Friday, August 17, 2007

Best Time to watch the Green Flash in Hawaii

Beautiful like a Green FlashHawaii Vacation Recommendation Visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Dear Best Hawaii Vacation blog visitors,
Let's get back to some more fun themes for their Hawaii vacation. When you visit Hawaii, the time of the sunset is always a very special moment. You are finally relaxing with some nice Hawaiian music and a beautiful hula dancer gracefully moving to Hawaiian tunes and a so much 'needed' Maitai. The Hawaiian sunset starts to change the skies to the most amazing colors. Let it sink in. You are on vacation in Hawaii. You are in Paradise!

Now, the moment of truth is here...will there be a 'green flash' or not? What, you have never heard about a green flash in Hawaii? I must admit, you are not alone. Most of our guests at our Hawaii vacation rentals have never heard about it and most of them left the island without having seen the green flash, even after we made them aware of this Hawaiian sunset miracle moment. I kept record of the green flashes I have seen during 15 years in Hawaii: 7 green flashes but each of it was Wow!!!! You won't forget it and talk about this tenth (or hundredth?) of a second moment for a long time.

Here is what I've experienced and learnt. The 'Green Flash' can be glimpsed when the last portion of the sun disappears under the horizon. It requires a very clear horizon. Even the smallest cloud or a little haze will interfere. Hawaii is actually one of the rare places where the Green Flash is quite common. However, still one has to be extremely lucky to see this splash of intense emerald light appearing on the horizon in the blink of an eye at the final moment of sunset. Don't be fooled by the 'Fool's Flash' the greenish after-image by looking directly into the sun, which can be very dangerous anyways and should be avoided. Best Places Hawaii has written a nice article on the question: Is the green flash is a symptom of too much sun or too many Maitais?

How can you watch the green flash best? Look away until only the very top of the sun's disk is about to disappear below the horizon. I'd always put dark glasses on and keep the sunsetting motion in peripheral vision till the last second (better hundredth of a second), when the sun disappears under the horizon. The Green Flash is an experience you could blink and miss. We have seen that happen to our friends who have been living in Hawaii for over 20 years.

The ocean was totally calm, the horizon was perfect and we all waited lined up on the beach. And...it was one of the most perfect green flashes we have ever seen! Up to this day, our friends don't know what we have seen. So stay alert but don't stare in the sun, you will get your chance of the Green Flash. It's not a mirage or a legend. I found this amazing Green Flash photo to prove it.

Sorry no green flash photo in my Hawaii photo album. To take a photo of the green flash is more than a challenge. I would not want to know how many attempts it took this experienced photographer to get this great shot of the green flash. Last but not least, I would not want to try to explain the physical reason for this special phenomenon, but if you are interested, visit this site for reading up on green flash terminology.

As usual, we cannot resist to ask you 'Have you ever seen a green flash?' and if so, what do you think of it? Can't wait to hear from you about your Green Flash experiences in Hawaii.

Mahalo and aloha, Pua Kohala Coast Vacation Guide
p.s.
Our Best Hawaii Vacation blog post girl today is Kai from WahineStyle.com.

No comments:

Post a Comment