The Box Jellyfish is a beautiful and delicate creature, but also one of the most venomous animals in the world. There are many species of Box Jellyfish. In Hawaii the species Carybdea alata is most common. These are smaller and less venomous than some of their deadly cousins like the Sea Wasp of Australia, but the sting is still excruciatingly painful and can bring even the most reputation-savvy surfer to tears. Although the stings are more dangerous than Portuguese-man-of-war stings, no one has died from a sting in Hawaii.

Jellyfish are delicate creatures. Their venom must kill struggling prey quickly.

The jellyfish are most common around the western shores of Oahu. They exhibit an interesting and predictable behavior. About 10 days after a full moon they come to shore to spawn. Then they disappear. No one knows where they go. So, avoiding the jellyfish is easy and tourist beaches will post signs when the swarm arrives. Even more interesting than the jellyfish’s breeding habit is the behavior of swimmers, who often chose to ignore the warnings and continue to swim. On a single day in July 2004, over 350 stings were recorded on the beaches of Oahu. This is a testament to the allure of Hawaii’s beaches on a warm summer’s day.

Treatment for jellyfish stings is dousing them with white vinegar. One has to be very careful not to rub the sting which further disperses and lodges the poison. Tentacles must be carefully picked off with a stick. See our Hawaii health guide for more information about staying safe on your holiday.

Traveling back home after a trip to Hawaii can be very depressing, especially for those who fall in love with the Islands. A good remedy is to get a souvenir of your trip. A painting or piece of art makes for a particularly good reminder.

A great web site that includes the work of many Hawaiian artists is HawaiiArt.com. The site features hawaiian prints, paintings, fish hooks, crafts, feather leis, lauhala weaving, sculptures and more.

Waimanalo Bay by Patrick Ching soothes the Soul

Surfing is a very popular tourist activity in Hawaii, particularly on Kauai and Oahu. Here are some tips for first time surfers:

To take lessons or not?

Taking a lesson is a must. Lessons cost about $75 per person for a group lesson and usually last 2-3 hours.  It takes at least 8 hours of surfing to catch up with someone who has had a lesson. Surfing is not an easy sport, but lessons reduce the learning curve. You’ll also get some valuable safety tips and intel on local surf spots.

Selecting an Instructor

Virtually all surfing instructors are expert surfers. That’s not necessarily a good thing. Having picked up surfing when they were grommets (kids), surfing and the ocean are second nature to them and they sometimes don’t appreciate how foreign an environment it is to land dwellers. Be very honest with your instructor about your comfort level and swimming ability. Don’t go into surf that you don’t feel comfortable with even if they tell you it’s safe.

Selecting the right equipment

Equipment is very important in surfing. That’s why you see some people heaping up so many surf boards on their car. The right equipment for a beginner surfer is a soft top long board. These boards have a hard foam top and plastic bottom and are generally bigger (wider, thicker and longer) than equivalent long boards. If you’re over 100 lbs go with a 10ft+ board, unless it’s too difficult to carry in which case a 9ft board will do. Don’t be fooled into thinking that these huge boards aren’t cool. They’re very versatile, paddle fast, stable, and simply the best choice. A smaller board is a complete waste of time for a beginner, no matter how athletic you are.

Surf the white water

In my experience women learn to surf faster than men. The reason: men select small boards and big waves – a recipe for looking good (out of the water) but catching nothing. Surfing the white water of small waves is the best place to start, just make sure the water is deep enough. Riding the white water is still super fun as you practice the mechanics of standing up and balancing.

Don’t overdo it

Surfing can be brutal on ones back, neck and shoulders. There’s nothing natural about the position you’re in while lying on a board. Paddling is hard work and you’ll be using new muscles. You’re probably going to want to surf again on your vacation, so stop when your muscles and back start feeling tired. If you feel any kind of tingling sensation in your lower back stop immediately! Your back is being pinched and blood isn’t flowing – a very serious situation if allowed to continue.

Hawaii’s best beginner surfing beaches

On Oahu Waikiki beach is the favored spot although there are many surfing locations on the North and West shores and instructors often move to where the best surf is that day. On Kauai, Hanalei Bay is a favorite. Kiahuna beach in Poipu and Kalapaki beach in Lihue are also popular. On Maui surfing lessons are often given in Lahaina and sometimes Kaanapali beach

Safety Tips

There are too many safety points to cover in a simple article, another reason a lesson is a good idea. Our ocean safety guide is recommended for anybody coming into contact with the ocean. In general the greatest danger to a responsible surfer is the surf board. When you fall the board with its knife like fins is going to go flying into the air. Protect your head and face, and be weary that you could be falling into shallow water. Be very careful about surfing into people around you, and be aware of other surfers. Including the leash, your surfing weapon extends for 20ft so you need a lot of room.

Finally, you need to be curtious to everybody in the water and share the waves. Surfing is like a drug and people can get ugly when it comes to getting their fix.

Shredding the waves

We recently discovered this great tool from Yahoo to find the lowest priced airfare. There are many similar web sites, but this one seems to be the best as it searches all the other web site as well:

Yahoo FareChase

Need help deciding on an island? Take a look at our guide to Hawaii’s Best Island. We’ve rated each island on 24 different factors. You decide how important each factor is to you by filling out a questionnaire. Our guide then calculates an island score for you and tells you which island rates highest for the factors that are important to you. If you already have a favorite island see if our guide can figure it out. We bet it can!

