Head to Hawaii for five heart-pounding activities

Photo: Photolibrary/David
B Fleetham

WORDS SARAH PREBBLE

Stow away the surfboard and cancel your spray-tan – Hawaii is a haven for adventurers as well as beach bums! These sensational activities around Honolulu are guaranteed to give you an adrenaline rush that lasts long after your feet have touched the ground.

{1}SHARK-DIVING
US$96 (AU$109)

Topping any list of dare-devil activities is shark cage diving, which you can experience with North Shore Shark Adventures (66/011 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa, tel: +1 (808) 228 5900). From Haleiwa Harbor, it’s about 5km out to shark-infested waters, where you can see Galapagos and sandbar sharks measuring up to 3.5m from the safety of a cage suspended just a few feet underwater. Don’t worry, the more dangerous tiger sharks hunt only at night!

North Shore Shark Adventures staff don’t even need to throw bait to guarantee a shark sighting: fishermen have been dropping crab bait in these waters for so many years that sharks come sniffing around as soon as they hear the throb of a boat engine. Magnificent whale sharks up to 10m can also be spotted occasionally, along with wonderful marine life like monk seals, dolphins, turtles and marlin. This is a thrilling experience certain to give you a huge buzz and the best part is there’s no age limit – children from as young as two years old have enjoyed the adrenaline rush!

{2}SKY-DIVING
From US$150 (AU$170)

Not quite sure about throwing yourself to the sharks? What about throwing yourself out of a plane? This potentially dangerous sport is not for the faint-hearted, but a jump is guaranteed to become one of your all-time favourite experiences! Get picked up from your hotel by Skydive Hawaii (68–760 Farrington Hwy, Dillingham Airfield, Mokuleia, tel: +1 (808) 637 9700) which offers daily sky-dives from a Cessna Caravan, with hotel pick-ups and returns between 8.30am to 3.00pm.

The safest and easiest choice for novices is a tandem jump with an instructor – all the thrills of free fall with less chance of a bad landing. You must be over 18 and weigh less than 90kg to sign up; after some intensive safety instruction, you’ll be set to throw yourself out a plane door wearing your parachute kit. Once out, you can marvel at one of the world’s most glorious coastlines, suspended in silence while your parachute gently drifts you to the ground. (Skydive Hawaii’s base, at the old Dillingham airport, is 40 minutes from Honolulu on the spectacular north shore of Oahu, a location regularly featured in the TV series Lost.) Remember, you’re flying – so get your picture taken!

And keep your eyes open, because you don’t want to miss a second of this unforgettable, exhilarating experience.

Skydive Hawaii also offers solo sky-dives, as well as free-fall training to non-sky-divers; this takes three to four hours of intensive ground training for the first jump, and four to five days of basic skills training thereafter. All the instructors are licensed by the United States Parachute Association, and the company was rated number one in the state by first-time sky-divers in 2006.

As the Skydive Hawaii guys say: “How can you beat jumping out of an airplane at 12,000 feet over Hawaii’s beach and coral reefs? No other location compares. If you’ve ever had the itch to sky-dive, this is the place to do it!”

{3}WRECK & VOLCANO DIVING
From US$150 (AU$170)

Scuba divers wanting to see something unique shouldn’t miss the chance to dive with Aqua Zone Water Sports Center (Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa, 2552 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu, tel: +1 (808) 923 3483). The Center’s divemasters will take you out to the waters off Diamond Head and Koko Head, where you can explore the wrecks of a famous World War II Corsair fighter plane and a Saipan landing craft. Nearby Hanauma Bay, an extinct volcanic crater long since invaded by the ocean, is a treasure-chest of tropical fish, moray eels, octopus and giant stingrays. You can explore with a snorkel, but dives deeper than 12m must be accompanied by divemasters.

{4}KAYAKING
US$55 or US$105 (AU$62 or AU$119)

Photo: Courtesy of Tourism Hawaii

Hawaiian Water Sports (354 Hahani St, Kailua, tel: +1 (808) 262 5483) offers kayak rental, among other things. If you’re up for it, you can rent a fully equipped double kayak for a full day and take in Kailua and its neighbouring beaches, Lanikai and Waimanalo, some of the most beautiful in the world. In the company of sea turtles, you can also visit the twin Mokulua bird-sanctuary islands, before heading back to the mainland towards the stunning Koolau mountains. If that sounds a bit overwhelming, the company also offers two-hour guided kayak tours for those seeking a shorter adrenaline rush.

{5}KITE BOARDING
US$155-455 (AU$176-517)

If you’re done and dusted with parasailing and surfing, hop onto the next craze, kite boarding, which is a blend of the two – powered by the wind in your attached kite, you ride the waves on a short surfboard. Hawaiian Water Sports will also gladly introduce you to this sport. They hold classes at Kailua Bay, a scenic spot with gentle surf on Oahu’s east shore, away from the throb of Waikiki Beach, and private tuition ranges from a 90-minute to a six-hour class through various levels of expertise. There’s no age limit: you just need to be able to swim well and be ready for a wild ride. The price includes all equipment and hotel transfers.

For all your travel choices, go to www.jetstar.com