1. Scuba dive at Turtle Canyon
My husband and I are scuba certified and it's one of the activities that we love to do together. We dove with Ocean Legends in Waikiki. They have been one of my favorite companies to dive with so far. Our dive master was Chris and he was very calm and a really great guy to go with. You book through Ocean Legends, and meet them at their shop. (They can do pick ups if you're staying close to Waikiki) They will fit you for your equipment there. They'll drive you out to the harbor and you end up on a nice boat with a few other dive companies because they're all small groups. I never felt like that was awkward or a problem.
We love to go scuba diving!
Chris prepared all of the equipment for us, all we had to do was put it on and jump in the water. All of the equipment worked great and we saw two huge turtles swimming in the coral there. After the first dive, they had some snacks for us while we drove over to another spot, The Pipe. That spot wasn't my favorite but there was coral and fish so there were things to look at. It was a amazing experience and would recommend diving with Ocean Legends or Chris anytime.
The back of the boat with our equipment
2. Eat shave ice at Matsumoto's
I got half guava, half li hing mui
Matsumoto's is a staple if you're going to Oahu. You can see their menu here. They have all the typical flavors and then some that you would normally find at a shave ice shop. You can even get fresh mochi for the underneath of your shave ice. They have the best ice shavers. The line might look long but it goes by really fast. They recently moved right next door to a bigger place and it is really efficient. You won't find a better place out there!
3. Swim at Hukilau Beach
Me with my swap meet t-shirt
Hukilau is on the north shore in La'ie. The beach is beautiful and the sand is perfect. The waves are small, not surfing waves, but perfect for swimming or small body boarding. If you are like me and you like to enjoy the beach without being worried about waves tossing you around, it is perfect for you! There is a outdoor shower right by the parking lot to rinse off when you're done. There is also a camping ground if you're interested in doing that. When we went, in June, there was barely anyone there. It made it really nice to be pretty much alone and have some space.
4. Buy souvenirs at the Swap Meet
The swap meet
The swap meet is the best place for souvenirs. It costs $1 per person in the car to get in to park. But it's worth it! They have everything that you could need there. It is basically like a farmers market in the United States. There are a ton of t-shirt vendors with every style possible. They have lots of food there, including fresh mango with ling hi mui on it. If you want a hand crafted ukulele, there are lots of people selling high quality ones at the swap meet. See some of their vendors here.
Josh with ling hing mui mango
6. See Pearl Harbor
USS Arizona memorial
My husbands dad is retired military so we were able to go on a separate tour where we had our own guide telling us about pearl harbor, but regardless, it is such a special, amazing place to honor the people who fought for our country. The building they built on top of the sunken ship is beautiful and has so much meaning. It will be unlike anything that you've ever seen. It is worth it, especially since it is a free tourist attraction.
A beautiful flower of Hawaii