What is "island fever"?

[RinkyDink]

I was talking to a couple of surfers who had lived in Hawaii for a few years. Since both of them are hardcore surfers, I was surprised that they both didn't really like living in Hawaii permanently. Yeah the surfing was great, they both agreed on that, but they also had had bad cases of "island fever". This phrase kept coming up, but I was not really sure what it meant. When I asked what "island fever" was, one of them said that he could drive around the entire island in like 4 hours. The problem, as far as I can tell, is that living in Hawaii is like living in a very, very small town. Everybody knows everybody else and your options for things like grocery shopping are pretty limited. I wonder if "island fever" is something that happens to non-native Hawaiians mostly or is it something that native Hawaiians experience as well?

[oldmansurfer]

It's more common among people who didn't grow up in Hawaii but some Hawaii raised folks get the feeling too. It's a feeling that you are confined to a small space and limited by just what is in that space. For a surfer you might think of it like this. A surfer living in California can get in a car and drive down to Mexico to surf or up to Oregon. In Hawaii you have to get on a plane or a boat to go somewhere else then rent a car so a much bigger hassle. Kids grow up here and learn about the big wide world and they sometimes also feel restricted unlike someone living in say New York city where you can do anything you want any time of day (except surfing).

[Big H]

I lived in the caribbean for 4 1/2 years....Island fever was a common phrase among the expat community there since the island was 13 miles by 3 miles.....it just was too small for a person used to more and after some time, you would start to yearn for things not available on the island, or different things, or just being able to go to the post office without having to say hello to 32 people (one time I counted....32 friendly faces that I knew just going in the post office). Here in Bali there are a lot more people (nearly 4m vs. the 55,000 people in the caribbean island that was home) and physically it is a lot bigger. I've lived on islands of various sizes for a good portion of my life (Japan, Philippines, St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Java, Bali) and home is where I hang my hat now......I don't get "island fever" because this is home now....what I miss and what I yearn for is right here. So I would say that either native or non native, if you feel that you are "home" then you'll be immune to island fever.

[RinkyDink]

A surfer living in California can get in a car and drive down to Mexico to surf or up to Oregon. In Hawaii you have to get on a plane or a boat to go somewhere else then rent a car so a much bigger hassle.

Yeah, but in Hawaii you can just hop on an ocean current with your kite board, do some fishing on the way to the next island, have a surf session, sleep in a hammock on the beach, return to your home island the next day.

[oldmansurfer]

Often kids grow up here and want to get off the rock so they go to college somewhere far away and end up homesick LOL. I grew up in Hawaii and never felt rock fever but have seen it so many times in others who move here. I think enjoying the activities available to you on the rock are the best protection from getting rock fever. Obviously if you want to do something not on the rock that is when it becomes a problem. I went to school in Colorado for four years and while at college I was surprised to find a lot of Hawaii kids there. They invited me to join the 30 to 50 member "Hawaii Club" which was formed from students who were homesick and missed Hawaii. It just cracked me up they would choose a college so far away and then spend a lot of time and effort trying to deal with homesickness.

[oldmansurfer]

A surfer living in California can get in a car and drive down to Mexico to surf or up to Oregon. In Hawaii you have to get on a plane or a boat to go somewhere else then rent a car so a much bigger hassle.

Yeah, but in Hawaii you can just hop on an ocean current with your kite board, do some fishing on the way to the next island, have a surf session, sleep in a hammock on the beach, return to your home island the next day.

Only if the wind is blowing in the right direction

[RinkyDink]

I've lived on islands of various sizes for a good portion of my life (Japan, Philippines, St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Java, Bali) and home is where I hang my hat now......I don't get "island fever" because this is home now....what I miss and what I yearn for is right here. So I would say that either native or non native, if you feel that you are "home" then you'll be immune to island fever.

Did you work on a cruise ship? It sounds like you've done enough travelling that settling down is actually pretty nice.

[oldmansurfer]

This surfer gets in between islands with a surfboard by paddling but getting to a larger land mass ....he takes a plane or boat. http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Aug/16/il/FP608160305.html

[waikikikichan]

I was born and raised in Hawaii. Now moved to a bigger island ...... Japan. There's so much to see and do in Tokyo ..... AND the cost of living is cheaper here. ( Surf ? Well, nothing beats Hawaii )

Got Milk ?

[oldmansurfer]

Most of the time people with rock fever last less than 2 years but some manage to last a bit more before having to leave. Sometimes they need to accomplish something first like completing terms of employment or selling a house or staying for a lease agreement or waiting for their kids to grow up.

[Big H]

I've lived on islands of various sizes for a good portion of my life (Japan, Philippines, St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Java, Bali) and home is where I hang my hat now......I don't get "island fever" because this is home now....what I miss and what I yearn for is right here. So I would say that either native or non native, if you feel that you are "home" then you'll be immune to island fever.

