Sacred Falls, Oahu: 510' Waterfall Rappel HD

[oahu_canyoneer]

*video may take a bit to buffer since I provided the HD link. Edit: you'll have to manually change the format on the bottom of the video to watch in HD*

Sacred Falls is the biggest waterfall on Oahu, totaling 1519ft in height from top to bottom. It consists of a series of about 10 waterfalls, with other numerous small waterfall drops along the way. The two largest drops take place at the halfway point in the canyon, with a 300ft drop being immediately followed up by a 510ft drop. Of the remaining 8 waterfalls, they range in height from about 25ft to 120ft.

The four in our group started preparations for the descent a couple months back as we had to figure out the quickest way to the top of the falls, as well as work out what our anchor options would be as we got further downstream. Our final scouting session lasted a whopping 18hrs. We hiked up to the top of the stream, descended the first 5 waterfalls to get to the top of the 300’, then had to ascend back up the falls and finally exit out through the trail we had hiked up.

We set out to make our final descent on Saturday, September 15^th at about 4:15am. The first couple hours of the hike up we used headlamps until the sun came up. All of the gear we were hauling (over 1400’ of rope in total) made for a slow trek up an already difficult hike.

As we approached the top of the stream it started raining on and off giving an ominous start to the day. As you get further down the stream the walls of the canyon start to get closer and closer with the walls getting more and more vertical, so getting caught in a flash flood was definitely a concern. If you’ve ever spent any time on the islands you’ll know that Hawaii rain isn’t exactly like rain elsewhere. Even on sunny days we’re known to have scattered showers that seemingly come and go out of nowhere. When you get into the mountains and into higher altitudes, it’s a near miracle to not have to deal with any showers at all. So the fact that our day started with showers didn’t necessarily signal rain all day, but we stayed on the lookout just the same.

We got down the first five falls without problems and were now standing on top of the 300’ and 510’ drops – the point of no return. Once you decide to go down the 300’ waterfall, the only way out is to go all the way down unless you’re willing to ascend back up the 300’ and all the other waterfalls that came before it. It hadn’t been raining since the morning but had still been overcast our whole way down the falls, so while we weren’t thrilled about the weather, we made the call to keep the train a rollin’ on down.

After the long and arduous process of getting the ropes down the 300’, we started sending people down. We tied two ropes together to give us enough rope for the rappel and pull line while saving our longer rope for the 500’. Everyone got down the 300’ without really any problems to report, although we did quickly learn that trying to lift up 300+ feet of 10.8mm rope while rappelling isn’t exactly easy.

And boy was that rope hard to get down. It took a team effort and a lot more time than I thought it would but we got the ropes down and started preparations for the 500’.

By this time we were really starting to feel the time crunch. It was about 4:30pm and we still had to set up the anchor, as well as flake out and get over 1100’ of rope down the next drop, as well as ourselves. We were all pretty exhausted by this point also so while we were glad that we were going to get a slight reprieve from carrying all that rope around, we were still moving about like a bunch of zombies. Nonetheless we got the rope over and prepared for the big one.

At this point I guess I should mention how scary it is not being able to see the bottom of the drops, especially the 510’. All you can see is the canyon walls drop off into an abyss of nothingness. Waiting around for others to go is the worst though. Nerves and butterflies set in and you just want to get down already so that you can relax a little. But I guess that’s part of the fun right???

So we send the first one down. What seems like a decade later we hear a garbled cry of victory come through on the walkie talkie. No problems. All good. We send the second one down. Another decade later another garbled cry of victory. I wanted to go down third so that I could take some video from the bottom of the last person coming down, so I was up…and it was getting dark.

We hadn’t thrown the pull line down yet, so the group now at the bottom moved the rap line out of the way and I threw the pull line down to hopefully avoid any tangles. This will become important shortly but anyways…

At this point we had one goal – get down the 510’ before we couldn’t see anything. We’d figure out what to do about the remaining three waterfalls once we got down the 510’. So I picked up my pack and in the process of clipping in dropped my ATC down into the abyss. Ughhh. Double headslap. I was just trying to do things too fast and forgot to do things right. Now I had to mentally prepare myself for using a Munter down the biggest rappel of my life as dusk was approaching. I actually did have a gri gri with me but decided against using it.

