High Wind and Surf Advisories

While most of the country, with the exception of Alaska, is experiencing a fairly mild winter, Hawaii seems to be seeing a lot of wind and rain, as well as a lot of rough ocean conditions this year.  Note the number of high wind and surf advisories that the NOAA has issued this year.  It seems that not a week has gone by that someone has not drowned or been swept out to sea and required rescue.

Visitors and residents alike should be cautious of surf conditions and use caution, especially when in unfamiliar areas.   Tourists are simply not aware that Hawaii’s beautiful beaches can be deceiving.  Respect must be given to the ocean and the power of waves and current or the consequences can be severe.

Safety Tips

Locals grow up in and around the ocean and constant reminders to watch out.  Here are a few pointers that newbies should be mindful of when venturing near or in the waters of Hawaii (or anywhere else, for that matter):

• NEVER turn your back to the ocean!  You can’t take protective measures if you don’t see the wave that’s about to hit you.
• IF you are going to be hit by a large wave, your best bet is to lay flat and grab hold!  Running when a wave hits is about the worse thing that you can do as you have no way to stop being knocked down and sucked out.  Lying down maximizes the surface area between you and solid ground.
• This tip has no scientific support nor is it 100% accurate, but we were always told when you’re hit by one large wave, be especially cautious because they often come in SETS OF THREE!  In other words, don’t let you guard down too soon.
• If you are caught in a rip-tide or out-going current while snorkeling or swimming, DO NOT PANIC!  Do NOT try to fight the current and swim back to shore!  Go with the flow until you feel it lessen…swim diagonally back towards shore.

When I was in my teens, a couple friends and I had gone snorkeling just north of Diamond Head and while I was intent on following a school of fish, I got caught in an outgoing flow, running about 3-4 mph.  That doesn’t sound like much, but trust me, you can’t swim against that!

For about 5 seconds…I tried to do just that, as I panicked!  (Yes, I violated two of my own rules stated above.)  Then, I just relaxed and floated as I watched the bottom slide by below me (that’s when I estimated the speed)…and by now, I was in water over 40′ deep.  I looked up, sized up my situation, then cut a course of about a 30 degree angle toward shore.   Once I was clear of the out-going flow, progress became much easier and I headed straight for shore, but I still ended up about 50 yards down from where I started my swim in.

I can tell you that I was one tired puppy when I finally dragged myself up on the rocks and sprawled out exhausted!  However, the alternatives were that I would a) continued to fight the current and probably drowned from exhaustion, or b) been swept out and hopefully come near shore somewhere around Sand Island (about 5 miles down the coast for those not familiar with Oahu), thru some very shark infested waters I might add.

Likewise, there have been a few times where I have thrown myself down to get a hold when I’ve been caught unawares by a rogue wave.  More than a few locals have drowned while picking opihi (limpets) and got caught while there heads were down and picking.  So, not only was I brought up hearing these warnings, I have been the beneficiary of having heeded them.

Let Common Sense Rule!

I wish each and everyone a safe and happy outing each time you venture to the coast, whether you’re swimming, snorkeling, fishing or whatever your pursuit of happiness involves.  I hope you never have need of any of these warnings, but should the need arise, I hope that they will serve you well, as they have me.  Remember, your first course of action is to observe the ocean and allow your common sense to dictate whether its safe to walk out, swim out, or simply stay away.

The Annual Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Count

And, once again, they are looking for volunteers to help with this year’s count.  This effort has been an on-going project since 2002 and helps in determining the overall health of the humpback whale population in the Pacific.  The annual sanctuary ocean count has shown a an annual increase in population of approximately 7%.

If you’re going to be in Hawaii at the end of January, February, or March, you can participate in this fun and enlightening sanctuary ocean count by volunteering a few hours of your time.

The 2012 Sanctuary Ocean Count will be held on Saturday January 28th, February 25th, and March 31th.

The sanctuary, which is managed by NOAA, protects humpback whales and their habitat in Hawaiian waters.  The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary was created by Congress in 1992, to protect humpback whales and their habitat in Hawaii.  The sanctuary, which lies within the shallow (less than 600 feet), warm waters surrounding the main Hawaiian islands, constitutes one of  the world’s most important humpback whale habitats.  The Sanctuary Education Center is located in Kihei, Maui, and is open Monday thru Friday, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm,  if you happen to be in the area.

Maui Office and Sanctuary Education Center
726 South Kihei Road
Kihei, Hawai`i 96753
Phone: (808) 879-2818 or toll free 1-800-831-4888

Online registration to participate in this year’s Sanctuary Ocean Count is now available for the islands of Hawaii, Oahu, and Kauai.

Make your own slideshow at Animoto.

