hey guys! so i have a few questions for any one who lives in hawaii (oahu) or have been there. i recently got admitted to hawaii pacific university with a fairly large scholarship, and plan on moving out there next summer! has any one ever attended this school? if so whats the school like? since its on oahu im assuming some great surf relativly close to the campus? any general tips or advice? also a little background info on me, i live in the cold area known as new hampshire, summer the water gets up to around 60 on a nice day and in the winter (when the best surf comes) around 34-36 degrees.
HPU occupies buildings in several places on the island. Part of the campus is on the windward side of the island the other part is in town. Don’t know where you’d be living, so I can’t say how close you’d be to the surf, but it won’t be far away unless you go out to the north shore which will take an hour or more. Any surf in town takes about 5 - 15 minutes to get to depending on traffic and another 10-15 minutes to paddle out.
You will be quite warm compared to what you have now. I think cold water here is 70-80 degrees, maybe closer to 80. Air temps range from cold cold which is low 60’s in the coldest part of winter to sticky hot which is muggy high 80s low 90s.
hey thanks for the response! im gunna be in the downtown campus, thats alot warmer than what im used too, geuss i wont nee my 6/5 rubber any more! whats the waves like year round on oahu in the honolulu area?
Don't bother to bring your surfboard.You can get boards for reasonable prices on Oahu. Thousands of them, Surfboards everywhere !!!! All shaped for island waves.You'll have fun ! Don't forget to study ! My stepson went to UH Manoa for 3 years on scholarships..He had so much fun that he lost his scholarships and had to drop out! This year he is working 2 jobs trying to pay for all the fun he paid for whith his credit cards !!!
Very true. The round trip board fees are equal to the price of a decent used board built for local waves. What works at The Wall won’t be well suited for HI.
The downtown campus is about 2 miles from Ala Moana park, and 3-4 miles from Waikiki. Add a few more to get around to Diamond head. The waves in town are mellow and fun compared to the North Shore, until the big summer swells hit then it can be dangerous. I prefer surfing during the midday after the dawn patrol is gone and before the after school/work crowd hits. Lots of old guys enjoying a relaxed pace. Some of the old guys are legends of the surfing past, and they still have it.
Problem with going to school in Hawaii is there are too many distractions. Great thing about going to school in Hawaii is having all these other things you can do.
My niece's husband came here to get his education. Fell in love with the waves and became a lifeguard. Somewhere along the way, he managed to get his teaching degree and today they are both teaching on the East Coast somewhere near the ocean in New Jersey. He still loves to surf.
Howzit sharkountry, If my memeory is right the record low in Hawaii at sea level is 53 degrees and I have already seen it dip into the high 40's here, can we say Brr. But at least we have forced air heating. Aloha,Kokua
HPU caters to international students so there’s a neat mix.
Also several Miss Hawaii’s were students at HPU including the current Miss Hawaii.
Housing will be interesting I believe they rent out some complex in Waikiki for students.
You will be blown away by the weather, the waves, the beauty and the view from the lineup towards land and in the water. Lots of girls surfing in town these days and most don’t use those old boys clothes anymore.
Focus will be tough
And I’m happy to report that the aloha here is strong and the original swaylockers prove it everyday behind the scenes even though most don;t post anymore for one reason or another.
Just got back from Kauai and spent some quality minutes talking story with Ambrose, Robin Mair and Peter Kahapea (PPK). Even got to meet Steve Lis and some other legends like Gene Hall after surfing hanalei(beautiful wave) with a friend. There’s so much aloha still out there if you just let it find you.
In otherwords you don’t take it
you let it come.
Only one missing was kokua but we know he’ll be back “home” agian one day.
On Oahu,you’ll find Honolulu, UncleD, Manoa, Blane, Foamdust, Bud, Mark and many others that do the same.
I don’t think you’ll regret coming other than the cost of living
well mcding, i do know a good deal about the university but i was looking for real people to give me real feedback seeing as what you read on the college website as well as other sites is not always true.
Thanks for the feedback every one, sounds like its gunna be a good time! what are the waves like out there, generaly speaking in the honolulu area?
thanks richard
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WHAT? How are the waves....... Generally they will be from kick ass, too.... Kick your ass. Hawaii waves move faster and have more power than almost any place on the mainland....or in the world. In Honolulu most paddle outs are approximately 1/4 mile or more, so some fitness or at least a strong set of rotorcuff are in order. Crowd control is always swift and justice. If you expect to be tolerated by the local crowd, your surfing margin for error should be exactly 89-98% accurate...meaning, take and make all waves given to you. Paddle back out with a smile and a thank you on your face.
How are the waves??? Oh my GOD, they are Fantastic. I think one of my favorite waves in the world is Threes. Kaisers is great. Pop's, Queens. etc. All are fairly mellow, but when it gets over head high it starts to pump. It gets crowd, and you better be on your game.........remember that margin for error thingy.
Here's your 67 surf spots within walking distance.............How's the Surf...what kind of question is that??
Aloha Bernie, Sorry I wasn't there to roundout the crew but it sounds likeyou met some of the best people that live on Kauai. How about that Gene Hall ,what a character for sure and he is one of the few that still keeps in touch with me. Glad you got to meet Stevie also and hope you gat to talk about some Fish shapes with him. what is strange is I never got to know Robin and it's hard to miss people in Hanalei since it is a small town. Glad you had fun and yes I hope to get back some day andget together with you and your brother. Aloha,Kokua
if you do come take a course in hawaiian history, philosophy or haiku and then take a trip over to Marta’s Boat on Kauai and visit with the illustrious Wizard of Waipouli. Sadly I wasn’t able to spend as much time as I would’ve liked learning about the history and beauty of their little piece of heaven but I am hooked and will be back soon to share some waves and some crafts with all the wonderful people there that I learned so much from in such a short amount of time.
and when you visit buy a hand printed shirt to support world peace, and help keep Marta’s Boat afloat.
