Video Transcript

This specific video is the island of Oahu, and it's relation to the tours and activities that we have.

More importantly, the Activities that are somewhat specific to Oahu that you won't be able to find anywhere else for a number of reasons. That's what we're going to be talking about. First of all, Oahu is really the second major island that came up in the Hawaiian chain, second oldest.

You've got Kauai, with the adjacent small island of Oahu that are about 73 miles to the northwest, but this was then the second island to come up out of the sea. It's about 3 million years old, it has two main ridges or mountain ranges Waianae and Ko?olau. It's the third largest of Hawaiian islands, just barely larger than the island of Kauai. The main thing about this particular island is the population center for all of Hawaii. There are more people that lived on this island than all of the other islands combined.

You've got Honolulu, Waikiki, and it is a giant population center. It's kind of a big city in the middle of the ocean, no other city or metropolis in any of the Hawaiian Chain even compares with the bigness of the big city aspects of what you've found in Oahu. Essentially, maybe you want to ask the question of why is that, why did it develop that way? I think primarily it had to do with these amount of blue that you're seeing here, which is Pearl Harbor. Kind of an extensive harbor area that's there and that allowed in the mid-1800s for a lot of the trade that developed between Asia, Americas, and Hawaii being right in the center but it was a port that was protected.

The trade happened here and it was just built upon itself. The more things that were traded, the more buildings that were built, the more cities that were established, the more workers that were needed and it just kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy in regard to having the island developed. There's no question that it is just developed beyond right now. The Activities that are available and unique in some ways to Oahu.

Some of them are born just simply through the fact that, there is this huge population, and then there are some specific geological reasons that we have certain of the Activities that are unique to Oahu. First with regard to the fact that we have so many people. It just kind of gradually came about as a result of that fact that Oahu developed Attractions.

Kind of tourist Attractions that you might see in other types of cities, big zoos, and that sort of thing that the other cities have. This has its share of Attractions that you would not see in any other of the Hawaiian islands.

There are four major ones that you can find here. The one that everyone wants to go and see without question is Pearl Harbor. It is the center of the World War II activity and the bombing there, and all the history that's there we've got the Arizona Memorial, the Battleship Missouri, Bowfin Submarine, we've got all the museums about the aircraft and so much going on there and you could get lost. The better part of the day wandering around and seeing it all, it's very interesting.

You can actually get there for yourself, it's not far from Honolulu and from Waikiki, and just go see some of these attractions. It's a little bit easier I think because it get so congested and kind of try to figure it all out there to take some of that we have that include all these things with the group that's kind of taking care of you and you're kind of organized and then you know what's happening.You get the most for your time there and then they take you back to your hotel, usually, they pick you up at your hotel and then return.

The second one is way up at the top here, kind of the north end of the island is the Polynesian Cultural Center. This is a very large attraction although it's so far away, it's something that many people go visit. Essentially what it is, it's a grouping of all of the various Polynesian cultures in the South Pacific, little villages that are set up in one little area that you can see how each of the different Polynesian people will live.

How they're different from one another. The different style of homes they have, their lifestyles, their different dances and the cultural aspects of each individual island. You just go from one to another. You just kind of walk through it and you can definitely spend the day there. They also got a beautiful Polynesian show that they do in the evening and a Luau. They've got an IMAX Theater. A lot of things going on there, it is very popular as a tourist Attraction. Going down the coast further here, we've got the Kualoa Ranch. The Kualoa Ranch is in the valley that is very beautiful that has a lot of the movie pictures that you've seen over the course of years have been filmed there.

You'll recognize a lot of the vistas and ridges and kind of views when you see it, and lots and lots of movie productions have gone on there over the course the years. They have a lot of things they do there. They actually have a tour that takes you around to the different parts of the valley where they talk about the movies that were made there. They also have Horseback Riding, they've got ATV Rides, they've got a little jungle excursions, they have a Snorkeling thing that they're doing. There's a lot that it could be done there in the course of the day, so that's a big Attraction.

