Sailing in the Trade Winds off Waikiki

Sailing off Waikiki is one of our favorite things to do in Hawaii. This area of water off the south shore of Oahu is great for sailing since it's in the leeward shadow of Diamond Head crater that shelters the area from the consistent Trade Winds and seas from the east. The Trade Winds are named that because in the north Pacific Ocean the prevailing wind and current pattern follows a clockwise direction that flows from the east north east from California to Hawaii and it historically made it easy for trading ships to sail down wind from the mainland. This is also why the east side of the islands are called the "windward" side and the west side are "leeward" as this wind pattern is common about 90% of the time. The Trade Winds also bring rain so the windward sides of the islands are more green and jungly and the west sides are usually drier. The south side of Oahu is considered to be on the leeward side though it's more of a transitional zone.

Most people get their Hawaii sailing experience booking one of the many catamaran sailing tours that operate from the beach or out of Kewalo harbor. You can go sailing off Waikiki with a charter company like Pink Sails or Hawaii Nautical. We are lucky that we happen to have our own classic Alberg 35 monohull, s/v Gemini, docked in Ala Wai harbor. You'll be hearing more about our beloved old boat as she's featured prominently in many of Lani Shades product photos. It was while staring up at the sun, trimming Gemini's old sails where we first got the inspiration to start a sunglasses company. If you're looking for the best sunglasses to wear for sailing, check out our collection of UV400 Polarized wood and bamboo sunglasses. Lani Shades naturally float and if they float away, that's less plastic trash in the ocean. We also plant a tree for each one we sell with One Tree Planted.