A Hawaii Fishing Vacation

I really didn’t need a cup of coffee. Yet I find myself here, at Starbucks, across the University of Seattle, with coffee in hand wondering if there’s anything fun that can come out of today.
It seems ironic that we left the “high-eighties” in Hawaii thinking we were headed to the cooler, maybe even rainy, Pacific northwest! Instead we are greeted by temperatures that made what we left seem cool! With some time to kill while the students I accompanied here attend their workshops, it would seem a great opportunity to break away and enjoy the city. Seattle is a wonderful place and the quick drive into town from the airport last night reinforced my appreciation for the impressive architecture, the exciting waterfront, the greenery, and overall charm which I’ve admired on this and each of my two prior visits.
Today, I am in a different mood. It may be that the heat is intense enough to make any sightseeing pursuit more a feat of endurance than a pleasant pastime. Or perhaps I realize that anything that seems exciting…like the run out to Tillicum Village, or exploring the shores of Puget Sound or Lake Washington would only make we wish I had my fishing gear to really enjoy being here. But then, even if I did have my gear, I know neither where to go nor what to do to in these waters that are completely foreign to me!
So, I sit here in Starbucks, where the air-conditioned comfort seems more pleasant than anything else I can think of doing today. My thoughts drift back to my part of the world, Hawaii. I can’t help but wonder how many visitors to the islands are feeling this same, “it’s nice to be here but I’d really be just as happy fishing back at home!” I also wonder how many, like me, go through the tourist “must-dos” and bypass fishing altogether because Hawaii beaches, while great for tanning and swimming, seem just a bit too “foreign” to them!
For the fishing Mecca that Hawaii is, relatively few will do some serious fishing outside of the pricey options that grace the tourist publications that are literally everywhere you turn. Certainly, we’d all love to charter a sport fishing boat, but how many of us have the budget to do something like that more than once or twice? Most will agree that a day of fishing does not a vacation make. But a week or more spent doing our favorite activity in a new and promising environment could very well be the closest thing to heaven imaginable.
So how do you begin to prepare for a Hawaii fishing vacation? Read on, it might be simpler, more enjoyable, and less expensive than you think!
Get A Home Base
Looking at a condo or vacation rental home rather than a hotel room is a great start to setting yourself up for a serious island fishing. Aside from offering kitchen facilities and more space, condos or vacation rental homes come at a relatively lower cost than equivalent hotel rooms. And while the price of a rental might initially seem out of range, the actual number of people that can be accommodated in these units and the ability to prepare your own meals will result in an overall decrease in your daily expenses.
What’s more, condos and vacation rentals will allow you the full impact of your fishing vacation for you'll find, in Hawaii, the fishing experience goes far beyond the catch. If you’ve ever enjoyed the many and varied ways that fish is prepared in the islands, you’ll know that enjoying your catch at the table is as much a part of fishing as is the fight! The opportunity to experiment with different local recipes will enhance your vacation experience and the ability to wow your friends back home with some exotic (many quite simple, too!) dishes you've learned to prepare will probably be the most treasured souvenir of your entire vacation!
Try Some Local Fishing Techniques…
We could spend hours and not scratch the surface of fishing in Hawaii. But one or two days of purposeful (and genuinely interesting) investigation can get you ready for some serious fishing fun in Hawaii that is not only productive and exciting but quite inexpensive as well.
Pick up a book about Hawaii fishing and add to that a visit to the local fish markets and fishing supply stores to learn about the edible fish and which to expect in different types of waters.
Spearfishing
If you’ve developed some proficiency snorkeling or diving, visit any of a number of “mom & pop” fishing supply stores on the islands and ask them to show you a “Hawaiian sling,” a simple inexpensive spear with a rubber tube that’s probably the most popular piece of hardware for catching fish in Hawaii!
Many of us local enthusiasts started out with these simple spears and continue using them today!
Pole-fishing
If you prefer fishing from the shore, you’ll find Hawaii’s coastlines offer a range of different conditions for a variety of fishing techniques ranging from a simple hand-pole to the most sophisticated fly- and surf-casting! The small size of the islands make it possible to spend a day or two looking for possible fishing spots on one day, talking to fishing supply people and those you come across on the beaches… then going it on your own the next day! Before you realize it you’ve already enjoyed yourself touring the island… meeting island folks with whom you share a common love… and you haven’t blown a load of money trying to entertain yourself!
If you’re looking to cut the learning curve, there are a couple of shorefishing guides that can take you out for a day and provide you with a sufficient background in that time to enable you to go it on your own the rest of your vacation while feeling quite confident about what you’re doing.
Kayak Fishing
Fast becoming a sport unto itself, kayak fishing has become a venue for those with limited budgets and/or the desire to pursue an exhilarating form of fishing. Hawaii kayak fishermen are regularly boating such sport fish as amberjacks, tuna, dolphin-fish, wahoo, and more as well as smaller reef game fish that are equally enjoyable cooked up!
Of course it’ll take a bit more planning to set-up your equipment and plans for some serious kayak fishing but if it sounds appealing to you now, you might not want to do anything else during your entire stay. Everyone who’s done it will attest that landing a decent-sized fish on a kayak is an experience to which one can easily become addicted!
A Permanent Trophy
In the very possible event you land a fish worthy of permanent display, look into some of the local gyotaku artists. Here is a process where an imprint of your fish is made by applying a non-toxic paint to your fish then using the “painted” fish to imprint its image onto a piece of cloth. It’s an old Japanese method serving the same function as taxidermy which allows for the fish to be eaten. Yes, you can forever display your fish and eat it, too!
Just as it is fishing back at home, nothing can guarantee you’ll catch what you’re fishing for. But I’m confident that the time you spend planning for a Hawaii fishing vacation will be as enjoyable as any itinerary you've ever prepared and the subsequent trip might just be the paradise you were really looking for!
Yes... a Hawaii fishing vacation. Give it some thought because the possibilities are endless. I could go on forever but, perhaps, I can share more later. Right now, I think I’ll head down to the waterfront and find out what folks are catching on Puget Sound!
****************
The author, Richard Young, is the creator of Hawaiibeachcombers.com, a website about Hawaii beaches which includes Hawaii shore fishing, kayak fishing, snorkeling and diving, and freshwater fishing along with other ocean-related activities.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Young

