge.

“From Here to Eternity” Beach (video)

Sushi Monster — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:41:52 +0000

Remember that famous beach scene in the 1953 movie, “From Here to Eternity”? That scene was shot at Halona Cove Beach on Oahu. Halona Cove Beach is sometimes referred to as “Eternity Beach” because of that movie. Anyways, I’ve always wanted to visit that beach since I pass it every time I go to Makapuu, but never had the chance. Finally, yesterday I did! I also accidentally discovered how agility and balance are one of the first things to go as I get older. I almost ate it twice going down that rocky hill to the beach, bruising my finger, my butt, and my ego. But I made it! Here’s the HD video to prove it.

If you want to see what it looked like in the movie, here’s a clip I found on YouTube. If you look closely, you’ll see that it looks the same but different. Somehow the sand and rocks look a little different. Maybe the tide or sand levels were different at the time of filming. One thing is for sure. The movie peeps sure know how to make lying in sand after coming out of the water look fun! In real life, it feels pretty weird. Sand stuck to your wet feet is one thing. Sand stuck all over your body is quite another.

Big Wave Surfing at Waimea Bay

Sushi Monster — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:38:21 +0000

The North Shore of Oahu is known for its large winter waves. Every December, if the waves are big enough and surfing conditions good enough, the Quicksilver Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational is held at Waimea Bay. The last time it was held(prior to 2009) was back in 2004. As you might expect, the event draws huge crowds that jam pack the streets around Waimea Bay trying to get a glimpse of the action from afar.

Images of Hawaii (video)

Sushi Monster — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:56:40 +0000

One of my friends put together a slide show of pictures from around Hawaii set to the music of his friend, Paul Togioka. Enjoy!

Hawaii Scenic Photos by Off-Centre Photography (turtleonthesea.com), Hawaiian music (“Debra’s Lullaby”) by Paul Togioka (paultogioka.com). Presented by HawaiiClothingCompany.com

Sunrise at Sandy Beach

Sushi Monster — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:59:37 +0000

Sandy Beach Park (aka Sandy’s) on the southern part of Oahu is well-known body surfing spot. This beach is not a place for beginners because the shore break is so powerful. Back in the 2008 presidential campaign then candidate Barack Obama, who is no stranger to Sandy Beach, took some time out of the day to body surf at the famous beach. To the joy of onlookers, and undoubtedly to the dismay of his security team, the future “Most Powerful Man in the World” looked quite at ease working the waves and the crowd.

If you go to Sandy’s early enough in the morning, you will likely find yourself alone (or almost alone) on this beautiful stretch of sand. Even the drive to Sandy’s is a pleasure as you zig-zag along the scenic Makapuu coast coming from town. If you are ever in Hawaii on vacation and want to see something that very few people get to see, I suggest going to Sandy’s or any number of other beaches in the Makapuu area to watch a sunrise. When I filmed this video, I grabbed a coffee from Starbucks, planted myself on the sand, and soaked in the sights and sounds of a sunrise in Paradise. And no matter how many times I see a beach sunrise (or sunset) in Hawaii, I never get tired of it. Granted, I only make the effort to see one 3-4 times a year, but still, when it comes to pure relaxation, it is hard to beat Mother Nature at her best.

This beach sunrise video was produced by Hawaiian Outpost.

Surfing Morning & Evening

Sushi Monster — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:58:16 +0000

As you might expect, surfing is very popular in Hawaii. Some popular surf spots have surfers from sunrise to sunset, literally. When I was in high school, “the surfers” niche used to go surfing before school. Heck, some of them wouldn’t even bother coming to school.

And it’s not just the locals nor just the kids. My old boss, the CEO of a tech startup, who moved to Hawaii from California was a hardcore surf fanatic. I don’t think he was necessarily a good surfer. He just loved surfing. He loved surfing so much that he told us employees that playing hooky from work was totally cool IF it was because we were surfing. Hangovers, car accidents, relationship problems,…you better show up to work. But if the surf’s up (as it often is) not only was it okay to leave work early, but it was actually encouraged. That’s probably because he used to do the same thing. Funny thing though, the company didnt’ last long and went out of business in a blaze of glory.

Anyways, I went to the North Shore on Oahu to film some peaceful nature videos and ended up getting some footage of a bunch of surfers early in the morning and at sunset. Talk about livin’ the life! By the way if you ever visit Oahu and you feel like watching a sunset, I highly recommend going out to the North Shore and watching the sun go down at Sunset Beach. If you walk down the beach away from the parking lot, you’ll likely find a nice isolated patch of sand where you can quietly soak in the sights and sounds of the surf.

This video was produced by AlohaFunWear.com.