One of Oahu’s most visited wonders is the Halona Blowhole on the south side of the island.  The blowhole sits between Sandy’s Beach and Hanauma Bay at a rocky overlook.  The word halona actually means ‘overlook’ in the Hawaiian language. 
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The blowhole was formed by the lava flows of the Koko Crater Volcano as the lava bubbled it's way to the ocean.  The lava on the surface cooled the quickest leaving an underground river of lava which poured into the sea until finally, the last drop of lava was gone.  At this point, a narrow tube of lava was left just above the low water mark.  Over thousands of years, the pounding of the surf wore away at the edges of the tube, eventually breaking through the rock above and opening a hole to the sky above.  This small fissure then was opened over many more millenia until it was large enough for the pounding waters to burst through and send geysers skyward - much to the delight of visitors. 

​The conditions need to be just right for the Halona Blowhole to be active.  Ocean waves need to be coming from the right direction, have the right volume of water, and the tide needs to be high enough to reach the tube.  If you catch it on the right day, the geyser will shoot as high as 30 feet (10 meters)! 

​You can imagine that many adventurous people want to get as close as possible to the blowhole and feel the power of the spray - but this is illegal.  There have been at least five fatalities and as a result, the state has put up signs, gates, and fences to keep visitors out of the danger zone.  At least one of the fatalities was a teenager and happened in full view of visitors.  He was blasted by the spray and then sucked into the blowhole.  His body was found the next day. 

If you visit the Halona Blowhole, don’t miss Eternity Beach which is the small sandy beach at the other end of the Halona parking lot.  It was used most famously in the movie From Here to Eternity but also was featured in 50 First Dates, Jurassic World, and even a Nikki Minaj video.  If you decide to take a swim, just be aware of the dangerous currents nearby since there is no lifeguard present at this particular beach.
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One of the more established surf schools in Hawaii is Hans Hedemann Surf School.  Located in both Waikiki and on the North Shore, Hedemann himself was born in 1959; also the same year that Hawaii became a state.  He started surfing in 1966 in Waikiki when he was 7 years old.  By the time he turned 18, he had become a professional surfer and was named Surfing Rookie of the Year in 1978.  Hans has competed in men’s professional surfing events since the 1970's, winning championships along the way. 


​If you want to learn how to surf in Hawai’i - this is one of the best places to do it.  The school was established in 1995 and all instructors are lifeguard and CPR trained to make sure that you are safe and learning how to be the best surfer you can be whether you are beginning, intermediate, or advanced.  The most popular surfing lessons are the group surf lessons, in which 2-4 surfers will be matched with an instructor.  These lessons start in the $100 range.   Private lessons (one-on-one) are a bit more expensive at $120/hr and if you want to go whole hog - you can book private lessons with Hans Hedemann as your instructor - it won’t be cheap, but you’ll definitely learn from one of the best.