Making Waves in Waikiki: Hawaii's Surfing Heritage

The Hawaiians are credited with being the fathers of surfing, and are known to have practiced the sport as early as the 15th century AD. The Hawaiian name for surfing "He'enalu" - can be translated as wave sliding. During its early history, surfing was taken as a sacred practice and only those with a high social status could take part; in other words - Hawaiian kings and queens were surfers. Ironically, today, surfing is seen by the general population as a sport for those who have dropped out of society, the very opposite to how it began.

As a people living on a cluster of small islands in a very big sea, the Hawaiians were not surprisingly fascinated by the ocean, and attached great meaning to its moods and forms. In a similar way to which the Inuit are said to have many names for snow, the Hawaiians also have hundreds of words to describe the various forms of the ever changing sea.

Just as modern day surf bums insist on surfing as a lifestyle rather than just a sport and thus devote great portions of time and money to the pursuit of the waves, Hawaiians also found unfathomable bounds with the practise, as the writings of Kepelino Keauokalani, a 19th Century Hawaiian Scholar, shows in his observations of the local Hawaiian surfers:

"All thought of work is at the end, only that of sport is left. The wife may go hungry, the children, the whole family, but the head of the house does not care. He is all for sport, that is his food. All day there is nothing but surfing. Many go out surfing as early as four in the morning: men, women, children."

Such was the desire of the ancient Hawaiians for wave sliding that if the distant storms didn't generate sufficient waves to ride, surfers with enlist the help of a "kahuna" - a priest who would pray to the gods and ask for surf to come to Hawaiian shores.

However, surfing was to move into a period of decline following the arrival of Christian Missionaries who believed surfing was a hedonist act and a waste of time. They adamantly preach against surfing's existence, and by the late 1800s, the sport had almost been completely exterminated. Had it not been for a few hardcore surfers who continued to practise the sports and Hawaiian kings such as David Kalakau, surfing may have died out all together.

However, the gradual decline of the missionaries influence allowed surfing to breathe again, and by the start of the 1900s, surfing had not only regained its former popularity in Hawaii, but was beginning to spread to other beaches of the world.

By the late 1920s, tourists from all over the world were booking into newly built hotels in Waikiki in their hundreds, all eager to experience the world's most famous beach and see the exotic "surf people" for themselves. Another 30 years on, and waves of American surf migrants began to arrive from California in search of the renowned Hawaiian waves, that had reached legendary status is surf circles.