Sanctuary Ocean Count Volunteers Wanted!

Volunteers count the number of humpback whales which can be seen around the islands over a four-hour period and record their behavior. This year, the Sanctuary Ocean Count will be conducted at over 60 different shore sites around the islands of Hawai‘i, Kaua‘i, and O‘ahu (see online site descriptions). Counts will be conducted the last Saturday of January, February, and March. Select the date(s) you would like to take part in and register today!

Online registration for this year’s Sanctuary Ocean Count is now available for the islands of Hawaii, Oahu, and Kauai.

Space at each site is limited and online registration will not be possible for those sites that have 0 spaces available. To register for Pyramid Rock or Mokapu Point on Oahu, please E-mail them at info@sanctuaryoceancount.org

You can also support the Sanctuary Ocean Count by purchasing a 2012 t-shirt from the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.

This year’s design is the work of Stephanie Chang DESIGN INK.

t-shirt from the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. Proceeds benefit the Sanctuary Ocean Count project.t-shirt from the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. Proceeds benefit the Sanctuary Ocean Coun

Order Yours Today!

Pacific Whale Foundation

You may have noticed that Maui is not listed as a participating location for the annual sanctuary ocean count.  That’s because a whale count on Maui is conducted independently by the Pacific Whale Foundation each February.  While they do not sign up volunteers for their whale counting, they do offer volunteer opportunities for those on vacation who would like to help out with protecting the fragile eco-system on Maui.

Welcome the new year in with some great Hawaiian coffee!   Coffees of Hawaii is having a new year sale on their special “Year of the Dragon” coffee!

Coffees of Hawaii’s “Year of the Dragon” New Year’s Coffee – Limited Edition – only available January 1st – 31st – plus 10% off & Free Shipping with code DRAGON12. Celebrate 2012 with this custom roasted 100% Hawaiian coffee while supplies last!

And, if you want to order one of their other coffees from Hawaii, you can get 10% off AND FREE Shipping thru March 31st, by using Promo Code: NEWYEAR10.

And, for member serving in the military, Welcome U.S. Service Men & Women – Coffees of Hawaii ships to all APO & FPO addresses FREE OF CHARGE plus SAVE 10% on all orders with promo code MILITARYSHIP – thanks for serving our country!

Happy New Year!

May 2011 be a better year than 2010 was!  The country needs some good news and to see some improvement in our current economic state of affairs.  Then again, so could I.

It is also a good time to count our blessings, whether its still having a job while so many do not, or simply thankful for the family and extended ohana we surround ourselves with.

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself what your life would be like without these people being a part of it?  Wealth is not always measured in monetary terms and while having money is great, having loved ones to share experiences with is what truly matters.

I don’t have a lot of close friends…never have.  But, I am blessed to have two wonderful daughters, a great son-in-law, and a granddaughter who makes getting “old” seem worthwhile.  I see them about once or twice a month, which isn’t a lot, but always remind myself that it could be worse.

I now live in North Carolina and my parents and sister still live in Hawaii.  My parents live on the Big Island near Naalehu and my sister and her family live in Honolulu.  I don’t get to see them near as much as I’d like to  Sometimes, years go by without my being able to go back for a visit.

The last trip back was in February, 2010, and the whole family went back.  My two daughters, son-in-law, granddaughter, and even my ex-wife.  We spent a short time in Honolulu and the remainder of our trip on the Big Island.

We had a ball as I played tour guide and took them around the island over a 4-day period.  As I have written in previous posts, its not something you want to try and do in a day or two.  Besides, its not the easiest thing in the world getting four adults and a 1-year old ready to hit the road each morning.

I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything!  The kids and I, minus my granddaughter, took the hour fifteen minute hike to Papalokea, green sand beach, and enjoyed watching the whales off shore near South point along the way.

Its a long and dusty hike to get to Papalokea Beach

Papalokea “Green Sand” Beach

We made several stops in the Kailua-Kona area, including the Puuhonua o Honaunau (Place of Refuge) and Puukohola Heiau National Historic Sites.  They even took the short tour of the Kona Brewery, since “dad” was already the designated driver for the day.

We made the drive to Kapaau on the northern tip of the island and saw the King Kamehameha statue there, as well as enjoyed the drive along the Kohala mountains on Hwy 250.  We arrived in Waimea (Kamuela) too late to catch lunch at the Hawaiian Style Restaurant, but will make up for it on another trip.

I’m not sure who enjoyed our stop at Akaka Falls the most.  My granddaughter was just learning to walk and was determined to “walk” each of the many steps that you will encounter along the path to the viewing area.