Further down the coast a little bit this side of Kailua, Waimanalo area. You'll find the Sea Life Park. This is a really giant aquarium that has a lot of fishes and sea life, and they also have shows that go on there. Where you can see the sea lions and the seals, the Dolphins, and you've got turtle exhibits and all sorts of things. But you can actually get into the water with the Dolphins, you can swim with them, you can touch them, that's really hands-on and very popular. That's another one of the big Attractions that we have on Oahu. The other thing that's kind of related to the population, in general, is the fact that everything that happens in Oahu is like giant size.

We have a number of Luaus that are there and they're quite big, they're not all really big but a lot of them are like you can have a thousand people. It's just fun going to a Luau with groups like that, same can be said of the Dinner Cruises. We've got Dinner Cruise boats that have 4 levels to them that can handle different groupings on each level, different types of dinners, different pricing.

Anyway, you're out with a big group of people, that sort of happens all throughout Oahu as you walk to the streets and do all the things you're always with larger groups of people. The other thing that kind of plays into that larger groups of people thing is that we've got nightlife that happens in Oahu that you're really not going to be able to see on any other of the Hawaiian islands, so if you're into doing some nightlife things, some Dinner Shows, Theater and that kind of thing. Honolulu, Waikiki that's the place that you're going to do it.

There are also some other things that deal with the geography of the island that provides for some really unique and unusual types of tours and Activities. One of them, this little point you could see out here. This is called Kaena Point and on the upper side, the north side of it is a runway that we have there where the planes land, and that's where we do our glider rides. You're not going to find this anywhere else in Hawaii.

These are gliders that are pulled up in the air by a rope with another plane that tows it up. You get up to maybe 3000 feet, and then they set you loose. They let the cord go and then you're in this glider, which is flown by a pilot.

You're just a passenger, one or two passengers can be in them and then you circle around this area, you get to see the North Shore, Waianae Mountains, and all the beautiful surroundings but primarily you get to have the experience of being flying like a bird of something and then get to know what's it like and it's very silent. Just the woosh of the airs that goes by. It's really kind of a different kind of activity if you haven't done anything like that. Anyway, that's unique to Oahu.

On the other side of Kaena Point, we have the Dolphins. Dolphins are found in all the Hawaiian islands, but it's rare to be able to actually get in the water with wild dolphins. There are only two places in Hawaii can happen. One is on The Big Island, and one is right here off this coastline. It is very popular and very exciting for people to do this. You actually get in the water, you do Snorkeling too and that sort of thing but primarily the ideas you want to get into a situation where the Dolphin's will kind of Cruise up to you, and you get a first-hand look at them.

It's amazing, there are other videos that we have to discuss that particular activity which is really good, but just keep in mind, that's one of the things that's unique or fairly unique with regard to Oahu. In addition to that, this is completely unique. This is not gonna happen on any other island, up to the top here we have Haleiwa, it has a harbor and about 3 miles off the coast we have our Shark Adventures. Where you can actually take one of the boats that we have from Haleiwa Harbor, go out and actually get in the water in a cage with Live Sharks. Generally, the Galapagos Sharks but these are big. I mean, we're talking 10-feet, 11-feet, and even bigger, and one of those things that's a real excitement.

It is one of the major 22 attractions that we have that's available only on Oahu. Another thing that we do on Oahu that is slightly different, off of the beautiful Kailua Beach. You can't really see it but there are a couple of very small islands off of the coastline of Kailua called the Mokuluas, and we have Kayak Tours that leave from the beach there in Kailua, and you paddle across a mile or so and actually land on these little islands. They're just like perfect little islands.

They've got their little windward side and their leeward side, beautiful Snorkeling, giant coral heads on the way across the bay to get out to them. These make a great day for sure. There's no place else in Hawaii that you can actually get in the Kayak and go to another island and be there. Just standing there looking back in Oahu.

Those are the main things happening on Oahu, that are unique to the island and are things that you should kind of be thinking about in terms of things that you might want to do when you're come to visit Oahu.

These are the Unique Activities.