I caught these young surfers shredding waves on Hilo Bay last January. Three boys and one girl surf and boogie board on a warm winter’s day. It was a school holiday; the temps were warm and who wouldn’t surf if they could?

four surfers ride the waves

Even more amazing was how they managed to dodge the large lava rock formations found all around the Big Island of Hawaii.

Boogie Boarder

Inspired by Sue’s Journaling in July challenge, I’ve managed to journal some thoughts on this week’s prompts.

July 9 My Favorite Place

I have been blessed to travel to destination places like the Hawaiian Islands and to various areas of Yosemite National Park. Within the last 10 years, thanks to my adventurous, globe-trotting husband, I have also traveled to Mexico and countless places in the West. Plans for more road trips and abroad also include Europe and South America.

Although Yosemite’s high country, Tuolumne Meadows, feels like my own backyard after over 25 visits in my life, my emotional attachment to Hawaii developed in my teenage years, spurred future plans for travel to the islands.

I was obsessed with Hawaii for years.

It wasn’t until my mid-forties that I visited Honolulu and Waikiki on the island of Oahu, and this first visit was everything I thought it would be. The soft tradewinds, the colors of the sunsets, and the astounding varieties of blues of the ocean were sensations and sights I could only previously imagine.

Two trips to Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii in 2018 and 2019 found me in love with the laid-back lifestyle, riots of tropical flowers, and the impossible greens and stunning blues, all within the shadow of the looming, active volcanoes Mauna Loa and Kilauea.

SUPing the waves

Surprisingly, I have not yet found the right spot to stand-up paddle on the Hilo side, due to the shore being made up of volcanic rock formations. But like the man SUP-ing in the photo, it’s just a matter of time.

I shared a post about this in 2018 after I spent my first week in Hilo. My New Favorite Place.

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Published by Terri Webster Schrandt

Mostly retired, I am a part-time reporter/photographer for a local monthly newspaper. I'm former university adjunct faculty, self-published author, and retired recreation and parks practitioner living in Eastern Washington State near the Idaho border. Second Wind Leisure Perspectives is my blog about living a leisure lifestyle that includes fitness, photography, and fun.

28 thoughts on “Blue July #Squares: Surf’s Up in Hilo”

  4. It’s fun to see your other photos of Hawaii. Don’t think you’ll ever see me on a surfboard or SUP, but I get in the water whenever I can. Conditions have been fairly good on the the Kona side lately and last time I was in I got to see a reef shark and a disturbingly large barracuda!

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  5. Saw some of your beautiful ‘blue’ photography on Instagram this morning and had to head over here tonight to check out your post. What vivid colors in these pictures. Hope to someday enjoy the colors of the Hawaiian islands myself. In the meantime, found a vintage blue car to capture for my subject this week.

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  6. I’ve never been to Hawaii but it’s absolutely on my list – not just for images such as these but for the nature. I admire anyone who can SUP. It’s such a core strength and balance thing.

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      1. It’s huge here on the Sunshine Coast but I’ve never been great with the whole balance thing…or the whole core strength thing…the water thing I can absolutely deal with 🙂

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  9. I have a friend who loves paddleboarding and you post reminded me of her. I liked reading about your fascination with Hawaii 🙂 I’ll have to go there one day!

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  10. I was sitting on my balcony yesterday morning watching the surfers, Terri. My son-in-law loves surfing and I love their ability to stay on the board. Great core strength. Don’t forget to link this up at our Saturday #journalinginjuly link up. It is open now and one of the prompts this week was My Favorite Place 😊

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  11. Perfect timing as hubby and I have learned that we may have the opportunity to visit the Big Island for an extended period in Feb/Mar. While we were on the Kona side last time (for five weeks), this opportunity would be on the Hilo side. That man SUPing near volcanic rock is very brave (and nuts)!

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    1. How cool, Janis! It’s a little rainy in Hilo that time of year but each time we went it seemed to rain at night. I’m still looking for a good place to SUP in Hilo. Lots of rocks on the beaches and some black sand to boot! I hope you enjoy, there is SO much to see on the Hilo side.

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  12. The US is an amazing country with many spectacular places. Thank goodness for the prescient actions of President Grant to begin designating National Parks. These places need continuing protection and we need more sites recognized as national treasures. Haleakela was established in 1916, before Hawaii was even a state. My dad got to tour it in 1952 – it was the only one of a week’s long tour of Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii islands that I didn’t get to go on. Four years old, and I had the honor to see (not to swim in) the Queen’s Bath but I think it was later destroyed by natural forces, and a new one has been designated on one of the islands.

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