Beach/Coastal

Although I don't go often, another type of shore fishing I enjoy is whipping for Menpachi. Menpachi, are light-tackle, nocturnal fish that feeds on plankton and small fish / invertebrates at night. Like many other fishes that feed at night (Aweoweo, Aholehole, and Alaihi), they have large eyes which helps them search for inshore prey and are commonly caught by fishermen with a wide variety of lures... and are thought to be more active feeders during the full moon. Joined by friends who enjoy such activities, we had a great time off-roading down to Low Point and fishing in the moonlight til morning... The...

Kapapa Islet is a low-elevation, 9.5 acre island on the edge of Kaneohe Bay (see map / inset, below). It is located ~2.0 miles from shore, and is ~1.25 miles from the popular sandbar (Ahuolaka Island) in the center of the bay. With a crew 6 strong (Justin, Meg, Aaron, Lynne, Katie and I), we made the paddle out on kayaks to the remote, offshore island to have a relaxing day in the sun, away from civilization... Like Chinaman's Hat (Mokolii Islet), waves break on the windward shoreline and wrap around the sides of the island, meeting on the leeward side. When larger swells are present, this...

Though most of us were exhausted from arduous hike into Blue Hole the day prior, we summoned the energy to drive up to the north shore to hike the Na Pali coastline to Hanakapiai beach and waterfall. Although, I haven't hiked along the Na Pali coast for some time, the hike was still fresh in my memory from when we backpacked it in the Summer 2011. The 2-mile coastal trail to Hanakapiai beach was well kept, and for most of the way, wide enough for two-way hiker traffic. Just before dropping to sea level, this notorious sign warns people of the dangerous undertows and rip-tides, which...

Although the Hawaiian skies appeared gloomy because of the "Kona winds" and associated vog (somewhat like volcanic produced smog), it was still a great day to explore caves on the shoreline near Kaena Point. Fortunate to have Waianae Steve guide us (Bob, Aaron, Lynne, Keahi, Andrew, Jennifer, Baron, Nate, Darren, Janice and I) around his backyard on the westside of Oahu, we were introduced to 4 natural and man-made caves. The crew started out just mauka of Yokohama Beach, to descend into a small limestone cave in back of an old stone-walled residence. The cave entrance had been more...

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After a great day of hiking and relaxing at our cabin, a few of us (Steve, Clayton, Suzette, Katie, Jenelyn and I) took a road-trip down from Kokee to Polihale Beach. The beach is the furthest west on the island you can travel by vehicle, though it requires some off-roading and four-wheel drive. Luckily, we made it down to the beach just in time to see the sunset... and take some photos. :) Steve planned to stay over with some of his other local friends, and had a couple of boxes of wood for bon firing. Too good, haha. Far from the city and with a fairly clear sky, I attempted...

One of the more scenic spots in Hanalei Bay, the Hanalei Pier is a popular place for both tourists and locals to watch the sunset, fish, paddleboard, kayak, swim and/or picnic on the beach, etc. After working all day on the north shore, I detoured off Kuhio highway to Weke Rd, which intersects the recreational area adjacent the pier. For a weekday, the place was crowded. People BBQing and jumping off the pier (despite the signage not to and ladder to climb back onto the pier, lol), ...while others were just "talking story" or posing for iPhone photos (probably for instagram, haha)....

Similar to Akule (Big-eye Scad, Adult Halalu), Opelu (Mackeral Scad) are popular fish to eat and to use as bait for bigger game fish in Hawaii, as well as other places in the world. However, they are not commonly caught from shore locally, or at least in shallow water. The first "Opelu run" that I have been to, fishing for the juvenile Opelu (like Halalu) was quite exciting, especially from a popular location such as Waimea Bay... I have fished here a number of times for Halalu, where small schools of Opelu are mixed in, but never fished when the school was predominantly Opelu, like today......

Bummed about my recent finger injury from rock climbing, I have been quite restless and have somewhat been resorting to less demanding activities like fishing. Not that I don't like fishing, but not having the choice of picking climbing is a real downer. Eric Aoyama, an avid fisherman that I met at the climbing gym had been posting some awesome pics of Omaka (Yellowtail Scad) he had caught on his Facebook/Instagram feed. Naturally jealous, as I had not caught Omaka in FOREVER, I asked if I could tag along on one of his fishing fiascoes... For those of you who are not familiar with the golden...

In addition to shorefishing, tide-pooling and reef walking have been one of my favorite outdoor recreational activities. Tide-pooling can either be done during the day or at night, as some fish and invertebrates are active at different times of the day. However, I find it easier to wrangle the day-time critters at night... since their vision is not adapted to being blinded by high-intensity headlamps while sleeping... and they can't shut their eyes either. lol. With the "super" full moon, comes extreme high and low tides throughout the day. For those of you who do not know, tides are natural...