Should I pop over to Hawaii while I'm at SD?

[BaNZ]

I'll be in San Diego for 3 weeks in August. Feeling that it's fairly close "7 hours" I should pop by to Hawaii for a week. But I feel it is too short and there's so much to see in California so I should save Hawaii for another trip.

[oldmansurfer]

If you make it to Kauai I have a 9'6" longboard that you can use but if you want to surf with the oldman that would have to coincide with my normal surf time and place. But it can wait. I probably will have that longboard for a while.

[waikikikichan]

If you're not exactly sure what break you are going to surf at, then I wouldn't go. Just keep learning the surf in Cali. If you know you are going to surf just Waikiki, or Diamond Head or Ala Moana, then you can figure out your boards and transportation. But if you'll figure it out when you get there, then No. Hawaii is very expensive when it comes to rental cars and hotel rooms. No Motel 8 there. Surfboard rental $100 for 7 days, so do that instead of bringing your own board on the plane ( that will get damaged ).

If you'll be on Oahu July 10th and 11th, there will be the Aloha Board Shop Honolulu Fish Fry. One of the best contest of the year. It is a ABT contest. " Anything But Three " , meaning twins, quads, singles. NO thrusters. So it'll be cool for you to check out all the unique boards from local shapers.

http://www.alohaboardshop.com/2015/05/0 ... f-returns/

[oldmansurfer]

I heard of an inexpensive place to stay on Kauai. Not sure of the exact price but they can handle singles or large groups and have surfers in mind. Their son is a pro bodyboarder. I have a link on my work computer if you wish. The accommodations are yurts with bathroom and close to the beach.

[Aqualife]

Hi,
I spend 4-6 weeks in Hawaii every year and I used to live in NZ.
What are you doing in Cali? 3 weeks is not long and there are plenty of good breaks there to keep you busy.
Hawaii is expensive and one week isn't enough to really do much but it is enough to see whether you do want to spend more time there in the future.

The A$ has just nosedived against the greenback, not sure about the Kiwi dollar but I remember travelling on NZ $ and it hurt big time, as Hawaii is at least 25% more expensive for everything than the mainland.
You would most likely stay in Waikiki and surrounds and surf the South Side. The North Shore isn't breaking in August.
Oahu is also the only island you can get to the surf without having a car, so that would be my main choice for first timers.
Taking your boards over from Cali will cost you heaps extra and really isn't worth it.
August is very crowded, peak season for tourists. I am not knocking it. Hawaii is amazing and my favourite place in the world and it's always great to spend time there.
There are cheap places to stay (backpackers/hostels) and so on and plenty of visiting surfers that you most likely can hitch a ride most days to the breaks (on Oahu at least).

If it were me, I would take a flight straight to Hawaii another time and stay on the North Shore in the winter months and hang out for a while and surf up there.
But then again, you could also do both

Either way, you cannot go wrong. Enjoy!

[BaNZ]

I was planning to save Hawaii for a big holiday like at least 3 weeks or more. But my missus wants to go Maui or Kauai, 7 hours each way is two days wasted. If I do go, I'll do more touristy stuff than surfing. It sounds like the general census is to save it for a longer trip. It's just that I don't know when I'll be at that part of the world again next.

Thanks for the offer OMS!

[saalro]

I went for a week to Oahu and felt i saw a nice amount, but i was in Cali for a month prior.
Save it for another day, and then you can do all the islands in Hawaii in a longer trip.