The Big Island splits its surf almost exactly down the middle: Hilo's black sand river mouth on the wet east side, and the Kona Coast's rocky, sun-drenched breaks on the west. Both sides are consistent enough to build a real shoot around, and neither gets the photographer traffic Oahu or Maui does.
Honoli'i Beach Park, Hilo
Honoli'i Beach Park sits about two miles north of downtown Hilo, reached by a steep concrete staircase down to a black sand beach where Honoli'i Stream meets the ocean. The break offers smaller nearshore waves for beginners and a larger, more powerful break roughly 100 yards out for experienced surfers, and because Hawaii Island's east side lacks the reef structure of the Kona Coast, this is considered the most important surf break for Hilo's local community. On bigger swell days, crowds gather along the cliffside road above the park, which doubles as a natural, elevated shooting position with a clean line of sight to the main break.
Kohanaiki, better known as Pine Trees
Kohanaiki Beach Park, about seven miles north of Kailua-Kona on the Kona Coast, is known locally as Pine Trees and produces consistently good waves over a rocky bottom with a strong shore break, more suited to surfing than swimming. Beyond the surf itself, the park carries real historical weight, with ancient shrines, fish ponds and petroglyphs on the property, and it doubles as a popular sunset gathering spot, which gives a photographer working the golden hour two subjects in the same frame.
Two coasts, two different looks
Hilo's east side is wetter, greener and shot through with the black volcanic sand that gives the whole coastline a darker, moodier look. The Kona Coast is drier and brighter, with the kind of light most people picture when they think of Hawaii. A photographer who works both sides of the island in the same trip comes away with a genuinely different portfolio from either half alone.
Selling what you shoot
Upload the session to Surf Snaps and it becomes a watermarked, shoppable gallery that surfers can search for by sport, location and date, so someone who surfed Honoli'i on a given morning can find themselves without ever knowing who shot it. You keep 90 percent of every sale, paid out monthly by bank transfer, and you keep the copyright to every file. The mechanics are on the how it works page, and the fee details are on the FAQ. For the equivalent guides to the other islands, see the best places to photograph surfers on Kauai and Maui surf photography.
One small step
If you are based on the Kona side, make the drive to Honoli'i once and shoot the cliffside view above the park. The black sand and the community feel of the break produce a set that looks nothing like anything shot on the Kona Coast.