Rainbows are a frequent sight in Hawaii thanks to brief showers and plenty of sun shine. But one creature, the moonbow, or lunar rainbow, is especially rare. This type of rainbow is caused by the light of a full moon.

We were lucky enough to get this photo of a double moonbow in Kauai. The colors of the rainbow were dim but clearly visible. Using a tripod with the shutter speed set to about 20 seconds the colors are brighter in the photo than they were with the naked eye. The camera also revealed the faint second rainbow. The picture was taken about 1.5 hours past sunset.

Hawaii even gets rainbows at night.

What’s the average price of a 2 bedroom condo rental in Hawaii? We queried the thousands of rentals in the HawaiiGaga.com index to find out:

We define an average unit as one having a 2.5 star rating, and a luxury unit as one having a rating greater than 3.5 stars (HawaiiGaga’s rental rating system is explained in our FAQ.) Look forward to more rental statistics soon.

What make the sunsets in Hawaii so spectacular? Perhaps there’s a scientific explanation but we’re guessing it’s probably just due to the weather and setting. In Hawaii the tradewinds normally blow from the NE. Clouds hit the mountains and lose their moisture. The result is that the west coasts (where the sun sets) rarely see completely overcast conditions (overcast skies as experienced in the Pacific Northwest is rare for Hawaii). So the weather, combined with the ocean that makes for a nice backdrop, and people being in the mood to experience nice sunsets can explain why so many people comment about Hawaii’s beautiful sunsets.

Kona has a  reputation for particularly impressive sunsets. This could be due to the influence of Vog that would have some effect on scattering sunlight.

Another brilliant Kona sunset

October marks the beginning of Hawaii’s ‘Winter’ season, accompanied by large swells that affect the Island’s northern shores. Two days ago the season’s first big swell arrived with waves reaching 18ft. Unfortunately the big surf was likely responsible for at least 3 of 4 drownings in two days on Kauai.

The most dangerous swells are usually in the 6-10 ft range because the ocean doesn’t look that mean. People arrive at the beach, see 4 ft waves, and enter the water. Eventually the 10 ft set arrives and many are caught in a very dangerous situation.

One tourist drowned after entering Hanakapia beach, the deadliest beach in Hawaii, located 2 miles into the Kalalau trail. Despite the ominous sign and big waves the tourist decided to enter the water. The day before, two women were swept off the rocks at the Queen’s Bath.

Hanakapiai Beach's Morbid Warning Sign

Were these people uniformed, irresponsible, unlucky, or lacking in judgment? The man who drowned at Hanakapia reportedly looked to be in excellent physical condition, possibly a world class swimmer? He obviously thought he could handle anything the ocean could throw at him that day. The two ladies at the Queen’s bath, one accompanied by her husband, were surely not thrill seekers. Instead, the ocean did something that they didn’t think was possible - it produced a wave that was impossibly big.

Therein lies the problem - thinking that one has an understanding of the ocean, a handle on the rules of nature that the ocean surely must observe. One doesn’t. And when the ocean gives you any hints - wet rocks that should be dry, big waves rolling over the horizon, a surf report that calls for changing conditions (swell coming or subsiding), use that information and remember that you’re entering a perilous foreign environment.

See our Health and Safety guide for more tips.

Lauhala Weaving Annual Conference: Ka Ulu Lauhala O Kona
http://sites.google.com/site/kalululauhalaokona/

2009 Dates: May 13th -May 17th, 2009
2010 Dates: May 12th - May 16th, 2010
2011 Dates: Tentative dates will be in September - Kona Village is closed for repairs due to receiving some damage from the Japan Tsunami. The event will still be held on the Big Island but will be at another hotel.

In past years, the annual weaving conference was held at the beautiful Kona Village on the Big Island.

Check out Ohi Lauhala’s web site for lauhala weaving events and classes.

Lauhala weaving is the Hawaiian art of weaving using the leaves of the hala tree.

About Lauhala:

“The hala tree or pandanus is native to the Hawaiian and Pacific islands and has long roots. Lau is the Hawaiian word for leaf. The craft is essential to the history and culture of Hawaii, at one time being used to produce many of the things needed for life on the islands.

The natural color of finished lauhala products varies from light tan to deep brown, and it can also be dyed. This craft is quite versatile with everything from houses to pillows being produced. The leaves of the hala tree are de-thorned, washed, baked in the sun if green, although often stored in a moist environment if picked dead, and then rolled into coils.” Source: Wikipedia

“Legend says that the hala tree was a result of Pele’s rage. On her first landing ashore, her canoe got entangled in the roots and leaves. In her anger she ripped the trees in pieces and threw them across the island, the hala sprouted, happy and wise, wherever it touched the ground. Her anger was fortunate, because no other tree has been as useful to the Hawaiian people. From pollen to blossom to flower to fruit, from leaf to bark to wood to root, all parts had value.”

Look for classes at some of the museums or community centers to learn lauhala weaving. What you’ll learn depends on your kumu (teacher).

Here are some items/techniques you can learn:

Beginners – start with bracelets, mats, photo holder, decorations etc.
Intermediate – mats, fans, baskets, brick/trivet covers, purses etc.
Intermediate/Advanced – purses, hats, etc.