leaving the east coast

[zach619]

I know tons of guys who have done this. most of them were transplants living in socal. then they moved to maui etc.

I have thought of moving to hawaii;but after relocating from maryland to san diego, I feel like I hit the jackpot. great surf everyday. perfect weather (better than hawaii). the water in cali is 65 to 70 most of the year and bottoms out at a frigid 58 degrees.

so, I guess what im trying to say is this. I have never met anyone who has moved to hawaii and stayed there for good.

its hard enough to move from east coast to west coast. staying in touch with family is hard enough.

being stranded on rock in the south pacific makes things even harder.

so do your research. can't hurt to try.

im just saying most people do hawaii as a long term experiment and then go back to where they r from. its too big of a culture shock for people from cali even. so east coast to hawaii might rock ya.

go to hawaii, but if that doesn't work out, try out the west coast. consistent surf year round. and its all cities and jobs and reality.

[SkySurfnSnow]

My wife and I met a couple with kids in Maui (locals call it the white island) that had just moved from Orange County, CA. They were telling us that while beautiful and relaxing, it was very hard for them (Mainlanders) to make any local friends. They said they felt like outsiders and that the Hawaiians (even though they are Americans) were very cliquey.

In addition, the oldest child would get hazed quite brutally. Further still, the islands have a HUGE crystal meth problem and that almost 1 in 8 families have been directly affected by the drug.

Aside from above, my personal observations are:
an extreme two-class society with animosity between the two, do not say aloha or mahalo, overpriced golf courses, beautiful hawaiian women that like to surf with minimal clothing, the best Wowie in the world, and everything one could ever want in terms of eco-activities.

I would like to own a place there, but just to visit and rent out.
________
Suzuki RB50

[billabongmoney]

my aunt and uncle moved from Va to Hawaii due to a job transfer and really disliked it they had two school age children that absolutely feared school and the locals ,said they had a huge prob with rats when it would rain for a couple of days everything is super expensive really missed the family. i like living in the south i like having 4 seasons and yeah the waves suck but it just makes the good days count that much more

[DavidOlya]

my aunt and uncle moved from Va to Hawaii due to a job transfer and really disliked it they had two school age children that absolutely feared school and the locals ,said they had a huge prob with rats when it would rain for a couple of days everything is super expensive really missed the family. i like living in the south i like having 4 seasons and yeah the waves suck but it just makes the good days count that much more

Yeah, definetely some racism against the white man out there. Some are still mad about us 'taking' their land. You need to be careful who you piss off. But alot of natives are really cool, these are the people you want to make friends with. I did meet alot of people messed up on meth, so that is a problem there. As far as the rain goes, it all depends on where you are. Some areas, it seems like it never stops raining. In other areas like Waikiki, it is very rare to get any rain. Usually it is just a mist. It has something to do with how the trade winds blow over the mountains. Rain usually comes in from the North and can't make it over the mountains, so by the time it gets to the south it is just a mist. I don't really know all of the science behind it, but it is something like that.

[smitty517]

My brother and his family moved to Hawaii over 12 years ago. They lived on Big Island for 6 and has been on the North Shore since. He and his wife (and kids) surf and are straight crackers and they have never been hassled in or out of the water. There are pricks everywhere and yes some Hawaiians have issues with whitey but the vast majority are really kind folks. You do definately have to watch yourself as far as the drugs go. My brother leaves his car windows down so the meth heads don't break the windows cuz either way they are going through your car.

[zach619]

california natives aren't any nicer. its almost impossible to break into the local lineups here.

and even people who don't surf r ****heads. they r ll mad because east coasters made housing prices skyrocket 8 years ago when lik a million new endlander all moved here. the cali locals hate us because everyone from back east talks about why where they r from is so great. better pizza. better drivers. better sports teams. better nightlife. east coasters all leave the east coast but never stop ranting about how great they r.

the locals here basically say, then go the **** back there.

so locals will hate on people anywhere. not just hawaii.

I bet if I move to hatteras tomorrow, guys would say, here another guy from cali who thinks he owns the ocean. lets all go snale him. right?

[aconway76]

I just booked my one way flight to Hawaii a few weeks ago, leaving March 28th and never looking back. My fiance and I were lucky enough to line up jobs, she lived there for 4 years a couple years ago.

I will report back in a few weeks on how the move goes, but let me know if you have any questions.

[ECSURFR]

Yea i agree with BillabongMoney. The east coast is great. It makes us have a greater appreciation for the ocean and getting waves. How many people on the west coast or Hawaii are going to jump at the chance to get in and surf stomach high waves? Theyre all spoiled with waves out there and loose the appreciation for surf.

I myself have been thinking about a move. All my life i have wanted to live in CA and have great surf all year round, but who wants to go there now? Unemployment is up over 10% already and still on the incline and the state itself is completely bankrupt. Im still looking for a bit more consistency in surf so im leaning more towards a move from OC to Wilmington NC now. Lots of good breaks there.

I will always have respect for EC waves and i love them more than some other places i have visited!

[windswellsucks]

some good advice in this thread, most of it is true in my experience. go to hawaii with an open mind, dont look any big brown bruddahs in da eyes, and MYOB. you might love it, you might hate it, but its something you gotta find out for yourself. some of my best friends were born and raise on the north shore and they all have issues haha. if you are brown and/or love asian food its def easier than if you are a whitey cracka

[Shakagrom]

yet if you give respect (maybe this means pulling back and letting the local get it) then you will most likely be ok. There are kooks everywhere.

And whoever said that all california surfers are jackasses is stereotyping. people are people so there are jackasses, but when I was in California, a couple local surfers once helped me out by telling me where the best place to jump off would be. And my cousins are california surfers and they're really nice. Truth is, more often than not, people are friendly or they just leave you alone. I don't know that many people, however tough they may act, that truly want to pick a fight... (except for some hawaiians so I hear, but firsthand I've never had any problems with Hawaiians.)