Mahalo to Rachel Barsha for sharing this lovely photo with us for Aloha Friday Photos.
Rachel’s photo shows Honolua Bay on the northwest side of Maui. As you can see it is tremendously beautiful.
Rachel took this photo on an August day in 2017. As this bay is somewhat north-facing the ocean conditions change seasonally. It late spring, summer and early autumn, it tends to be smooth. When the water is calm it’s fantastic for snorkeling. (See our Honolua snorkeling experience.)
Though Honolua Bay tends to be calm in summer months, it’s a different scene when winter swells come in. It attracts local surfers instead of snorkelers.
For a seasonal contrast, we thought it would be interesting to share a photo we took of Honolua Bay on a “wintery” January day. (Note that in comparison to the vantage point of Rachel’s photo, our photo was taken near the same point, but pivoted right towards the northern end of Honolua Bay.) Our photo doesn’t do justice to the height of the waves, but the abundant sea foam is clear evidence of more tumultuous ocean conditions.
Before going to any beach or bay, always check the safety first. A good place to check conditions is at HawaiiBeachSafety.com.
Happy Aloha Friday!
Sheila Beal
