There is no State in the US as beautiful as Hawaii. Beaches tucked close to volcanoes, tropical hikes with waterfalls to discover, snorkeling over reefs still teaming with life and no apex predators on the island expect maybe wild chickens to watch out for. Seriously not even snakes inhabit the island. Come to find out, when we visited the local zoo all the snakes apparently were confiscated from idiots that tried to bring them into the island. Serious crime actually… $200k fine and up to 3 years in prison since it is a Class C Felony… So I reckon don’t do this. No reason to post pictures of a zoo. They all look the same throughout the world.
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| Hanauma Bay O'ahu, Hawaii 2019 |
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| Hanauma Bay O'ahu, Hawaii 2019 |
First off, the beaches in Hawaii are simply amazing… Outside of Waikiki – Too crowded, but the beach is still solid. Folks, you get yourself to this true piece of paradise please protect the land and honor the people by not being an ass with plastics and sun creams that kill off the coral and wildlife. One of the beaches we drove to was just south of Honolulu called Hanauma Bay. Truly a breathtaking time snorkeling. But first there was a video that talked about the protection of the coral and basically do not stand or sit on it and wear approved sun cream.
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| Lanikai Beach O'ahu, Hawaii 2019 |
While I am all for off the beaten path places there almost are not any in O’ahu. So just go with it… But we did come close with checking out another beach spot which is my highest recommendation. This is the reason to rent a compact car or JEEP and get yourself to Lanikai Beach. If you like looking around and not seeing development and the sensation that you are alone on a beach with spars people, this is the place for you. Pack drinks and snacks because there are not many places around Lanikai. Truly one of the rare times an American beach rivals that of the Thai beaches of Koh Phi Phi.
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| North Shore O'ahu, Hawaii 2019 |
The final beach we ventured to was to the North Shore aka Laniakea Beach… Honestly this rock filled “beach walk” wasn’t my personal favorite. But Alicia loves her nature and it is always a good call to get comfortable with something different. If I remember right were on the lookout for sea turtles. None were spotted. But the three different beaches on three different sides of the island were all offering different experiences. All were worth checking out for different reasons.
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| Manoa Falls O'ahu, Hawaii 2019 |
Inland offers some amazing hiking… Folks, I hate hiking since the USMC ruined such things with me when I was 18 years old. I can still hear my Drill Instructors yelling “AT&T!” and we had to yell back, “Reach out and touch somebody!” and then touch the Recruit ahead of you. Not a leisurely stroll through mother nature at Camp Pendleton, CA. However, Hawaii’s Manoa Falls is a gorgeous hike leading to a waterfall. Not a hard trail to get through. Bring a power bank for your phone because there is not much around as I recall. You may end up overloading your phone with pictures of nature… For me, it was like taking a trip back to the Jurassic era (about 200 million years ago). Cue the piano version of the theme to Jurassic Park because it was poignant and tranquil. Just without the carnivore creatures thinking you’re a snack pack.
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| Manoa Falls O'ahu, Hawaii 2019 |
We parted ways not long after our last beach visit (North shore). She spent another day or two in O’ahu and I flew out to the Big Island of Hawaii. I had booked a bucket list night dive with the manta rays… Only to have, yet again, it all to be canceled day of “due to weather”. Damnit. That was it for me for a long time with PADI and their dive shops… Really, I was exhausted. Nothing worked the way I had hoped, and I was bruised to the bone on how hurt I was over everything. I spent the last moments in Hawaii watching movies and counting down the hours and minutes until my flight would take me to Dallas, TX. Waiting for my flight, cold and tired. I was utterly spent from travel and on some level understood why artists that spend months and years on the road get burned out even when they love what they do. I was beyond burned out. I craved stability in finances, career, etc.…
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| Me... Hawaii 2019 |
Time to start again in another warm spot. At least that’s what I thought.
©Dustin J. Casey 2025
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