Queen of blue Hawaii

SHARRI Markson channels Kate Winslet and Gidget on the waves of Hawaii's famous Waikiki beach where tandem surfing is a regular fixture.

Tandem surfing

HOISTED high above the shoulders of an 88kg tattooed surfer called Bear, I feel like Kate Winslet balanced at the bow of the Titanic.

Not only am I balanced precariously on the shoulder of a man I met just half an hour earlier, metres in the air, but Bear is standing on a surfboard, soaring on the waves of Hawaii's famous Waikiki beach on the island of Oahu.

This acrobatic performance on a surfboard is known as tandem surfing, and while popularised in the late 1950s by films like Gidget and Blue Hawaii, it is making a comeback on Waikiki beach.

Bear is partly responsible for the return to tandem surfing and makes it his mission to recruit people to try out the sport.

"I've probably taken 1000 women tandem surfing," he says as we paddle out to catch a wave.

"It's very hard to surf – it's one of the hardest sports when you combine acrobatics and surfing.

"The thing about tandem surfing is that when a man lifts a woman he is protecting and displaying her."

Dozens of couples practise tandem every day, leaving the beach in the afternoon to work nights in the local beach bars.

Many are professionals, looking elegant as they skilfully twist into a pose while balancing on one leg.

Me? I am wide-eyed and my stomach is clenched with nerves as we weave around hundreds of beginner surfers, with Bear barking "move" if anyone – even a child – gets in his way.

But unlike the other tandem surfers, I am doing the third easiest pose – entitled the swan.

Being more familiar with the Aussie surf culture, where surfers on Sydney's beaches battle for a wave on short boards, the surfing at Waikiki is a different picture altogether. The trend on Waikiki beach is '60s-style, 3.8m longboards.

Tandem surfing is a regular fixture on Waikiki and forms part of the charm on Oahu's main beach, along with kayaking, sailing and surfing lessons.

Holidaymakers can stroll along the beach to the statue of Duke Kahanamoku to find a teacher for surfing lessons, with private lessons and group instructions available in up to four-hour blocks.

The long, rolling waves and warm water makes Waikiki an ideal place to learn to surf, and almost everybody is able to stand up after just one lesson.

For those who feel safer on dry land, Waikiki offers good shopping and busy night markets selling cheap silver and gold jewellery.

Yes, it's touristy, with stores on every corner selling beach mats for 99c and the beach bursting with people, each fighting for a patch of sand to lay a towel.

Although tourism from Australia is down from its peak of 250,000 a year in the '70s and '80s to around 90,000 a year, the island retains the charm that made it so popular for TV and movies: Diamond Head looms over the north of the main beach, the sand is golden, gardens lush and the sunsets are picture perfect.

In fact, watching the sun set from Waikiki beach is a perfectly relaxing way to spend the evening before heading out to the many local bars.

The Dukes is a popular beach-side spot at night, with suntanned holidaymakers sipping mai tais by the light of torches.

Another favourite hotspot is Tikis with its fun but pricey pina coladas served in half a pineapple.

For an authentic Hawaiian experience, first-time visitors head to the Polynesian Cultural Centre, about an hour-and-a-half out of town, for a luau.

After a tour of the centre, where we learn how to throw a spear and to make fire from stones and bamboo, we settle down to a buffet dinner in a hall with at least 500 other tourists.

The experience can only be described as cheesy American, with couples celebrating their wedding anniversary invited on to the stage for a romantic dance.

Other popular attractions while in Oahu include Atlantis submarine dives off Waikiki beach and the Circle Island and Pearl Harbor full-day tour, which costs $US50 per adult and allows you to go aboard the USS Arizona Memorial.

Because of its remote, mid-ocean location, Hawaii doesn't make for a cheap holiday.

Generally, everything is more expensive in Hawaii than on mainland USA; for instance, petrol is about $3.21 a gallon (approx 4.5 litres) in Waikiki compared to $2.89 on the mainland.

The writer was a guest of Hawaiian Airlines, Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa, and Hawaii Tourism.