Last year, football commentator John Madden correctly predicted a Saints victory. His eponymous game charts out a Steelers squeaker on Sunday, but a great many could care less. And I don't mean Packers fans.
The Super Bowl is the most wonderful time of the year for people who don't like football. Most of the nation on Sunday will be consumed with barbecue, pot luck and game time — people who otherwise would be crowding cool weekend activities. Here's our Hawaii recommends for all you pigskin haters out there.
Go surfing. Surfers LOVE the Super Bowl. The breaks empty out and there's less competition for waves. Plus, we've got back-to-back swells hitting the north and west sides this weekend, with a lowering of surf in between on Sunday. The North Shore and Makaha will be lovely for skilled surfers — with waves peaking at 20-ft+, it's for skilled surfers only.
Learn to surf. It will be flat in town, but Waikiki's Beach Boys and the crew at Hilton Hawaiian Beach Activities will show you proper stance and how to catch a wave — plus, when you go out, they'll push you onto the waves (no matter how small) for the duration of the lesson. You can also rent a board and check out East Oahu breaks which may pick up a little wrap from the large northwest swells. And there will be vastly fewer people for you to run into with your board.
Hit Makapuu Lighthouse Trail. This is a great beginner's hike with fantastic views for whale watching — but because of the gorgeous views and relative ease of the climb, the parking lot at the foot of the point gets packed on weekends. (They opened the parking lot a couple years ago to prevent people from parking dangerously on Kalanianaole Highway — now the lot fills and people still have to do it.) But parking should be a breeze on Sunday. Enjoy!
Take an ocean tour. The humpback whales, here for the winter season, are playing alongside dolphins, turtles and the rainbow of fish species that inhabit Hawaii's warm waters. More room on the boats means more opportunity to experience our richly biodiverse ocean. We offer these tours on our site:
Atlantis Submarines. You don't even have to get wet. Explore underwater worlds 100 feet below the surface in air-conditioned comfort. Launching from Waikiki, Maui and the Big Island.
Alli Nui snorkeling sail. Maui's south shore snorkeling and diving regions are among the best on Earth. Enjoy it from a sailing catamaran, launching from Maalaea Harbor.
If a power boat is more your thing and you prefer the afternoon to the morning, go cruising on the Pride of Maui for a later snorkel session. They also offer a dinner cruise.
If there were a place to challenge Maui's south shore and Hanauma Bay on Oahu for best snorkeling, it would be Kealakekua Bay on the Big Island. See it on a zodiac raft tour.
Go shopping. Ooh, empty stores full of staff ready to serve somebody — anybody! — and you've got them all to yourself because people are glued to their big screen TVs. Take advantage at the Royal Hawaiian Center, the DFS Galleria and the Hilton's shopping village, or wander away to to the local shopping meccas of Ala Moana Center and Oahu's only outlet mall.
Learn to surf. It will be flat in town, but Waikiki's Beach Boys and the crew at Hilton Hawaiian Beach Activities will show you proper stance and how to catch a wave — plus, when you go out, they'll push you onto the waves (no matter how small) for the duration of the lesson. You can also rent a board and check out East Oahu breaks which may pick up a little wrap from the large northwest swells. And there will be vastly fewer people for you to run into with your board.