We did not get to see lava flowing on this trip, but they took tons of pictures along the walk to the Thurston Lava Tube from the Park Headquarters.  We came back later that evening, after having some time in Hilo, to try and catch the night time glow out of Haleakala Crater, but it was a rainy, wet and windy night…not to mention cold.

They had signed up as volunteers to help in the whale counting efforts, but that was the day of the tsunami warning, so we spent the morning like most of the residents of Hawaii, watching the notable lack of wave activity.  Although, I must admit, it was kind of neat to watch the tide come in and out so many times in an hour.

While a little disappointed in the lack of action, we were also thankful that noone got hurt and no property damage was reported.

It seems the older I get, the more I enjoy my trips “home”.  Upon returning to North Carolina this time, I started to think about starting a website on Hawaii to share my love of the islands, as well as give me ample opportunities to keep myself abreast of what was going on back there.

A few months later, I started this blog to supplement my entries on the website.  If you have not yet visited it, I invite you to visit and share the information posted, www.myhawaiionline.com.  There is also a free newsletter that you can subscribe to as well.

Well, that was last year!  And, after spending a great Christmas with all of them, I can’t help but hope that 2011 brings us many more fond memories that we will share with one another for years to come.

May 2011 bring you many happy memories as well!

Royal Gardens Area Lava Flow From 12/4-5/2001

Sorry, but I fell asleep at the switch and missed this great video post at Big Island Video News, one of my favorite sites.

To see this up-close video that was shot 2 weeks ago, go to http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2011/12/07/video-amazing-footage-of-lava-burning-royal-gardens-hawaii/

To get the latest information posted by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), you can visit their Kilauea Status Reports, which is updated daily.

Here is their latest post, which updates the status of the flow running thru Royal Gardens:

Tuesday, December 20, 2011 9:12 AM HST

Activity Summary for past 24 hours: The West Ka`ili`ili ocean entry may be intermittently active fed by flows from Pu`u `O`o through the abandoned Royal Gardens subdivision and expanding across the coastal plain. Glow could be seen from sources within Pu`u `O`o crater. the summit lava lake level was variable. Seismic tremor levels were low and gas emissions were elevated.

Viewing Summary: East rift zone flow field – Active lava flows are within the closed-access Kahauale’a Natural Area Reserve and private property within the abandoned Royal Gardens subdivision and can only be viewed from the air and from the County Viewing Area at Kalapana. Pu`u `O`o Cone, the West Ka`ili`ili lava ocean entry, and Kilauea Crater – Pu`u `O`o cone, the lava ocean entry, and Kilauea Crater are within Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park; access and viewing information can be found at http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/lava2.htm.

Photos of lava entering the ocean, taken on December 13, 2011

from http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/update/images.html.

There are some great pictures posted at their website, follow the link above.

Small streams of lava cascading over the sea cliff, and entering the ocean

The current lava flow, coming down the pali and traversing the coastal plain, reached the ocean late last week. The ocean entry point is within the National Park, near its eastern border. Today, numerous small streams of lava were cascading over the sea cliff, and lava entering the water was starting to build a small delta.

This photograph shows two channels of lava coming over the sea cliff, reaching the new lava delta.

Lava continues to flow through the former Royal Gardens subdivision as it makes it way to the coastal plain and entry into the ocean.  This is the first such activity in the area since March of this year.  It is possible to catch sight of part of this activity from the public viewing area located at Kalapana.  This viewing area is located outside of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and is maintained by Hawaii County.

This pic, taken on December 2, 2011, gives a great view of the flow going thru Royal Gardens subdivision.

The flow is following the west margin of lava flows emplaced in February 2010, which brings the current flow close to the last occupied residence (orange structure in center of photo) in Royal Gardens.

Tea Plants First Introduced Over 100 Years Ago

Tea was first introduced to Hawaii around 1887.  Since then, unsuccessful attempts to commercialize Hawaii grown tea production on Kauai and in the Kona region of the island of Hawaii were attributed to the high cost of production in Hawaii compared to the lower costs in other tea producing areas.  This is a recurring problem that faces most commercial crop production in Hawaii.  In the late 1980s, some of the sugar firms tried to establish tea plantations to replace sugar cane, but these projects proved to be unsuccessful and were terminated.

And, once again, the University of Hawaii, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, is involved in research into finding the right plant variety and locations for successful Hawaii grown tea planting.  Partnering with their efforts are the Tropical Plant Genetic Resource Management Unit, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo.

