6 Things to Be Mindful of When Visiting Hawaii

So you are going to Hawaii? WOOHOO! Did you know that the Hawaiian Kingdom was overthrown in 1893? Did you know it became the 50th state of the United States in 1959. If I was Hawaiian, I’d be pissed, but for all of us who aren’t, the least we could do is take a moment to learn and appreciate Hawaiian culture and its precious resources. Here are 6 things to be mindful of when visiting Hawaii…

1) Facing your back to the ocean

When you are on the shore, whether on the sand, on the rocks, on a cliffside, in the water, always face the ocean. Be aware of the waves and/or surges that are coming toward you. You can easily be swept away with just a few inches of water. What comes to mind since most of my younger years were spent on the beach was observing people get demolished by shore breaks or news of locals or tourists getting swept away off of cliffsides. The ocean don’t discriminate. Please be ocean aware.

2) Rip currents

A rip current is an invisible channel that pulls you out to the ocean. Don’t fight it or panic, just float and let it pull you out and yell for help or swim back when it stops pulling you out. Try to swim where life guards are present. Flags will usually be present to indicate conditions. For more information about rip currents, check out this article.

I remember the day me and my friends were at Little Beach, Maui. My friend yelled out that he needed help because he was getting sucked out and couldn’t swim well. So one of our other friends tried to help him and now they were both in trouble. I went in and tried to pull them back in but now all three of us were in trouble. It’s hard to float when friends are trying to grasp at you. Luckily, a girl was there with her surfboard and threw it at us to grab on to. She fished us out. Super thankful for her.

3) Flash floods

It’s typical to have passing showers in Hawaii, however, sometimes it just don’t stop raining. If the radio or news ever mentions flash flood watch or warning, DO NOT go hiking. You could be hiking next to a stream and the next thing you know, there is a 10 foot wall of brown water and tree trunks and rocks just piling down toward you. Its a real thing and it happens in a flash. That is why it’s called flash flooding. So be akamai (smart) and go do something else. When tourists don’t adhere to this, it ruins it for all tourists. Don’t believe me, check out this news article.

4) Blow holes

What is a blow hole? It’s a sea cave that has a vent pointing to the sky. When an ocean surge comes in, it pushes the water and air out of this cave and through the hole with tremendous velocity. Here’s what the news has to say about it. Who plays with a blow hole? Apparently people do. If you want to go see a blow hole in Hawaii, stand from a distance and watch it in all of its glory. People who actually mess with blow holes disappear and are never found again. Some purposely jump into them but most times accidentally fall into them. This can just all be avoided.

5) Lava Rocks

When hiking, please leave volcanic / lava rocks alone and do not try to take them home. One, it is against the law. Two, it could be tied to a sacred Hawaiian burial. Lava rocks were used to also build ancient Hawaiian temples (Heiau). You do not want to bring a Hawaiian spirit home with you. If you are on Oahu, please visit the Bishop Museum to learn more about Hawaii and its culture.

6) Hawaiian animals

For the most part, I’m talking about the Hawaiian Monk Seal and the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle. There are laws that protect them and other marine species and you can read up all about them here. In my opinion, DLNR (Department of Land & Natural Resources) officers WILL enforce laws, so keep your top on, keep a distance of about 50′ from them and don’t disturb them.

People volunteer to watch over them and will report you if you mess with them. If you want to be funny and share on social media how you harassed a turtle or seal, the law will chase you down. Here is an article.

I want to extend it to a 3rd animal and this one is there is always gonna be some pilau (wretched) locals that just want to ruin it for tourists. Don’t engage, call 911 and report it. It’s not just a Hawaii thing, it’s everywhere. Always gonna have a few of them. Also, remember not to leave your valuables in your car and if you do, make sure you paid for it with a credit card that will reimburse you in case you are a victim of theft.

Summary

This article is not intended to scare you from your vacation. Hawaii is a tourism state and they welcome tourists. A lot of locals need to support their families and you are sort of the life blood for that. These 6 things are followed by the locals as well and this is what I share with you.

Just to recap, don’t face your back to the ocean, don’t hike if there is a flash flood watch or warning, keep your distance from blow holes, don’t go in the waters if a rip current flags are indicated, and if you do, know what to do, leave lava rocks and the endangered animals alone. You should be good with knowing these 6 things. Enjoy your vacation. Aloha!

Oh, one more thing, watch out for the Hawaiian Snake!!!

Hold on… I have a FREE travel check list template you can have, we always use this on travel and it helps us not forget anything.

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