Turtle Watching and Marine Biology in Hawaii
Filed under: Big Island, Big Island Activities, Hawaii - general, Jobs in Hawaii, Plants and Animals
Hey, just found your website because i was watching one of your videos on youtube, i’m a 17 year old biology and geography student from england and i’m hoping to become a marine biologist who specialises in sea turtles. and i want to come to hawaii in summer 2010, to get some great diving experiance, and to see alot of sea turtles and other marine life in their natural habitats. it seems like you know alot about hawaii, and you seem better then all my local travel reps and i was wondering which island would be best to stay at? where are sea turtles most common? and what good marine experiances are out there? your help would really help me to achieve my lifetime ambition thanks
I know there are marine biology programs at our local colleges here - have you contacted anyone at UH Hilo or UH Manoa?
Well, there are turtles on every island and you can see them easily anywhere in Hawaii - really. go down to the beach and there they are - just about any beach with rocks around somewhere. I think I will suggest the Big Island for you though, because the big island has many opportunites to see many turtles. There’s a little pool to the left of Onekehakaha beach where they come in to sleep at night and I’ve seen 12 or more at a time there. You can almost always see them at punaluu and kahaluu beaches.
Look into the big island - Hilo or Kona, I think it’s what you are looking for. Aloha! Lisa
i have just contacted both colleges that you told me about and i’m waiting for a reply id love to move over to hawaii and go to university their. but i dont quite understand how my qualifications will transfer into credits. i was wondering if their are any conservation scemes i can book myself on for the summer of 2010? preferably sea turtle ones. and if you know any good diving schools where i can get a qualification in diving? thankyou, been a great help. Aloha !
you’re welcome!
why don’t you look into positions at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. I know they have summer intern positions and they have seasonal openings. I also have heard that they sometimes hike out into the backcountry and camp on the beach to protect the turtles that come in to lay their eggs.
As for diving schools, there are tons. I wouldn’t look into this until you get here since you don’t know exactly where you’ll be.
Getting a Teaching Job in Hawaii
question
I’m considering moving to Hawaii to teach. Do you know what areas have a high need for teachers? Do you know of any particularly good districts? Ones to avoid? Or, do you know of any online resources with this kind of information? Thanks for any help you can offer.
answer
Well, I’m actually supremely unqualified to answer this question. I really know nothing about teaching in Hawaii, as I didn’t grow up here and my son is currently homeschooled. I will look around though and see what I can find. As for good districts and ones to avoid - I’m not sure what the qualifiers would be. There are what I would consider ‘more dangerous’ districts to jump right into - knowing nothing about them and the people who live there, in general in Hawaii, especially for a ‘fresh off the boat’ haole (white person) (if that’s what you are). One is Pahoa on the Big Island and another is Waianae on Oahu.
According to the Hawaii Department of Education teachers are most in need on the neighbor islands and outside of Honolulu on Oahu. The DOE also apparently does consistent recruiting to the mainland to try to bring teachers here. So it would seem that this would be your first line of attack - contact the DOE and see what they can do for you.
Your e-mail addy seems to indicate you currently work at a christian school. You can find a pretty good listing of Hawaii Christian Schools here. I have friends who go to Christian Liberty in Keaau. It’s a growing school and they like it.
Just as a side note, I have a good friend who moved here about two years ago because her husband was going to teach here. I know nothing about his skills as a teacher but I do know that he was a very kind and smart man. They moved back to the mainland a couple of months ago because he was unable to keep a teaching job, according to him. She said he had a job in the public school system and was pushed out of it because of some sort of discrimination. I have never experienced this discrimination myself, and neither has my husband when it comes to jobs here in Hilo, but I have heard a lot of people talk about it, especially recently. My husband and I moved here in 1995 and I don’t think the issues were as strong then, but recently mainlanders have been moving here in droves and driving up the cost of housing and sometimes making locals angry. Just something to be aware of. People moving here are not always welcomed with open arms by everyone.
If you moved near me, I’d welcome you, or anyone though! 
Finding Short-Term Work and Cheap Places to Stay in Hawaii
Filed under: Hawaii - general, Jobs in Hawaii, Most Popular Questions, Prices
Dear Lisa
I was surfing the web for info on Hawaii when I came across your great website. I’m a 19 year old girl currently living in Brussels, who’s planning on going to Hawaii from september ‘07 and staying for approx two or three months (90 days is maximum on a travel visa). My plan is to buy a plane ticket, book an acommondation for a week or two and then figure out what to do next.. My question is; how difficult is it to get a job on Hawaii? Thinking of jobs like bartender, lifeguard, waitress - basically whatever to get some cash. And is it absolutely necessary with a U.S work permit (which is kinda stressfull to get in my country), or is it possible to get work, and get paid in cash, and work - well, you get the picture.. “illegaly”.
My other question; is it possible to find a place to stay for 2-3 months? Obviously I can’t stay in an hotel or something pricey for such a long period of time. Is it possible to live somewhere for free if you help about, work for them etc ? Do you have any helpful advice?
I would really appreciate it if you would take time to answer my questions.
Thanks for a great site and happy new year by the way!
Well, especially right now, it’s pretty darn easy to get a job. Employees are *desperate* to hire because there are many more jobs than people right now. I don’t think you’ll have a problem. Unfortunately, I know NOTHING about getting a job under the table :).
Update! Now, in 2009, unemployment is going up a bit, so employers are probably not quite so desperate to hire anyone … but the rest of this post still stands, and in a few years employers will be desperate to hire again
I’ve never done it and I just don’t even know where one would start. I think that what you need is to get in on the Hawaii hostel scene. Hostels are places where people can stay for a while for free or cheap and they probably would be able to give you advice on where to get work. Start here: (hawaii hostels search at google) if you don’t know anything about hostels, and look for a forum where maybe you can get a contact before you come. Good luck! Have a great time! Lisa
I am a 21 year old college student who is considering moving to Hawaii to live for the summer 09 May-August. I just got back to Vermont, where I study and grew up, from a 5 month exchange in Sweden. While I was in Sweden I fell in love with a student who lives in Mexico. The distance is killing us and we both want to move some where new for the summer just to be together and work. I need some advice as to where to start looking.
I have a lot of waitressing experience in the US and a job of this manner would be fine for both of us. Mostly we just want to be together and experience a new place. Which island would you recommend we consider moving to? Do you think it pertinent that he apply for a working visa? Do many people move there just for the summer? Are there any local websites we could check for job listings and, most importantly, housing?
Well, I would say anyplace on Oahu, most places on Maui, or maybe even Kailua-Kona on the Big Island - although Honolulu-Waikiki, Oahu is your most obvious choice. I don’t want to advise on the visa - I don’t know anything about visas. People move here just for a few months all the time.
Craigslist is getting pretty big here - so check the Hawaii craigslist listings and the newspaper classifieds of whichever island you decide. Best of luck to you! Lisa