Halawa Heights, HI Outdoor Activities

Green flags set tires squealing inside Podium Raceway Hawaii's 44,000-square-foot facility as up to 12 drivers jockey the emission-free electric karts for a podium finish. Two straightaways send floored pedals toward top speeds of up to 45 miles per hour, and four hairpin turns test karts’ handling and drivers’ ability to steer with their ponytails. Drivers can take to the track during individual races, professionally taught clinics, or as part of a league that doles out prizes to its speediest participants.

Acroflight International's FAA–certified pilots grant sightseers a nene's-eye view of the North Shore and verdant landscape of Waimea Valley Adventure Park, which stretches across 1,800 acres of land. Inside blissfully quiet gliders, lush greenery and azure waters pass by underfoot as pilots wend their way toward waterfalls, shorelines, and remote sea cliffs, or hop to a nearby island. In stark contrast to these serene jaunts, aerobatic flights turn Hawaii on its head with flips, spins, and twirls that experienced acrobatic pilots customize to suit each passenger’s adrenaline levels.

Hawaiian WaterSports set up shop with the intention of equipping residents and visitors with everything they need to enjoy the aqua waves and waterways of Hawaii. The shop realized that goal with two locations, each stacked to the gills with surfboards, kiteboards, kayaks, snorkeling equipment, and books on how to beat mermaids at Marco Polo. Hawaiian WaterSports is an official IKO kiteboarding center and its IKO-certified instructors teach students wind theory and the skills necessary to set up, launch, and ride their own kiteboard. Expert surfers on staff can also take squads of aquatic adventures out into the curling sea for lessons specifically designed to get beginners hanging ten and perfecting balancing technique for future limbo competitions.

When it comes to spearfishing, Westside Dive and Tackle founder Kris Tyler considers using scuba tanks as cheating. So when he suits up to spearfish, the seasoned outdoorsman plunges 20 feet below the water’s surface, holds his breath in the stillness, and waits: “You become a part of the reef or rock, and you wait for the perfect situation—for the one fish that might give you that really good shot.” A self-described “water baby,” Kris has been swimming and fishing in Hawaii and Florida since childhood. Most of all, he loves the way spearfishing enables him to connect with the underwater universe and partake in a tradition Hawaiians have enriched for generations.

In addition to his spearfishing expeditions, Mr. Tyler totes explorers to his favorite sunken wrecks and lava caverns off the coast of Oahu on scuba-diving charters, and equips them to chart their own expeditions or challenge blowfish to staring contests during scuba-diving certification.

With more than 22 years of experience as a professional surfer and parasailer, Greg Longnecker knows how to master unruly waves and harness coastal winds. He shares his adrenaline-charged experiences with clients with the aid of USCG-certified crews at X-Treme Parasail. They lead many of their ocean voyages aboard the Honolulu Screamer, a vibrant water-propelled jet boat powered by twin C-12 engines.

The vessel cuts through coastal waves at up to 40 miles per hour as musical beats pump from its 20-speaker sound system, just below the decibel range of Poseidon's hearing. Greg and his captains alternatively provide tours up the Waikiki coastline, as well as jet-ski training and parasailing tours, which can send customers soaring up to 850 feet above the water's surface. On most excursions, participants may lay their eyes on Diamond Head and the Ko'olau Mountains, or turn seaward to gloat obnoxiously at green sea turtles and spinner dolphins.

X-Treme Parasail ferries clients along Honolulu's coastal waters by land, air, and sea with trolley, parasail, jet-ski, and powerboat rides with the option of hotel pickup. The staff and family of watersports enthusiasts who founded the business share a love of the region's coastal beauty. Tours aboard the custom-built Honolulu Screamer send passengers zooming amid Hawaii's diverse wildlife, and jet skis vie with motorcycle gangs of sharks for supremacy of the seas. For an aerial lay of the land, boats tow human kites above the ocean's azure playing field during parasail adventures.