Did you work on a cruise ship? It sounds like you've done enough travelling that settling down is actually pretty nice.

Hotels, restaurants and resorts only.....I've done more moves than that....those are just the islands. Add New York, Chicago, DC, Mexico, Atlanta and Jakarta to the list and that would be the sum total. It is nice to settle down.....you need to reach a level of seniority in my field before you are allowed to do so without becoming stagnant and killing off your career. Good to have reached that. Islands have been my favorite places to live....I have a definite connection and need of the ocean so I chose here and couldn't be more happy. I visit "home" and after a week wish I was back here.

[RinkyDink]

This surfer gets in between islands with a surfboard by paddling but getting to a larger land mass ....he takes a plane or boat. http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Aug/16/il/FP608160305.html

Now that's what a paddleboard does well. I just got back from a great surf session . . . er . . . well . . . until the mass of SUP riders showed up and clogged the place up. It got me thinking about how SUP schools should train SUP riders. I was thinking that SUP riders should be able to take off on any wave they want, BUT if any prone surfer takes off on the wave they're on, then the SUP rider simply has to get off the wave and give priority to the prone surfer. In other words, the etiquette would be that prone surfers can drop in on any SUP rider who is still a safe distance away, say, 100 feet, and the SUP rider loses priority to the prone surfer. If no prone surfer is on the wave, then the SUP rider can do his or her thing.

[oldmansurfer]

If an prone surfer can takeoff on a wave it is breaking soon usually so the SUP if it is far away it is on the other side of the peak and the prone surfer has priority in my opinion ( ) Speaking of SUPs I think Laird Hamilton may have paddled from the Big island to Kauai on a SUP ....seems to me I recall that, he did it as a fundraiser for something and it took a week or so to complete. but maybe in my old age I am miss-remembering that because I am not entirely sure of it.

[Big H]

Most SUP riders I see barely have their massive boards under control so goo luck to anyone dropping in on them.....get run over for sure.

[oldmansurfer]

Most SUP riders I see barely have their massive boards under control so goo luck to anyone dropping in on them.....get run over for sure.

SO if they are far away and the wave is breaking between you and them then it is entirely safe to drop in. My only damage from SUPs comes from going around ones that are trying to go through the surf and they loose their board and it comes back to whack me as I go around their position.

[BoMan]

Island fever is real. Over the years I've spoken with teachers from Hawaii at educational conferences and many complained of not having enough to do. "The 1st weekend we drove left. The 2nd weekend we drove right. And then we were bored." If your life revolves around urban culture, it is not the place to be. On our last trip, I also heard that the #1 vacation destination for Hawaiians is Las Vegas.

Since i love the outdoor stuff - surfing, biking, hiking, snorkeling, sailing - Kauai would be perfect for me. The only trouble is I can't afford it!

[oldmansurfer]

Buying a house is expensive and so is rent but if you have money saved up for buying a house it will gain in value fairly well after you buy it so if you stay like 10 to 20 years it will be worth maybe 2 to 8 times what you paid for it. Food is expensive but you can lower that amount by selecting cheaper food to eat, grow some vegetables in your yard and have some fruit trees by in bulk at Costco. Electricity is expensive but you can have solar panels and a solar water heater and the tradewinds help to cool down stuff, buying the right house will help too. Gas is expensive but there is no where to go. People here like to go to Las Vegas because it is the cheapest vacation spot and 9 out of 10 people who go there claim they won money in Las Vegas so some have an idea they will win some money (also for the cheap food). I know people who moved to Las Vegas and bought 2 nicer houses for the price their house sold for in Hawaii. I know people who moved to Oregon who bought 5 houses with the money they made from selling their house in Hawaii. But surfing biking, hiking,and snorkeling are cheap in Hawaii Sailing however is an expensive hobby.

[RinkyDink]

If an prone surfer can takeoff on a wave it is breaking soon usually so the SUP if it is far away it is on the other side of the peak and the prone surfer has priority in my opinion ( )

You know, that's an excellent point. It wasn't until I read your post again that I got it. Hmm, food for thought.

[RinkyDink]

Since i love the outdoor stuff - surfing, biking, hiking, snorkeling, sailing - Kauai would be perfect for me. The only trouble is I can't afford it!

Yeah, I think I could live with the occasional bout of island fever, but it's a moot point seeing that my income is barely enough to sustain me in CA (truth be told-- it's not really enough to do that).

[BoMan]

I was born and raised in Hawaii. Now moved to a bigger island ...... Japan. There's so much to see and do in Tokyo ..... AND the cost of living is cheaper here. ( Surf ? Well, nothing beats Hawaii )

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Got Milk ?

This is expensive too. Apologies for the highjack... but why is this so popular?