All posts tagged Boat

X-Treme Parasail: 700 Feet of Line and A Bird’s Eye View of Diamond Head

by Coty on November 18, 2012 in Activities, Beaches with No comments

The thought of being attached to a rope midair while simultaneously being pulled by a boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean never really appealed to me. That is, of course, until I tried it. Enter X-Treme Parasail, Oahu’s “largest watersports company.”

I’ve had a few offers to go parasailing over the couple of years. I’ve always turned them down. I’ll admit, I was too scared. I wasn’t too keen on trusting my life on a single line of rope. Hey, there’s always the remote possibility that the rope will snap and there I would go, my helpless-self parachuting away into oblivion, possibly ending up in the same place as Dorothy and her ruby slippers. I didn’t want to go through that.

The Hi-Flyer was our ride for the day. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

One of our fellow parasailers. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

One of the two crew members. He was the guy that snapped you into the parachute. He also served as our photographer. And he had a neat shirt that read, “In most states getting this high is a felony.” Photo by Coty Gonzales.

The couple from Kailua gets strapped in. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Of course, Groupon, coupled with the insistence of my wife, changed all of that. In one fell swoop, she purchased a Groupon (retail is $138, Groupon price was $69, you should totally sign-up for Groupon) for tandem parasailing and quickly booked a date with X-Treme Parasail. There was no turning back. That single piece of rope would be my only lifeline. Would there be a Yellow Brick Road if I were to land on a remote, forgotten, and deserted Hawaiian island?

Our parasailing experience would begin at Kewalo Basin, the home to many water based tourist activities and fishing boats. My appointment with fate was set for 9am on a cool Saturday morning, and like any good person staring death in the face, I (along with my very willing wife), arrived 30 minutes early. We checked in at the Koko Head end of Kewalo Basin and, like clockwork, signed our lives away on the requisite, “if you die today we will not be responsible” forms. Of course, that made me feel at ease.

9am quickly came and we were loaded on to the yellow colored Hi-Flyer, along with 3 other pairs of people. Immediately, we were briefed and then given life jackets. Except, they didn’t have enough for everyone and so I was left without one. Emerald City here I come.

And here we are, the both of us strapped in. Photo by X-Treme Parasail.

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Hawaii Shark Encounters

by Coty on April 25, 2012 in Activities with 2 Comments

I’ve never done the Hawaii Shark Encounters Tour. I’ve always wanted to. And I imagine that I will sometime in the future. Until then, I can live vicariously through this video.

Over the years, there has been much controversy surrounding this tour and similar shark tours. Many local surfers and bodyboarders feel that tours like these attract sharks to the nearby shores. Although it is illegal to feed sharks within three miles of shore, these tours go just beyond this range to throw chum into the water.

Some Native Hawaiians feel as if tours like this desecrate their amakua (ancestral gods).

Last year, three shark tour boats were deliberately set on fire in Haleiwa.

Despite the controversy, tours like the Hawaii Shark Encounters offer interested individuals with a very unique view of this predatory fish. Instead of being on the other side of glass tank, you instead are in the sharks natural environment. I can only imagine how thrilling that would be.

The tour is priced at $105 for adults and $75 for children. Kama’aina and Military personnel receive a special rate of $90. Book your Hawaii Shark Encounter here.

The Honolulu Fish Auction: The Most Tuna You’ll Ever See In One Place

by Coty on March 5, 2012 in Activities with 2 Comments

If you think that that the fish tossing experience at Pike Place Market in Seattle is neat then you’ll most definitely be blown away by the Honolulu Fish Auction. Located at the end of Pier 38, this fish auction is indeed one of a kind. It’s the only fish auction that sells fresh tuna in the United States. If you enjoy tuna (or ahi as the locals call it) in your sushi then you’ve probably taken a bite out of ahi that made its way through the Honolulu Fish Auction. Because of its location in the Pacific, the Honolulu Fish Auction is the only fish auction between Tokyo and Maine. Six days a week, fisherman unload their catch in the early morning and the auctions begin at 5:30am. The best part is that you’re invited, if even to just stand in awe at thousands of pounds of quality deep sea catch. Like the vast Pacific Ocean, the Honolulu Fish Auction has a lot to offer.

