July 20, 2019
When originally planning my visit to Oahu, I had planned to use the island’s comprehensive bus system to visit the main attractions. However, my friend’s relatives were incredibly generous and allowed me to use one of their vehicles to explore the island for a few days. Since I had access to a vehicle, I was able to explore further and more locations than I could have ever imagined. I did so much exploring the first day alone, I will have to split my activities into multiple posts!
Ka’ena Point
One of my goals while visiting Oahu was to see some sea turtles! At the suggestion of my friend’s aunt, she recommended I head to the beaches near Dillingham Airfield because she always had luck seeing some turtles there. Dillingham was the airfield where the skydiving plane crashed on June 21, 2019, killing all 11 onboard. Outside the fences of the airfield, there is a beautiful makeshift memorial for the deceased.
The drive from Honolulu to the Dillingham Airfield area took about an hour and a half. I drove to the end of Farrington Highway, where the road was blocked by gates. To continue on the dirt road past the gates, you require a permit because it leads into the Ka’ena Point State Park.
Mokuleia Rock Beach
At the end of the highway, there is a dirt parking lot where many park to fish on the rocks and to hike the Ka’ena Point Trail. This area is known as Mokuleia Rock Beach. I walked around the rocks for a short while, then headed back down the road to Ka’ena Point Beach.
The area I stopped in was between Mokuleia Army Beach and Camp Harold Erdman Beach. This area is frequented mostly by locals. Local Hawaiians are known to flock the beaches on the weekend and stay all day to fish, swim, boogie board, and surf. You will see many tents along the beach with all the fixings for BBQs.
I stayed at this beach for about an hour. The water was incredibly blue and it was so peaceful. The beach was not very crowded and was mostly locals. It makes you feel like you are truly in Hawaii. Since the beach is right at the end of the airfield, I watched gliders and small airplanes take off and land. I also watched as some parachuters jumped out of the plane and parachute down.
Sea Turtles!
In the hour that I was there, I did not see any sea turtles in or near the ocean. So I decided I was going to head to another beach popular for seeing sea turtles. But right when I was packing up, the family next to me shouted: “Look sea turtles!” And sure enough, bobbing their heads out of the waves were a couple of sea turtles! I was so excited! Unfortunately, since the turtles were swimming in the waves, it was hard to get a good picture of them.
After seeing the turtles in the water, I decided I wanted to see some closer up, so decided to try out some other beaches.
