The eye-popping bright colors and high winds make Hawaii a paragliding paradise. Witness this footage shot in 2008 over Koko Crater (in Honolulu near Waikiki) on Oahu. It's enough to make you up your deductible. Gravity Hawaii has the…

There's nothing that turns me off more than walking through the warm sand in Waikiki and wandering through a cloud of cigarette smoke as some tourist lights a butt and then ruins it for everyone nearby. Call me a smoke…

Say hello to Kala Alexander and his friends, including former world champ Andy Irons. NYT tells all. Oh -- don't drop in.…

This Hawaii beach is on the most populous island, Oahu, a stones toss from urban Honolulu. Located on the Windward Side of Oahu near Kailua (where Barack Obama is supposedly vacationing right now) is considered crowded by some locals…

Nice article in Hana Hou magazine about the revival of Lyon Arboretum, a legendary but until recently ramshackle botanical garden on Oahu near downtown Honolulu and run by the University of Hawaii (caveat emptor -- I was married here at…

Allison from OutdoorOhana,com sent me a link to her site a few weeks ago and I was extremely impressed. There is a ton of good information on child-friendly outdoor activities on Oahu, including the all-important shade factor. Coverage is primarily…

This is one of my favorite things to see out in the lineup. Most likely to see it at mellow breaks like White Sands or Waikiki (where many celebs and locals learn to surf). When you do, check out…

Yikes. Surfer mildly munched off Kaawa near Crouching Lions, a notoriously sharky reef break on the Windward Coast. I've often gotten spooked surfing out there myself.…

A picture tells 1,000 words and this one from the Honolulu Advertiser tells it all. Kailua Beach, on the Windward Side of Oahu, is in dire straits. Huge chunks have eroded, leaving roots of shading ironwood trees exposed. Erosion…

Local media is reporting that Barack Obama took his family to Magic Island today for a dip and some sun. This is a pretty nice urban beach, also called Ala Moana Beach Park. Formerly overrun by homeless (the park, not…

The video does not do Kailua Beach justice. Dawn lighting in overcast not so great. This is a world class beach. Interesting vid, tho -- how many people are staying in that house?…

The owners of several large Sheraton-flagged resorts in Waikiki has decided to push ahead with a highly controversial plan to recreate a beach in front of the massive Sheraton Waikiki hotel. Formerly called Grey's Beach, this stretch of sand has…

Woman vacationer bitten on arm by shark off Lahillahi Point near Makaha on the Waianae Coast of Oahu. Rescue officials say they spied a 16-foot tiger shark shortely afterwards in nearby waters although it's unknown if that shark was the…

This is a crowd favorite. Picks up a bit of surf all the time. Blows out with true trades. Best in early mornings or late afternoons -- good for windsurfing when its blown. Rarely gets super scary and is…

This is a crowd favorite. Picks up a bit of surf all the time. Blows out with true trades. Best in early mornings or late afternoons -- good for windsurfing when its blown. Rarely gets super scary and is…

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Kilauea Volcano has gone from tourist attraction to major hazard. While the shield volcano has been erupting for decades, that eruption recently changed form to create voluminous noxious sulfur gas, explosions and hot plumes of smoke. All this is happening…

I'm blogging live from Sandy Beach, Oahu, a stunning little crescent usually pummeled by massive shore break (enough to make it dangerous) on the Southeast corner of this island. This post is sponsored Microsoft as part of its Mobile…

This is a great article by Derek Farrar on what its like to go night surfing in Waikiki. I personally am a huge fan of night surfing, particularly in mellow waves like you find on the South Shore of Oahu…

Another hearty mahalo to Mister Softee (Microsoft) for sponsoring Hawaiirama for a bit and funding my outrageous restaurant habit. Thanks, Bill! I got your back in Hawaii! Check out a brief audio post covering one of my favorite beaches…

It's a hoof down the cliffs and most schools won't take you there because it's a bit shallow but on a calm, clear day there is alway surf at the base of Diamond Head and the waves are extremely…

Quiksilver almost ran the Eddie Aikaui Invitational at Waimea Bay last week when surf popped over the 20-foot Hawaiian range (that's 40 foot-plus on the face). Waves shown here are a bit smaller than that but nice, clean Waimea…

Vintage footage of Buffalo Keaulana, Nat Young and others at Makaha 40 years ago. Makaha is pretty much the same today. No drop in.…

Kelly Slater, mega-world champion, surfing Backdoor at the Banzai Pipeline. This is a LOT more dangerous than it looks, kids.…

Pat Caldwell calling for Northwest Swell to push North-facing shores of Hawaiian Islands to 15-20 foot range this week. Here's what you might catch at Waimea if the swell is not too ugly. Kids, don't try this at home.…

For several decades, Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon, the fetid body of water fronting the Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort (or part of it, since that place is HUGE), has long been an unsightly eyesore. Infested with jellyfish, coated with slime and cursed…

