If you live on Oahu you know that we’ve been having incredible sunsets all week. There’s vog (vog = smog caused by volcanic gases) in the air and as the sun sets, the skies glow red.

I was surfing on Saturday and noticed that the skies were completely overcast. Sometimes this ruins the sunset but other times the clouds actually intensify the redness of the sky. The clouds spread the colors of the sunset across the sky which then reflects off the ocean.

I took a gamble, cut my surf session short, went home to grab my camera gear and drove out to Portlock Point to see what the sunset would look like. The skies were grey the entire drive out to Hawai Kai. But right when I stepped out onto the cliffs at Portlock, I saw a sliver of pink on the horizon.

A few minutes later, I saw this. I was happy to see that I didn’t drive out there for nothing. The skies caught fire. Facebook and Instagram were flooded with photos of the sky as seen from my friends all across the island. It was an incredible sight.

As the sun set, the skies still glowed pink and purple but the water turned blue again. The intense red sky was a fleeting sight. It came and went in a matter of 15 minutes.

I just started learning how to take these types of photos so they are not nearly as clean as I wanted. But, I’m not sure when I’ll be able to catch this moment again. To be at this location and see this view was unreal.

See also:

• Learn more about Portlock Point

Just north of Makapu’u, on the windward side of Oahu, is the Makai Research Pier.

It’s a long pier that you can’t miss while driving up the coast. At the end of it, sits the office of Makai Ocean Engineering.

You can’t access the pier unless you work for the engineering company, but that’s fine. I came out here to take photos from below. UPDATE: I’ve been informed that the pier is open to the public on weekdays. This is great … I’m gonna have to check it out next time.

The posts form what looks like a tunnel.

Look up to see some cool textures.

Erosion eats away at the bottom sections.

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There is a dirt lot where you can park by the pier but don’t linger too long. I believe break-ins occur regularly around here. Or, if you plan to linger, don’t leave anything of value in your car.