Ocean

Question – Wedding at Kua Bay

We received this question by email: I was wondering if you can get married on Kua Bay Beach??? My family lives in Hilo, they visit this beach frequently and would love to have our wedding there, but I don't see any information on weddings/permits. Thank You Kindly!

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Question – Best Beach for Wedding Ceremony?

Hello there, My fiance and I will be in Hawaii (Hilton Waikoloa Village) Nov 13th-20th and would like to get married while we are there. It would be a very small, intimate ceremony only with 5 people (including us). Do you have any suggestions for a beach or park point that we should check out? Are there any licenses or fees other than the marriage license and officiant fees?

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Question – Difficulty in Kayaking Kona

We received the following question by email: We are looking at doing the “Kayak the Sea Caves Near Honaunau” as that looks like loads of fun, and we will be doing the Captain Cook trip as well…based off your recommendation of that as well. Anyways we just want to make sure that a trip like this doesn’t warrant a large amount of “open water” type kayaking experience. We have kayaked in Florida, but not on the ocean, are pretty fit (our past-time is spent climbing mountains in land-locked Colorado) and we just want to make sure that we don’t head out and find ourselves in large, crashing waves and having a sphincter-puckering time. I figure that obviously conditions can change, but in general is this an overly difficult kayak trip requiring quite a bit of experience?

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Reader Comment – Shark Sighting at Kukio Beach

Reader comment submitted via email:

We drove all the way to Kukio beach but it was closed due to a Tiger shark sighting. Is there a web site to check for closures, etc? Thank you.  PS I would like to have gone in to see if we could have seen a triangle fin sticking out of the water. –Brad.

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Reply:

Brad,
Sorry to hear about the beach closure. There is no website that I know of for checking beach closure status. Frankly, shark sightings at area beaches are rare. I am puzzled about the kukio beach sighting too – since the shore there is very shallow with a natural rock barrier paralleling the beach. Perhaps the shark was sighted out in deeper water?  When you are in the area, make sure you also check out Kikaua Point Beach (just to the south of Kukio).

Question – Renting Kayaks at Captain Cook

We received this question by email:
We’d like to rent a double kayak to see the Cook monument and to snorkle. Can we do this on the spot, or should we reserve in advance? What is the cost of the kayak rental and permit? –Tom O.

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Answer:
There are no kayak rentals at Kealakeua Bay itself (the launch point where you start your paddle to Captain Cook). However, in the nearby town of Honalo, there are numerous kayak rental stores. We recommend renting from the Aloha Kayak Company (native Hawaiian owned) where a tandem kayak will cost you $60 per day.   I would definitely call ahead of time and reserve your kayak in advance, especially if you are planning your Captain Cook adventure in the busy tourist season.  Keep in mind, because of recent regulations, more and more visitors are opting to pay for the chartered tour to Captian Cook via boat or zodiac instead of kayaking.

As far as permitting goes, check out the details on how to obtain a Captain Cook Kayak Permit.  Permits from the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) are free, but there is a considerable amount of headache involved in trying to submit and receive your permit (fax the form ahead of time, etc.)  Even if you choose not to apply for the Captain Cook Kayak Permit, you can still kayak within Kealakekua Bay, you just cannot beach your kayak on the opposing shore (near the Captain Cook monument).  This should not inhibit you from still snorekling above the wonderful reef (you can simply pull the kayak behind you by holding the bow line as you snorkel).

Portuguese Man-o-War Jellyfish Sting

Last week I was on a snorkel/scuba boat in Hawaii when a 12 year old girl was stung by a Portuguese Man of War. The girl was submerged in fresh water and other swimmers were asked to capture the creature in a bucket. She was then sprayed with vinegar. All of us were so distressed by her suffering, and numerous other swimmers were affected by the attempt to capture the man o war.

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Big Island Adventures with Kids (Part 5 – Green Sand Beach)

I've always wanted to go to the Green Sand Beach near South Point (not far from the southern Ka'u town of Naalehu). Alas, previous attempts usually ended at the eerie South Point cliffs because the road leading to the Green Sand Beach is an extremely rough, 4x4-only dirt path. Some will drive their cars as far as they can, then park and hike the remaining dusty and rough 2.25 miles to the Green Sand Beach - but this is not recommended with kids (especially young keikis).

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Permits Now Required for Captain Cook Kayakers

A free permit to land vessels along the Kaawaloa shoreline or moor at the wharf adjacent to the Captain Cook Monument is now required by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is flexing its muscles by only limiting the non-commercial kayakers and doing nothing to contain or limit the number of commercial ventures (charter boats, tour boats, etc.) Ultimately, the Charter commercial operations will make a lot more money and recreational kayakers will lose yet another place to kayak to. DLNR Starting Feb. 23, people must apply for a (noncommercial general public permit at the Division of State Parks' Hawaii District Office, located at 75 Aupuni St. Room 204 in Hilo, or online at hawaiistateparks.org, under "announcements."

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Big Island Adventures with Kids (Part 4 – Waipio Valley)

With a 4 and 3 year old on the trip with me this time, I thought it would be best to drive into the valley - which I had never done. All the guide books, maps, signs, and people will tell you a true 4-wheel drive vehicle is required... and they are right! Our 4x4 Ford Explorer would suffice, and thus we headed north from Hilo, up the Hamakua Coast to the Waipio Valley Lookout. During this trip to the Big Island, we found out the island was suffering from a big drought - consequently, the normally overcast skies here at the overlook were absolutely clear and blue. It looked as if a cold front had just blown through leaving no haze and the sunshine drenched the very green (and damp-looking) valley below.

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Big Island Adventures with Kids (Part 3 – Captain Cook)

On this day, we decided to kayak across Kealakekua Bay to the marine sanctuary known as Captain Cook (named after the monument on the far side of the bay where Captain Cook was killed by the native Hawaiians). We started off with breakfast at one of my favorites - the "Buns in the Sun" bakery and deli. They have a full breakfast menu and also offer great sandwiches for lunch. This particular morning I had the Kalua Pig with eggs and hash browns along with a POG (passiong fruit/orange juice/guava juice mixture). DE-LISH! We also grabbed some sandwiches to go (2 x Kalua Pig sandwiches!) and put them in our soft-cooler filled with ice. The cooler was also jam-packed with snacks for the kids. I've starved out there at Captain Cook before and did not want to take the chance again today (especially with kids).

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