North Shore | Sunset Stand Up Paddle Boarding in Haleiwa

Despite what these photos show – a North Shore paddle boarding  excursion on the Anahulu River in Haleiwa –  we spent the bulk of our day at a strip mall Starbucks, the same one we visited the day before to watch a movie. The reason for this was we received word in the wee hours of the morning that Sly’s grandmother had passed away. We didn’t get much sleep as we stayed up most of the night talking about Sly’s grandmother and debating our options for the remainder of our time in Oahu.

Without access to the Internet at camp, and with limited data allowed on our sim cards, we drove to Starbucks and spent the entire day searching for and rescheduling flights and changing our plans for the rest of our trip.

On top of this, we received a recent message that, despite best efforts by our kitty caretakers, Max and Rufus were still having difficulties adjusting to their new surroundings (still hiding, not eating, etc.). By this point it had been weeks since our kitties had been kenneled in another home so we agreed that I would return to Korea on my original flight whereas Sly booked a last minute flight to LA to be with family.

Towards the end of the day, after all arrangements had been made, we found a paddle boarding company that gave private lessons for a relatively reasonable price and booked a last- minute sunset tour with them.

Sly really didn’t feel like doing much of anything but sometimes being outdoors is the best therapy. Our evening sunset paddle boarding excursion in Haleiwa turned out to be exactlywhat we needed. We took to paddle boarding immediately, loving it the moment we placed our first wobbly steps on our board. This was totally our thing.

Paddle boards are extremely stable and we required very little skill to get started. The only time things became a little dicey was when the water became a little rough or when a sharp turn was involved. Even then it was just as easy to drop to our knees if needed and ride it out.

We paddled from Waialua Bay, learning basic paddle boarding technique along the way, until we reached the mouth of the Anahulu River. Our young guide took us down the calm river where we were instantly surrounded by sea turtles bobbing their heads up for air all around us. I kept joking that one of the sea turtles would either jump out of the water and bite me or come up under my board and tip it over but of course that didn’t happen. Sea turtles are such gentle, beautiful creatures and it was pure magic to be able to see them again in the wild.

The sun began to set just as we reached the turnaround point on the river. Our guide instructed us to take a break and enjoy the moment so we did. We sat on our boards, legs dangling in the water, sea turtles everywhere, sipped on bottled water and exchanged stories and food recommendations.

With all that had happened in the last 24 hrs it was nice to have a moment to slow down, be present, and truly appreciate our beautiful surroundings.

After a couple of hours on the water we paddled back to shore, guided by yet another brilliant golden sunset.

The water was just slightly less calm than the river we spent the evening paddling down and several times a bigger (but still small) wave wobbled our boards. A few times we thought for sure we would be sent flying in the water, but thankfully we never did. We stayed balanced on top of our boards the entire way back, slowly growing accustomed to feeling the water beneath our boards. Soon it felt like second nature.

We could have spent the entire day paddling.

Back on shore we Sly helped drag our boards on the beach and chatted some more with our guide and his extended family. I quickly changed out of my surfsuit, slipped on some sandals and watched the remainder of the day gently dip into night.

What would a sunset be without a few selfies?

Afterward, we drove to Haleiwa and ate at a wonderful little Thai food-truck-turned-restaurant recommended to us by our guide. We ate until we couldn’t eat another bite, and even then we wished we could eat more.

Few things in the world are more comforting than a day outdoors, a beautiful sunset, and a good meal. Our hearts were sad, but they were also so very full. It was a difficult day but we made the best of it. Together.

DETAILS

Rainbow Watersports | COST: $69/pp group tour, $99/pp 2-person private tour (less if you have more people) | DESCRIPTION: We tried to paddle board several times during the week but, after being lazy beach bums, we never really solidified plans or made reservations. You can find an outfitter at pretty much any beach along the North Shore, usually giving group lessons either in the morning or in the afternoon. We stopped at one of these beaches and tried signing up for a class but after seeing the group size and feeling the blazing hot sun overhead, we thought no way. As it turned out we found Rainbow Watersports via an online search and chose them because they had great reviews and because the per person cost for a private lesson for two wasn’t exorbitantly more than if we had gone as part of larger group. The other reason we selected this outfitter was because we could set a time that would work for us, which just so happened to be later in the day around sunset as we spent the first half or our day making travel arrangements. On top of that, because we were taking private instruction, our guide also served as our cameraman! It was nice to not have to worry about taking photos for once! (Photos were downloaded and sent via email to us a couple weeks later). The meeting point is near Haleiwa Beach Park and was easy to find. Once in the water, we were easily able to stand on top of our boards and paddle. There’s not much of a learning curve though there are definitely some techniques that help in steering, turning, etc. It’s super easy to pick up and I think anyone of any skill or athletic ability can easily paddle board. Our guide took us down the Anahulu River which was literally swimming with sea turtles. I wasn’t even expecting it so it was an awesome surprise. The entire trip took about two hours or so, give or take. | VERDICT: Highly recommended. In particular I would recommend getting a private tour. It was so nice to be able to go at our own speed on our own time, not to mention have the time to really get to know our guide. There are a ton of paddle board outfitters operating on the North Shore, but we were really happy with Rainbow Watersports. When we returned home from our trip we had a hand-written thank you card waiting for us from our guide. We would definitely use them again.