Category Archives: Weather

The Eddie

A surfer catches a wave at Keokea Beach Park, Hawaii

The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational, commonly known as “The Eddie,” is scheduled to be held today. This big wave surfing event, at Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu, only takes place when open-ocean swells reach a minimum height of 20 feet. Such swells result in wave faces of 30 to 40 feet in the bay. Because of this requirement, this event will be only the eleventh to go during the 40-year history of the tournament.

The tournament is invitation-only with 45 competitors lined up this year. If you’re interested in seeing the activities, the contest will be streamed on ripcurl.com or rogue.tv, starting around 8:00 am local time.

For more information about the event, go to https://www.theeddieaikau.com/ or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eddie.

The photo was taken from Keokea Beach Park, and features much, much smaller waves!

Wandering Tattler

A Wandering Tattler in Hawaii

I saw this Wandering Tattler on the rocks at Upolu. It was a very windy day and the bird was not keen to move, so I hunkered down and got ready to photograph it when it finally took flight. As might be expected, the bird did not cooperate, and it wasn’t until I moved that it took to the air and disappeared downwind.

The Numbers Game #52

A windsurfer cruises in the bay at Kawaihae.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 173. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

House construction at Hapuna Estates on the Big Island, Hawaii
Building houses in Hapuna Resort, with a good view of Maui.
A glass of gin and tonic
A gin and tonic is a welcome drink on a hot afternoon.
A Yellow-billed Cardinal is fascinated by his reflection in a car window
A Yellow-billed Cardinal sees itself in the glass of my car. For the full sequence, see here.
Lava oozes on my first visit to Hawaii in 2010.
A toy watering can left on a beach in Hawaii
Forgotten on the beach at Spencer Park.
The beach at Kua Bay Beach Park in Hawaii
The very popular beach at Kua Bay.

The Numbers Game #51

Smoke hangs in the sky off the Kohala Coast Hawaii
Smoke from a brush fire colors the sky over the North Kohala coast

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 172. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

A Gold dust day gecko licks its eye
Got to keep those eyes clean!
A woman sitting on a red car in Hawaii
Watch out for a bump up ahead.
A tug enters Kawaihae harbor while a crewman checks his phone.
A Yellow-fronted Canary perched on a twig in Hawaii
A Yellow-fronted Canary keeps watch.
An Emerald Cockroach Wasp in Hawaii
An Emerald Cockroach Wasp.
Mangoes lie on the ground after a strong wind.
Mangoes down after some strong winds.