Hawaii Photos: Honolulu Sunrise

Dreaming of a Hawaii vacation? Today I’m sharing a photo diary of the sunrise in Honolulu!

If there’s one thing to know about me, I love a good Honolulu sunrise! Sure, getting out of bed when it’s pitch black outside isn’t the easiest but sunrise on Oahu does. not. disappoint.

Parking in Honolulu can sometimes be tricky, but at dawn, you can almost always find a spot to park at Ala Moana Beach Park (free), Fort Derussy (for military), or of course, in one of the many parking garages (open to all – costs money).

Sunrise Honolulu

What time to arrive is entirely dependent upon the time of year. Sunrise is between 5:45AM and 7AM, so plan accordingly and double check easily using this Hawaii sunrise and sunset chart.

I really like to be there before the sun actually rises, because it’s the best time to take photos of the pinky/orange/purple skies before the hot glow of the sun rises over Diamond Head Crater. Once that warm glow of the sun is out, your photos all have pretty harsh lighting…just my two cents!

Some of my favorite photos in this series are of the surfers on the water. To the naked eye, so many of the photos likely look the same, but if you pay close attention to the detail, you can see the movement in the water and of the surfers.

This style of photography can be hard to get – and one wind gust and your camera is donezo – so I was super happy with the end result! The pink clouds on the horizon never get old to me.