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  • The tide draining over lava rocks towards another incoming wave crashing with a red sunset sky.
    Hawaiian sunset over turquoise and white water rushing onto black lava rocks.
    Multiple exposure of a surfer bathed in sunset light racing across a crashing wave.
    Dolphins crisscross just below the ocean surface with sunlight shimmering off their gray bodies.
    Dolphins crisscross just below the ocean surface with sunlight shimmering off their bodies.
    Underwater photo of a sea turtle bobbing just below the surface of the ocean of the Na Pali Coast.
    The Kauai island as seen from a boat on the ocean with bright-colored foliage and cloud-shrouded mountains.
    Green anole lizard poses for a portrait on a tropical leaf.
    Anole lizard shot in black and white infrared so the green leaves are glowing white.
    Red canyons walls dressed with bright green foliage with a long white waterfall and river, blue sky, and fluffy clouds.
    Red volcanic dirt and rocks form the edge of a funnel dropping into a huge canyon dressed with green foliage and a waterfall under stormy skies.
    Purple, magenta, red and orange sunset reflected in the pacific ocean with high tide pouring over rocks.
  • Hawaiian sunset with waves washing over volcanic rock tide pools.
    Hawaiian sunset with waves washing over volcanic rock tide pools.
    Hawaiian sunset with waves washing over volcanic rock tide pools.
    Tree stump on the beach with the tide rushing up around it at sunrise.
    A lone surfer exits the ocean across lava rocks with king tides washing in and out just after sunset.
    Misty surf washes over volcanic rocks lining the beach with twilight colors in the sky.
    Glowing white palm trees against a black sky blurred by wind.
    Black and white infrared photo of glowing white palm trees against an almost black sky.
    Grove of palm trees silhouetted against a deep blue sunset sky.
    Albizias tree at sunset with horses walking by.
    Twin waterfalls frame a white barked tree in a plush tropical setting.
    White water waves rushing through lava rock tide pools with an orange and purple dusk sky.
  • A localized rain storm sweeps across the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Kauai.
    Twilight long exposure with misty surf on a rocky beach with distant city lights.
    Male anole doing his mating dance by expanding his throat and bobbing his head up and down rapidly.
    Anoles mating.
    Male anole doing his mating dance by expanding his throat and bobbing his head up and down rapidly.

This portfolio is from five weeklong trips to Kauai and includes wildlife from colorful anoles to racing spinner dolphins, tropical sunsets, surfers, waterfalls, and the local flora.

Steve Zmak’s first trip to Hawaii was in 1992, and it has been his favorite destination ever since. First was Oahu and then Maui, but he was rarely inspired to pull his camera out (note: he has not visited Hana, yet). They were a little too developed and urban for this landscape and nature photographer. Then he visited Kauai in 2010 and has returned four more times. He says that it reminds him of a Hawaiian version of his home on the Monterey Bay and nearby Salinas Valley, and the Na Pali Coast is like a Hawaiian Big Sur, but an even more pristine and preserved wilderness.

The Kauai island as seen from a boat on the ocean with bright-colored foliage and cloud-shrouded mountains.

The Na Pali Coast on the eastern side of Kauai is like Hawaii’s Big Sur—spectacular, treacherous, dramatic, wild, and a kaleidoscope of saturated colors and ever changing weather. This image is comprised of nine wide angle photos stitched together to show the whole island.