Between 1999 and 2001, half-acre plantings were established at each of three locations on the island of Hawaii in Waiakea (600 ft elevation), Mealani (2800 ft), and Volcano (4000 ft). Preliminary observations of these research and demonstration efforts suggest the following:

• Tea grows very well at Mealani (2800′) and Volcano (4000) and relatively slower at Waiakea (600′).
• Most cultivars are ready for harvest in about 18–20 months after planting.
• Green, oolong, and modified green teas processed from tea leaves harvested at Mealani and Volcano are of excellent quality.
• Clonal tea plants are recommended over seedlings for their uniform growth, allowing the vegetative cycles to be more readily synchronized for mechanical harvesting.
• The pest and disease problems of tea are relatively mild at all three locations and can be readily managed by agronomic practices such as pruning and fertilizer management.
• Some of the pests are spider mites, aphids, and leaf rollers.  No insecticides or fungicides were applied at any of the three field locations for over three years.

For more detailed and expanded information on this research on Hawaii grown tea.

Hawaii Grown Tea – A Cottage Industry Established

Fast forward to 2011 and 12 years of research and development has established a fledgling cottage industry of Hawaii grown tea. There are now several tea growers on the Big Island of Hawaii.  The leaders in this effort, who have been involved during the entire 12-year period, are a husband and wife team of Chiu Leong and Eva Lee, of Tea Hawaii & Company.

They have partnered with three additional growers; John Cross, Sen Woo Fang, and Mike Riley.  Together, they market four distinct varieties of Hawaii grown tea:

• Home grown garden estate.  Tea growers Chiu Leong and Eva Lee of Volcano Village at 4000 feet elevation.  Grown in the rainforest of Kilauea volcano under a canopy of native Ohia trees and Hapu’u ferns.  Harvested by plucking the top bud and two leaves.  The leaves are long, loose and downy and brew into rich clear golden infusion.  The flavor is floral and sweet, deeply satisfying and comforting. Truly the first shade grown forest tea of Hawaii.
• Hilo Tea Garden tea estate grower Fang Sen Woo of Mountain View at 2000-foot elevation surrounded by tropical flowers.  He produces Ola’a Green tea.  This tea is a pan fired green tea that is exotic in aroma and pure in flavor. Steeped into a pale golden green infusion with a lingering fresh taste.
• Volcano Tea Garden tea estate grower Mike Riley of Volcano Mauna Loa Estates at 3600-foot elevation.  His product is named Mauka Oolong.  It is flinty, crisp, smooth and cooling, with mild tropical notes of green papaya and honey that add to the complexity of this enticing tea.
• Johnny’s Garden tea estate grower John Cross of Hakalau at 900-foot elevation. Makai to face towards the sea is a black tea that is handcrafted with both sinensis and assamica leaves that steep into a crystalline amber infusion. This tea’s flavor profile is smooth and refined with no astringency or bitterness even when steep for long periods. A crisp body that yields delicate notes of caramel, barley malt with hints of chocolate and a slight taste of roasted sweet potato.

Hawaii continues to diversify with more and more premium products that take advantage of the variety of conditions found in Hawaii.  From sea level to altitudes exceeding 10,000′, from arid to lush rain-forest conditions, and with rich volcanic soil, opportunities will continue to expand for those venturesome enough to pioneer new crops.  The Big Island of Hawaii is also the only place where all three major infusion beverages are grown; Hawaii grown coffee, Hawaii grown cacao (chocolate) and Hawaii grown tea.

Hawaii grown tea is just another example of the premiere products that Hawaii continues to bring to us.

Kilauea is not what I thought!

All my life, I have been told that Hawaii’s volcanoes are of the peaceful type.  They produce breath-taking fountains of lava and flow to the ocean via lava tubes or awe inspiring, cascading rivers of super heated rock towards the sea. Now, I’ve learned that this is not the case.

I just read a report from the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union, stating that Kilauea actually has a history of prolonged periods of explosive eruptions!  As a matter of fact, there are longer periods of explosive eruptions than peaceful interludes, such as Hawaii has experienced for the last couple of hundred years.

They also report that the explosive eruptions could resume at any time because they have no way of predicting any sort of timetable.  From 500 to 200 years ago, it was primarily the explosive type of volcanic activity that marked Kilauea’s eruptions.

To quote from an article written by David Perlman and published on SFGate.com (San Francisco Chronicle):

“Eruptions and flows

“The geologic record shows that Kilauea’s activity has been marked by a period dominated by frequent lava flows from about 2,500 to 2,200 years ago, followed by a long period of explosive eruptions that continued for about the next 1,200 years; then another 500 years of lava flows, followed by about 300 years of eruptions, and then by more lava flows that continue today.

More than 100 radiocarbon observations, based on charcoal from the mountain’s burned vegetation, have established the dates, Swanson said.”  [Donald Swanson of the U.S. Geological Survey and director of the Hawaii Volcano Observatory.]

Image of Kilauea Changed Forever