Beyond the 49...
Surf's Up
Perfect Storm
Tunnels Beach, from Helicopter
Kauai, Hawaii
One of the things I was most looking forward to was taking a helicopter tour of the island. I had heard amazing things about this and we spent a while trying to figure out the best company to go with. In the end we went with Jack Harter Helicopters (the guys that started it on Kauai) and we had a fabulous experience. When I got off the 'copter someone mentioned "that is the biggest smile I've ever seen" when they looked at me!
Below is the Tunnels Beach area. You can see the outer reef, in the area where the awes are crashing in the bottom center. Tunnels Beach is directly above the "w" shape of the coral reef. Off to the right of Tunnels Beach is the Ha'ena Beach Park. To the left of Tunnels is Kepuhi Beach, and further left, in the very corner, is Wainiha Beach Park (looks like a small bay).
Above the beaches you may see a couple homes, some of which are built on stilts due to the fact that hurricanes can cause the water level to rise quite considerably!
Even further above you'll notice the Kauai mountains, most specifically Mt. Wai'ale'ale, which is shrouded in clouds. This is the wettest spot on earth! The summit averages more than 426 inches of rain per year (in 1982 it got a record 683 inches of rain!). Due to the geography of the island, the steep cliffs cause the moisture-laden air to rise rapidly (3,000+ ft in less than ½ a mile) which causes the clouds to drop a large portion of its rain in one spot.
2010beachcloudscloudycorald300sfriendsfunhdrhawaiihigh dynamic rangeislandkauainikkornikonnikon d300soceanpacific oceansandseptembersummertreesvacationwaterwavescloudgreenha'enaha'ena beachhaena beach
Kevin Poynor
on June 17, 2016Excellent.
fotoeffects
on June 17, 2016Beautiful pov!
jackhoying
on September 20, 2010That sure is a beautiful spot!! Great colors. Kauai was our favorite island when we visited Hawaii.
steve T
on September 19, 2010Wow, what a gorgeous view. One of the times we went to Maui we took a helicopter tour. Well worth the money one time anyway.
Vern
on September 19, 2010Such lovely scenery. You must have enjoyed yourself immensely. The dramatic clouds really add to the landscape. But it is certainly able to stand on its own too. What wonderful greens.