Fresh Tuna. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

An endless supply of spicy ahi. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Arrive early and experience the intense madness. The fishing boats begin unloading their catch at Pier 38 in the early morning at 1:00am. Each fish is then inspected by a United Fishing Agency staff member to make sure that seafood safety standards are met. The catch is then put on plastic pallets, covered with ice, and displayed on the auction room floor. Imagine an entire warehouse floor, the length of which is lined with rows of large tuna. The sight of such enormous amounts of fish is a bit surreal and can be very thought provoking.

Of galoshes and jackets. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

The United Fishing Agency. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

At exactly 5:30am, auctioning begins. It’s sort of like Wall Street on a smaller scale. Instead of caucasians in suits yelling and screaming, you have locals (mainly asians), in galoshes yelling and screaming their bids. The auctioneer quickly moves down the rows of fish. A steadfast group of bidders surround the auctioneer and openly bid against each other and sometimes things can get nasty Remember, there are people here at that are bidding for local, national, and even international restaurants, markets and other food institutions. You think Storage Wars makes for a good auction show? Fish Wars might make for an even better one. The auction continues until each fish is sold. Upwards of 160,000 pounds of fresh fish can be auctioned off in a single day.

Mahi-Mahi, or dolphinfish. Thanks EricLauLau for the fish identification. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Hey, look at me. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

The tails are snipped so that bidders can inspect the quality of the fish. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

The experience at the fish auction turned out to be a great one. We showed up at Pier 38 not knowing what to expect. I initially thought that our presence would not have been appreciated. I mean, would Sotheby’s welcome us with open arms if we randomly showed up at their auctions? Literally, millions of dollars of fresh catch is openly displayed on the auction floor. Each fish is worth at least $1,000, probably more. Fortunately for us, the United Fishing Agency staff was not bothered by our presence (at least we couldn’t tell if they were). In fact, a few of them stopped to talk story with me. The first asked me where I was from. He thought I was from the mainland. When I told him that I was from here and work at UH, he laughed. He then replied, “I tired look at fish all day!” I guess that he was surprised that we were interested in seeing fish be auctioned off. The second staff memeber stopped and asked me a few questions about my Sony NEX-5N. He was impressed by its size and its ability to interchange lenses. He complained about bulkier DSLR’s. From my experience, I can easily say that the United Fishing Agency staff was a friendly bunch.

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The Aloha Tower Observation Deck: Four Unique Views of Honolulu

by Coty on February 27, 2012 in Beaches, Photography, Sights with 4 Comments

The Aloha Tower located at Pier 9 of Honolulu Harbor was completed in 1926 at the cost of $190,000. At the time, Aloha Tower was the tallest structure in Hawaii at 10 stories tall and measuring 184 feet (56 meters) in height. For 34 years the Aloha Tower was the tallest structure in Hawaii but has since been eclipsed by the First Hawaiian Center in Downtown Honolulu [1]. Although no longer the tallest structure, many still consider the Aloha Tower to be one of the most famous landmarks on Oahu. The tower was restored in 1994 and serves as both a welcoming point for incoming ships and as a fully functional traffic control center for the harbor located at Mamala Bay. I was able to pay a visit to the top of the enduring Aloha Tower following my recent tour on the Star of Honolulu Premier Whale Watch Cruise.

Entry to Aloha Tower Observation Deck is free from 9:30am to 5:00pm. A guard is present at the bottom of the tower and he will check your bags if you do plan to catch the elevator to the top. This minor inconvenience is a small price to pay for the amazing views that await you at the top of Aloha Tower.

