Thousands of people from around all of Hawaii lined the streets of Ala Moana Boulevard and Kalakaua Avenue Sunday to watch parade marchers, floats, bands and other community participants in the 93rd Annual King Kamehameha Celebration Floral Parade.

Every year the people of Hawaii hold the parade in celebration and commemoration of the Hawaiian king Kamehameha.  Much preparation is needed including gathering fresh flowers to create the traditional Hawaiian leis and floats which will be used in the parade.  The parade gives visitors a glimpse of Hawaiian history and culture, and shows the pride and respect the people of Hawaii have for their culture and ancestors.

You know summer is here when you here the news, surf report, and especially locals talking about the south shore swell is here in Hawaii.  Every year in Hawaii during the summer months the southern coastlines of the Hawaiian islands are recepients of large ocean swells which make for some excellent surfing and bodyboarding conditions.

This weekend surfers were delighted to here that there would be a swell on the southern shores of Oahu with wave heights of between 5 to 8 feet, which is pretty much perfect for waves around Waikiki and Ala Moana.

Although the large swells can be exciting for experienced surfers it is also a hazard for the unsuspecting tourist, and usually during the summer months these swells keep the lifeguards on the south shore very busy – this weekend was no exception.  Hawaii’s lifeguards were reported to have performed 19 rescues, 35 assists, and 563 warnings on Oahu’s southern shores just during the weekend.  If your visiting Hawaii and not familiar with the ocean waters you should be very cautious about entering the high surf.  Experienced  surfers make it look very easy catching the large waves, but this can be very deceiving as tourists can get caught up in strong currents if they aren’t familiar with the waters.

The weather service announced that the high surf will continue on the south and east shores of Oahu through Monday as swells arrive from a storm near Easter Island.  Waves can get as big as 7 to 10 feet high.  So have fun, but remember to stay safe out there!

If you live in Hawaii you probably already know that swine flu has made its way to Hawaii and the amount of new cases keeps growing on the islands.  How could you not?  The swine flu topic has been all over the news and media outlets the last couple of weeks.  On May 5, Hawaii reported the first case of swine flu and the number of new cases have grown to 30 as of today when four new cases of swine flu were identified.

The impact of swine flu on Hawaii’s economy is probably greater than any other place in the United States because Hawaii’s main economy is tourism, and the recent cases of swine flu in Hawaii, and around the world for that matter, have put a damper on the tourism industry.

The amount of Japanese tourists visiting Hawaii have decreased since the first case of swine flu was reported in Hawaii.  This decrease in tourists will amount to millions of dollars in lost revenue to Hawaii even though the swine flu cases in the state are mild compared to other areas around the world.

Many hospitality businesses who cater to tourists have noticed the down swing in business and have said it continues to get worse.  Airlines and hotels have seen a rise in cancellations and less new bookings over the past two weeks and expect it to continue until there are no more new cases of the swine flu in Hawaii.

With an already slowing tourism industry because of the global economic crisis, swine flu in Hawaii has given an even bigger blow to Hawaii’s tourism industry.

A pod of pygmy killer whales have been located roaming around the shallow ocean waters near Kihei Maui for about a week now.  The island of Maui is famous for its whale watching tours during whale season so it’s not unusual for whales to be spotted around the deep waters of Maui, but this is unusual in that pygmy killer whales are rarely seen even around Maui, and the fact that they are lingering so close to the Kihei shore about 120 yards of the coast is very unusual.

This type of behavior usually means something is wrong with the mammal,  sometimes a signal the whales could be sick and might be ready to beach itself on the shore.  NOAA officials have been monitor the pod since they were spotted and will continue to monitor them in case any action needs to be taken to help the whales in the event they do come ashore.

Around the world May 1st may be known as a holiday called May Day, but since 1928 when writer and poet Don Blanding suggested a holiday be created specifically around the Hawaiian custom and culture of lei making, May 1st has been known as Lei Day in Hawaii.

This upcoming May 1st will be no different when everyone in Hawaii is encouraged to wear a lei and events will be held all throughout Hawaii during Lei Day. If your visiting Hawaii on May 1st you’ll be able to experience this uniquely Hawaiian holiday first hand when you notice top executives in Hawaii’s corporations, politicians, workers in the hospitality and tourism industry, as well as everyday people wearing leis to celebrate Lei Day. In addition, there will be numerous events throughout the Hawaiian islands like lei-making contests, festivals, and converts.

One popular event on the island of Oahu for Lei Day is the 2009 Waikiki Lei Day celebration which is held in Kapi’olani Park. During the Waikiki Lei Day celebration there will be contests, exhibits, workshops and a crowning of a Lei Day Queen. So if you have some time and your on the island of Oahu we suggest you drop by Kapiolani Park for some fun-filled events and activities.

Remember, “May Day is Lei Day” in Hawaii!

Last month was the final month in which the Hawaii Superferry was in service due to a Hawaii Supreme Court ruling which prohibited the Alakai, the actual name of the ship, from continuing service.  The ruling which suspended services stated that the Hawaii State government allowed the Superferry to operate without doing an assessment on it’s environmental impact, which was unconstitutional.

The Hawaii Superferry started service in August 2007, providing passenger and vehicle transportation between the islands of Hawaii.  Because of protests and legal issues on Maui and Kauai service was only provided between Honolulu Harbor on Oahu and Kahului Harbor on Maui.  It seems like there were so many roadblocks from the beginning, and it doesn’t look like the inter-island transportation service will be back anytime soon.

So say goodbye to the Hawaii Superferry…