The Honolulu Advertiser includes in its Living in Paradise publication a list of four nice beginner hikes on Oahu. I heartily concur with the selection -- three of the four are easy as can be and one of them the…

Gulp. Big jump. Really big jump. Skydiving at Mokulei’a (North Shore of Oahu) is one of those Indiana Jones leap of faith kinda deals. I mean, hurling yourself out of a plane it pretty counter-intuitive. But well worth it.: Between…

I am not sure if this is a really good idea or a horrible idea. Do you really want your child to see you bend that super pricey Big Bertha around a tree? For families with the max zen factor,…

The Honolulu Advertiser is reporting a serious shark attack off Bellows Beach, an extremely popular and lovely beach in Windward Oahu. I've mentioned Bellows before as a hidden gem and a great shady beach for late afternoons. Shark attacks off…

T&L taps Malia Boyd (I know both her and her husband, Stewart Yerton) for its semi-annual Oahu roundup. Malia talks to local promoter Tim Bostock and his wife for a local perspective. They provide some nice tips of places a…

I've been getting a steady stream of comments from unlucky folks who got ripped off by Hawaii Travel Network, a reseller of travel packages and attraction tickets (luaus and whatnot) that suddenly went AWOL without paying its bills, leaving hundreds…

Honolulu is just five hours from California, but ditch Waikiki for the other Oahu, where coastal roads pass dozens of empty beaches and solitary trails lead to jaw-dropping ocean vistas. Bike Hawaii (877-682-7433) will bring you to Kaaawa Valley, a…

Cheryl Tsutsumi, who has covered the islands for years, writes a piece in this Sunday's Star-Bulletin about tours of the Kazamura Lava Tube, the longest lava tube…

I've blogged about the amazing Sunset on the Beach series in Waikiki. This Sunday (meaning today) the film on offer is the Al Gore documentary about global warming. How fitting that the show takes place on a beach that could…

A quick reminder from mother nature that even small, squishy packages pack a punch in King Neptune's Garden. The monthly box jellyfish onslaught that washes ashore in Waikiki and along southern shores of Oahu sent an unsuspecting visitor to the…

I track goings on in Kailua because its one of my favorite places to visit and the beaches are superb. We usually go to Kailua Beach Park because parking is easy. Lanikai is as pretty and a nice change of…

This modest cataract is perhaps the most touted in the Hawaiian Islands -- or at least the most trafficked. I've seen far too many guidebooks and travel journalists in for their one-week Hawaii flings do the 1.5 mile mosquito-laden roundtrip…

This little park is a hidden gem tucked away from the rest of Kailua on the northern reaches of the vast Kailua Beach. How is it different than Kailua Beach Park and Lanikai? It's a little less crowded, for starters.…

One of the great things about Honolulu is that from virtually any place in the city you are only 15 to 20 minutes away from a relatively pristine, uncrowded hiking trail or spot of breathtaking scenic beauty. Witness Waahila Ridge…

Dr. Beach, Stephen Leatherman, has picked this stretch of lovely pinkish sand as America's Best. Lanikai is a gem but one with a growing list of caveats. First, among all the great Hawaii beaches, Lanikai may have suffered the…

On a recent day out surfing at Chun's on Oahu's North Shore, I looked back at the beach and thought -- holy cow! That's actually a great little beach. You can't really see much of the beach from the road…

Continuing our shameless Web traffic grab with the Hawaiirama Obamarama Vacation Tour....So Barry (as he was called during his Punahou days) apparently was a keen bodysurfer. As a town guy, that means he probably spent a few days getting…

This is the first installment in a semi-random series of notes on where Barack Obama (or Barry as he was known out here) hangs/hung out in the island. We'll start with the most obvious -- a recent picture of Obama…

The Ko'olina Resort area is, like Waikiki, a man-made wonder. So be it. The resort's four swimming lagoons, which are open to the public like all Hawaii beaches, are marvelous. Calm and clear with a fringing reef, sandy bottoms and…

A long video showing the hike up and views from Koko Head, a part of a collapsed volcanic crater in East Honolulu. This is one of Oahu's best accessible hikes, though climbing the stairs can be -- gulp --…

I almost hate telling people about this spot. It's so perfect, and its right on Oahu. Kawela Bay is one of the last semi-secret beaches on this most populous of Hawaiian Islands. "Magnum P.I." and "Lost" have both filed scenes…

It's really a tiny pocket beach between the Sheraton Waikiki and the Halekulani. I guess they call it Grey's Beach and its a nice spot. There's a beautiful shady hau tree that's nice to sit under when the homeless haven't…

I've written about Bellows Beach in past posts. It's one of our favorite in all the islands and is seriously underappreciated by the travel press. Which is actually fine -- more beach for those willing to make the drive.…

A 360-degree shot of the beach in front of the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki. This is one of the widest beach stretches along Waikiki and its got great surfing offshore (Kaiser's), a wonderful swimming channel, and an easy…