Flumin' da Ditch lets adults and kids travel 3.5 scenic miles of former irrigation ditches in rubber kayaks. |
Hawaii adventures--tame and
wild
Special to the Tribune Published January 18, 2004 HONOLULU -- There are those who believe Hawaii hasn't had much daring for a visitor to do here since Captain James Cook got into a fight with the locals in the 18th Century. Cook's adventure turned out to be a fatal one. But in modern times, there are a few more active, energetic and gutsy activities than merely swimming or sitting on a beach, or taking a bus tour of the mountains and pineapple fields. And all are considered eminently survivable. Now I don't mean some of the more obvious diversions, such as learning to surf at Waikiki Beach or trudging up the trail to the top of Diamond Head crater. But there are at least a few things to do in the Fiftieth State that you may not have experienced before, and in some cases may never have even thought about. They can be divided into three categories based on degrees of gutsiness:
Chances are you've flown to Hawaii, but you never thought you would take a header off a perfectly good airplane into the wild blue yonder. But there are two commercial operations here that regularly take beginners on a sky-diving adventure. Both are on Oahu, the main island in the group, and located near each other on the extreme western end of the island at the Dillingham Airfield. Skydive Hawaii has been taking malihinis (newcomers) up for their first individual or tandem jump for the past quarter century. Today Clarence Lopez and his partner, Frank Hinshaw launch jumps for newbies almost every day of the year. "It's the most beautiful drop zone in the world," said Hinshaw. One tandem jump costs between $150 and $225. Or you can take an eight-jump series of lessons for a grand total of $1,400. The outfit maintains a Web site with all details at hawaiiskydiving.com, or they can be phoned at 808-947-0177. Pacific Skydiving is a similar operation, but it features a seven-level Accelerated Freefall Course. It begins with ground school and then a tandem jump with an instructor before the student solos from 3,000 feet or above. The tandem dive alone is advertised at $208. Details are available on its Web site, pacific-skydiving.com, or by phoning 808-637-7472. You say that jumping out of a plane is too much? If you prefer a craft you can hang on to, look into the Birds in Paradise Powered Hang Gliding Flight School on the island of Kauai. "Powered," of course, means you learn to maneuver something that looks like a two-man kite with a motor on it. This course also begins with ground school, covering things like learning how to fly a "weight-shift" aircraft. A half-hour "Mini-Intro" lesson, with 10 minutes or so in the air, runs $115. Hour-long courses, which include flying about 60 miles over the beautiful landscape of Hawaii's "Garden Island," are more standard, and cost $190. Longer lessons and flights run up to $355. Considerable detail is available on the Web at birdsinparadise.com, or by phoning 808-822-5309. Something a little more down-to-earth? Or even a little bit below the surface? Fans of the movie "Jaws" can inspect the mouths of some real sharks after signing up with North Shore Shark Adventures, on Oahu. Here you are taken about three miles out to sea, given a mask and snorkel, and you enter a floating shark cage in order to keep you and the sharp-toothed creatures at safe distance from each other. The two-hour tours run $60 per person and are conducted every day of the week. More information is available on their Web site, sharktourshawaii.com, or by phoning 808-228-5900. 2. Grit Your Teeth and Have Some Fun A little farther down the wild-tame scale, is another shark experience. This is the Midnight Shark Hunt, run from around 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. by Captain "Tiger Bob" aboard his boat called the Sashimi. The captain treats these mamo (sharks were sacred in ancient Hawaii) with the utmost respect, and so the "hunt" is strictly catch-and-release. Usually one or two sharks are caught, but some nights as many as a half-dozen of several different kinds are hauled in. The fare for this kind of aquatic nightlife is $125 per person, including refreshments. Reservations may be made from Sportfish Hawaii, whose Web site is sportfishhawaii.com, and toll-free phone is 877-388-1376. If sharks are not your cup of saltwater, you might opt for something called the "Manta Ray Madness," launched by Kona Coast Divers on the Big Island of Hawaii every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This is a scuba experience that begins at sunset and continues after dark, when these gentle graceful creatures with 8- to 10-foot wing spans swoop in to feed on plankton drawn by very bright undersea lights, swirling around the divers in the process. The cost is $145, including the necessary equipment. Kona Coast maintains a Web site at konacoastdivers.com, and may be reached by phone at 808-329-8802. There are lots of guided hikes in the Aloha State, but one that includes a zippy difference is run by Maui's Skyline Eco Adventures on the slopes of the sleeping volcano called Haleakala. This one features a zipline, a method of sliding down the mountain on a wire. Tours are offered twice daily, and the price is $69--$10 less if booked online. Skyline maintains its Web site at skylinehawaii.com, or the Borens may be reached by phone at 808-878-8400. 3. Something Unusual, but Basically a Piece of Cake. An activity that sounds much more daring than it really is, is the Kohala Mountain Kayak Cruise, which recently changed its name to Flumin' da Ditch. This one is considered good family fun. It means you and the kids board some rubber kayaks and then traverse about 3.5 scenic miles of the extensive freshwater ditches that were used to irrigate sugar and pineapple fields on the Big Island of Hawaii. There's a bit to learn in the pre-cruise briefing. You have to be sure to keep your head down, for example, when your craft carries you through some of the dark tunnels en route and stay in the boat when bridging deep ravines. Everyone carries paddles, and each boat has a guide who keeps things moving along and tells something of the history of the flumes, originally built in the 19th Century. There is one morning and one afternoon trip, seven days a week. Adults are charged $88.54, with tax. Youngsters 5-18 sail away for $67.71. More information is on their Web site at flumindaditch.com, or by toll-free phone at 877-449-6922. Another special experience that makes some nervous until they do it once has been offered for the past 20 years by Soar Hawaii, the premier glider ride operation on Oahu. Tow planes whisk your sailplane aloft from the Dillingham Airfield, and then cut your craft loose. You and your licensed pilot can take advantage of steady trade winds to keep you aloft riding thermals and circling this way and that for as long as you want to pay. Per-person prices are set on a gliding scale that ranges from $49 for 10 minutes to $99 for a full hour. If you want the pilot to go through some aerobatics, there is a $49 surcharge. Soar Hawaii's Web site is soarhawaii.com, or you can phone "Mr. Bill" at 808-637-3147. Copyright © 2004, Chicago Tribune
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