A Vertical Panorama of Aloha Tower. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Though restored on the exterior, the interior of the tower still maintains it’s vintage feel. When you first step into the elevator you are greeted with a musky feeling that feels as if it’s coming to you straight from the 1940′s. It doesn’t help that both the elevator and the top floor are devoid of air conditioning. These things don’t matter. The elevator ride up is a relatively short one, definitely nothing like the ride up to the CN Tower in Toronto. And who cares that the top floor lacks air conditioning? You’ll be stepping out on the open balconies anyway. There’s natural air conditioning there.

When you step out of the elevator after you’ve reached the top floor, you will be greeted with some vintage Aloha Tower signage. The next step will be to determine which balcony to explore first. There’s a lookout balcony on each of the four sides of the tower. For what it’s worth, you’ll probably get the best views first if you work your way around the tower in a counterclockwise fashion. Or, if you prefer to save the best for last then start in a clockwise fashion.

As you exit the elevator, the balcony to your right is the best view in the house. Here you will get a mix of city and harbor landscapes. To your left will be downtown Honolulu while on your right will be Pier 8. Docked at the harbor will be the Falls of Clyde, which is currently being restored. In the distance you’ll be able to make out Kaka’ako and the John A. Burns School of Medicine.

A panoramic view looking toward Kaka'ako. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Continue counterclockwise to the mauka balcony (closest to the mountains) positioned facing downtown and you will get a city landscape featuring downtown Honolulu and Hawaii’s version of the Twin Towers. These twin towers is actually One Waterfront Towers, a pair of high-rise and high-priced condominiums.

The next balcony offers an excellent view west of the Aloha Tower. You will get views of the Kapalama Canal, the Harbor Turning Basin, and the Waianae Mountain Range in the far distance. The Kapalama Channel actually doubled the original harbor in size. Most cargo that travels between the Hawaiian islands go through the Young Brothers’ barges out of Pier 24-29.

A panoramic view of downtown Honolulu. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Finally, the makai balcony (closest to the ocean) offers an excellent view of the vast Pacific Ocean and any incoming ships. Here you will see Piers 1 and 2 which are used for loose cargo, and roll-on/roll-off cargo, such as automobiles. This balcony might be best to watch the sunset from. Since the Tower closes at 5:00pm, this should be done during the winter months when the sun sets earlier in the day. You might not be able to see the entire sunset, but you should be able to see a part of it.

The Aloha Tower offers a unique view of Honolulu that you really cannot get from any of the hikes that we’ve featured on Exploration: Hawaii. A short elevator ride up 10 floors will score you a sweet four perspective view of the city that is the soul of the State of Hawaii.

Tilt-Shifting Hawaii

While at the top of Aloha Tower, I played around with a photography technique called Tilt-Shift. Tilt-Shift shots like these can be achieved by using special lenses that allow you to manipulate depth of field. With the correct aperture settings and depth of field, you can achieve what looks like miniaturized landscapes.

Tilt-Shift Perspective of the View Towards Kaka'ako. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Tilt-Shift Perspective of the View Towards Downtown. To the far right are the twin towers of One Waterfront Towers. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Tilt-Shift Perspective of the View Towards The Harbor. Here you see the Harbor Turning Basin, Kapalama Channel, and the distant Waianae Mountains. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

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Star of Honolulu Premier Whale Watch Cruise: An Excellent Whale Watching Experience

by Coty on February 16, 2012 in Activities, Sights with 1 Comment

If you’re looking to do a whale cruise in Hawaii then look no further than the Star of Honolulu Premier Whale Watching Cruise. I had the opportunity to experience the Star of Honolulu last week and I was thoroughly impressed and had an excellent time. Before I continue I should disclose that this opportunity was a complimentary offer provided to Exploration: Hawaii by Star of Honolulu as part of their media tour.

The Star of Honolulu. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Team Exploration: Hawaii on the Star of Honolulu Premier Whale Watch Cruise. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

I was allowed to bring along one other Exploration: Hawaii staff member with me, and that person was Joel. We both arrived at Pier 8 at Aloha Tower Marketplace at around 11:00am. Check in was set for 11:15am, so we were both a little early. We went straight to the Star of Honolulu ticket office, easily located at Pier 8 and adjacent to where the Star of Honolulu is docked. There were ample staff, about 5 total, and because of this there was no line. I simply went straight to an agent, told her that I was a part of the media tour and was immediately given an event badge. Under my name read Exploration Hawaii. How cool is that.