Now, surfing is a billion dollar industry, practiced across the world from Iceland to Indonesia - but let's not forget those pioneering Hawaiian kings and queens without which, the sport of surfing may never have been invented.

Hawaii Wedding Packages Maui

Hawaii Wedding Packages make planning your destination wedding in Maui stress-free and a Professional Wedding Planner with good knowledge of the best Hawaii wedding locations can make your perfect day happen whether you dream of an intimate sunset beach wedding, lavish wedding in a chapel, resort or tropical garden setting or even an adventurous submarine or a Helicopter Wedding Package!

Wedding Packages on Maui
Of all the islands in Hawaii, Maui offers some of the most surreal locations and there are a number of packages to choose from, making it possible for any couple, on any budget, to make a wedding and honeymoon in Hawaii a reality!

Take a little time and talk over package options with your wedding coordinator and you will find the decision very easy to make. Most Maui Wedding Packages usually include the basics; your Minister or Officiant, marriage licensing assistance, fragrant wedding lei for the Bride and Groom.

Depending on your wishes, working with a coordinator and wedding packages that include professional Hawaii wedding photography, video and musicians who will play your choice of wedding songs, simply divine wedding cakes and custom creations from the best in Maui Wedding Flowers can save you time and money.

Many wedding packages can include personal services for your wedding day, such as in room manicures, professional stylists with the experience to create wedding day hair and make-up for a Maui wedding, unique wedding invitations, personalized wedding favors; even traditional Hawaii wedding rings!

Beach Wedding Packages in Hawaii
Hawaii Beach Wedding locations are public and are a very budget friendly way to go for smaller groups dreaming of a wedding in Hawaii. The rolling surf, black lava rock and white to golden sands of South Maui, especially Wailea, make the perfect tropical backdrop for a specialty Hawaii beach wedding photographer to bring your day to life!

These packages can include custom Maui wedding cakes, dove releases, butterfly releases and even a celebration toast with non-alcoholic champagne. Musicians, videographers and photographers on Maui are all available for beach weddings.

Couples can provide chairs for their guests at some Maui beach locations as well. While arches are not allowed at beach weddings in Maui County, many creative wedding coordinators can work with the best wedding florists and Hawaii wedding flowers to create beautiful tropical flower circles or hearts, specialty topiary and even rose petal paths in the sand.

To add a little fun to your day, why not opt for a wedding package that includes a stretch limousine? These services often include “Just Maui’ed” signs for the car, chilled champagne and red-carpet service for the newlyweds, making for great photos while you ride away into the sunset as your friends and family wave Aloha.

Resort Wedding Packages on Maui
A wedding at a hotel resort in Maui can be ideal for larger groups and can make some of the most luxurious Hawaii Wedding Locations. Many wedding coordinators are able to arrange group discounts on rooms for the bride and groom, as well as your guests, making this the perfect Hawaii wedding vacation getaway!

Wedding Packages at a resort can include lavish wedding flowers, arches, chairs adorned with your favorite decor, wedding photography packages and make exceptional Hawaii wedding reception locations. The same is true of a number of private estates available for rent by the day.

These packages are a wonderful way to combine all the elements of your perfect day into a single location. Have a stylist visit your room to create the perfect up-do and make-up and capture some of your precious moments before the wedding, as most photographers in Hawaii will visit your room and follow the bridal party to the ceremony site; not a moment is missed!

After you exchange wedding vows, make a grand entrance at your private reception as man and wife and enjoy an evening of dining, dancing and many toasts before retiring to your Honeymoon Suite for your wedding night.

Wedding Packages – Wedding Chapels
A number of lovely historic chapels and churches are also available for couples who want to embrace the wedding customs of Hawaii while exchanging their wedding vows. Many chapels allow couples to work with their own wedding planner to select the Maui wedding officiant who best suits their needs and the ceremony that best represents you both as a couple.

Wedding packages in chapels and churches can bring your dreams to life with the colorful splash of fresh Maui wedding flowers, professional musicians who will play your favorite wedding songs, the best in professional Hawaii Wedding Photographers, videographers and so much more.

With so many Hawaii Wedding Packages to choose from, finding your perfect fit will be simple and easy. Whether you desire a sunset beach wedding, lavish resort wedding and reception, traditional Christian or even a Catholic wedding in Maui, Hawaii has what it takes to make your wedding day a day you will cherish for an eternity!

Resources:
https://www.adreamweddinginparadise.com
http://www.mauibeachguide.com/