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The Waianae coast is the seldom-visited west side of the island, even for locals in Honolulu, who think of it as "over on the other side." Indeed, the northwest point of the island, Kaena Point, is not accessible by paved road.
I like the Waianae coast. It's much less busy, and it's usually on the leeward side of two mountain ranges, so the surf is calm enough for some good snorkeling. Because tourists seldom come to this side, there are nice nooks and crannies to snorkel at, such as near the power plant at Kahe Point. Two years ago we found an abundance of fish and a couple sea turtles, which I followed for a while at a safe (i.e. legal) distance. Rumor is that Makaha Beach a few miles up the coast is also a good spot for snorkeling, but we weren't able to access it this time because of the surf. There's also some question as to whether it's a good idea for us to snorkel 100 yd off the beach. I think it should be fine - it's equivalent to two there-and-back laps in an Olympic pool. It's supposedly also oft-visited by divers and other snorkelers. Indeed, it's not the distance or surf I fear; it's the risk of being run over by a boat full of divers.
We went to the Waianae side twice - once on our own to do some snorkeling, and a second time with the famous Elaine Owens and her boyfriend to hike to Kaena Point (after a long day of eating and building a sand fortress, which as tradition dictates was later attacked by four large giants before finally being decimated by a young monster who sat triumphantly atop the Citadel). It's a level hike with a lot of mud and the occasional 4WD splashing along. It was relaxing. There was a pod of whales just off the coast, who would occasionally spout and flip their tails. Sorry, but I don't have photos of the whales, but I'm happy to accept donations towards the purchase of long, fast glass. Incidentally, I've always been confused by whale-watching. You pay like $100 for the privilege of suiting up and being driven out on a Kodiac to get to about the same distance we were from these whales. Got nothing against whales, but it just wasn't that spectacular. It's not like these guys are going to Free Willy on you and jump over the boat. They're basically going to do what they did for us - blow some water, show some tail, and get on with life.
We didn't end up making it to Kaena Point, since we got there too late in the day. But I did manage to get this image of the setting sun blazing out from a transient cloud.