We waited outside of Pier 8 for about 10 minutes and then I was loaded on to the Star of Honolulu. Everything was orderly and went very smoothly. The media was sent to the bottom deck while the paying customers were ushered to the upper decks. A short line formed as each group posed for the standard tourist photo. We held up a Star of Honolulu life preserver and struck a pose with the Falls of Clyde restoration ship in the background. At this point, I really felt like I was on a mini vacation. After the quick photo session, we entered the bottom deck, was greeted by a very friendly crew member and then given the menu for the day. We were told that we could sit where we pleased, of course, everyone gravitated to the tables situated next to the windows. After all, we were here to see whales!

One of the Star of Honolulu naturalist giving a brief talking about how to spot whales. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Joel and I chose a seat near 9 o’clock. See, the boat is broken down into the very universal measurement of time. In effect, the boat was a large clock, with the stern as 12 o’clock. As we later would find out, 9 o’clock was a wise selection. As soon as everyone was seated, the crew began a short 10 minute familiarization talk about the Star of Honolulu Premier Whale Watch Cruse. Paka Smith, a popular local entertainer did the initial introductions. A member of the marketing term spoke briefly and then the Captain greeted us all. The team of naturalist then took over once the Captain finished his brief talk. The naturalists discussed with us how to spot whales and the different behaviors that they would be displaying. There were both English and Japanese speaking naturalists. This is the type of information that the North Shore Catamaran Charters lacked during their catamaran whale watching tour. Of course, not everyone on board was a zoologist, so all of this whale specific information was very much welcomed.

The Whales.

Within 10 minutes or so of the familiarization session, the amazing happened. We saw our first humpback whale. Actually, it was a pod of humpback whales! I say this is amazing because of our previous failed whale watching experience with the North Shore Catamaran Charters. I was stoked! In fact, everyone on board was excited. All of this went down at 9 o’clock on the bottom deck. You see, I love to explore. And so while everyone was inside mingling, talking and drinking coffee, I decided to venture outside. We were all free to roam, so why not roam outside and start looking for whales! Indeed, after I left the cabin a bunch of people followed. It’s a good thing that they did because Joel spotted the first whale at 9 o’clock. As soon as Joel mentioned the whale, the naturalist then repeated this information over his headset which was connected to the ships speaker system. Once the passengers heard the words “we have a pod of whales at 9 o’clock” the excitement hit a new level. Passengers began to leave the cabins to sneak a peak of the whales. At this point, Joel and I decided to leave the bottom deck and venture to the to deck. After all, the captain said that the top deck was the best view on the ship.

Whale watchers keep an eye out for humpback whales. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

As soon as we reached the top deck, we once again heard that the naturalist announce that more whales were being spotted, this time, right ahead of us at 12 o’clock and also at 3 o’clock. There were whales everywhere! And not just single whales but pods of whales. And let me remind you that this was all within 20 minutes of the familiarization session finishing. I was pleasantly overwhelmed. Throughout the 2.5 hour cruise, we spotted many whales. The whale sightings were constant and came from all sides of the ship. It’s safe to say that everyone on board saw whales. I believe that I saw around 10-15 different whales. At one point, a pod of whales were playing with each other and cruising alongside the ship.

The whale spotting lasted throughout the duration of the cruise. Even during lunch, you could hear people yelling from their seats whenever a whale was spotted. Some, myself included, would even run out to sneak a peak while eating lunch. Whales first, lunch second!

A humpback whale performs a fluking dive as seen by the arching of the back and raising of the flukes resulting in a dive. Photos by Joel Sabugo.

Above we see two whales spouting, below we see a partial breach. Photos by Joel Sabugo.

A highly active whale breaching. Photo courtesy of Star of Honolulu.

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