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North Shore, O'ahu
April 30, 2001
All Photos © Tim N. Touchton
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We got to the North Shore very late on Monday afternoon after
being at the Dole
Plantation longer than planned. I also saw this Bay from the Rainbow Helicopter
tour
I took. This bay is pretty cool, with lots of sand and very large rocks. I took
as many
photographs as I could and had to use some long shutter speeds to get in some
of them.
Rich was busy exploring the beach and rocks and I did my thing.
I talked briefly with a local
who was snorkeling. He said that the rocks on the shore (on the right in my
photographs) get
blasted in the winter by the large waves. We came back to Waimea Bay after our
drive to Sunset
Beach and I had to go swimming. This was VERY scary because it was totally dark
(cloudy skies)
and no body else was there. Rich stayed in the car and I got beat up in the
water. I cannot imagine
what it's like in the winter in 30 foot surf. The waves when we came back were
mild, but the beach
has a steep slope to it by the water and the waves come "up" it hard.
I got knocked down and rolled
in the water. When I got back up I looked for my flashlight that I left on at
the top of the slope so I
could get my direction. Well, within seconds of getting back to my feet another
small wave came in
(the undertow here is strong and with the steep slope of the beach, even stronger).
The second wave also
knocked me down and I swam for a few seconds until I got back to my feet. I
got out of the water fast
and up to the flashlight. I had enough, too dark, by myself and that was enough.
These photographs were taken from the road above. These are the "classic"
shots of Waimea Bay.
You can see the steep slope of the "water line". There are several
people down on the beach but
you cannot see them. The beach is really that big. The large rock just at the
water line is where many people
go cliff diving from.
Someone wrote this in the sand (no it wasn't either one of us). I had to take
a photograph of it, but I never did
see what is written below it. It's a befitting end to a very wonderful trip,
a nice last night!
Rich at Waimea Bay on the rocks by the cliff diving rock. Many photographs of
the bay are taken just to his left from the road above.
Here are two photographs I took of Waimea Bay from the Rainbow Helicopter Tour.
You can see
Sunset Beach to the top left of the right photograph.
During the summer months the water is relatively calm and great
for swimming with a large sandy beach and picnic area.
However, in the winter months the waves can reach heights of 30 feet
and it's very dangerous. This spot is the home to
the largest and most dangerous surf in the world. There are picnic areas,
showers, restrooms, phones and lifeguards.
The beach area also has some nice reef spots for snorkeling too. The center
of the bay has a very strong riptide that
can easily drown a swimmer/surfer. The large lava rock sitting just out in the
water is a popular spot for the local cliff divers.
Waimea Bay is located just off Hwy 83 (Kamehameha Highway) just west of Sunset
Beach.
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