Anyways, I didn’t have much time to sit and sulk so I took a deep breath and started down. As I approached the drop-off at the lip, the pool at the bottom started to take shape and boy did it look tiny from this distance. You can kinda see it in the video but it doesn’t quite do it justice. Your eyes naturally follow the canyon walls as they basically drop straight down and into the pool with no buffer zone in between. So when looking around all you see is shear canyon walls with what looks like a kiddie pool at the bottom.

As I made my way down I ran into a problem: the lines were twisted. With every untwist of the rope, the twisted part just simply got a little lower and I had to do it again. I was starting to wonder why the twists were so adamant about being 2 inches below the biner when I saw the problem. At the bottom, the pull line had been tied off out of the way, but not before it had been twisted around the rap line a few times. So the twists were here to stay. I couldn’t untwist the lines, and I was still too high up for them to notice that anything was wrong. It wasn’t the end of the world but it just made things incredibly difficult. I had to stop to rest who knows how many times. My arms as well as my legs were burning from untwisting the lines. I eventually started practicing extremely bad rappelling techniques with both of my hands out in front of me, above the Munter, separating the ropes. The twists directly below the Munter were acting as my brake hand. I was also still so far up that if they were to untwist there was still a significant amount of weight on the rap line to keep me from an immediate free fall.

It was slow moving. I would go down maybe 50’, look down and the view still looked the same. The view WAS incredible, but I was ready to get my feet back on solid ground. Eventually as I got lower they figured out what the problem was and released the pull line. The twists pulled apart and I got enough of a drop to get that adrenaline pumping again. I was free of the tangles!

The rest of the way seemed like smooth sailing after that and I was down in the water in what seemed like no time (In total, it took me 15 minutes to get down as I later saw on the video footage). We radioed up and waited for the last man down.

And waited…

And waited…

I figured he was having problems lifting all that rope to get clipped in but we didn’t want to radio him and mess up his concentration so we just kept waiting. Pitch black would be our reality at any moment. We all breathed a collective sigh of relief when finally we started to see a figure making his way down. One in our party had gone down to see how far the next waterfall was away and take a look at our anchoring options while we waited at the bottom of the 500’.

Once we were finally all at the bottom, we had to decide what our next move was going to be. We could try to keep going, but we were going into the unknown. We knew there were three waterfalls left, their approximate heights, but that was about it. Eventually, even though no one wanted to, we decided the best option was to stay the night. Headlights on, we continued downstream until we found a little elevated, fairly flat spot. The best we were gonna do at that point. We left the ropes up at the 510’ because no one had the energy or desire to jump back in the water to grab the ropes, and then pull them down.

We all huddled together in our spot and used a tarp from one of the rope bags as a makeshift blanket that could only cover about 2.5 people at a time. I could write a whole different story on how scary that night was, but I’ll try and keep it short…

It rained off and on throughout the night, and every time it rained there was a major rockfall in the canyon (did I mention Sacred Falls is notorious for rockfalls?) Google it. Some rocks landed as close as 20’ away, some further up or down canyon. I would say on average there was a rockfall about every half hour. The biggest and loudest of them sounded exactly like thunder and went on for about 10 seconds. We were all thinking that it was just a matter of time before one came for us. Eventually we somehow made it through the night. It was nearly impossible to get much sleep and we switched positions a few times throughout the night as puddles starting forming around us from the rainfall.

At first light we got up and started making our way back towards the 510’ to collect the ropes. The stream had become a different monster overnight as fresh rain made its way down the falls. I lost at rock-paper-scissors and so had to jump in to pull the ropes out to a place where we could pull them down. That turned out to be a mission by itself as the water from the falls had become so heavy overnight I couldn’t get under the falls without it dunking my head in the water. Eventually I got the ropes out and we pulled the ropes down. It turned out to be considerably easier to pull them down than on the 300’ which was surprising. Our rap line on the 510’ was a 9mm rope instead of the 10.8mm we used on the 300’ so I guess just having that little extra bit of friction going through the quick links makes a huge difference?

Anyways we got set up and got down the last three waterfalls without much problem (although the added rainfall overnight made for some heavy waterfalls the rest of the way out). There was still a considerable amount of canyon left in between the three so we didn’t get back to civilization until about 10:30am to conclude our two day trip down Sacred Falls.

It certainly was a trip none of us will forget anytime soon. We learned that Sacred Falls is simply just a two-day canyon. There is a pretty good open stretch before you get to the 300’ which I think would be the logical spot to overnight it. Thanks to those who helped in the trip planning. Hope you enjoy the video!

[oldno7]

Great Video and Report!!!

[Eric Holden]

One word....

Epic!

[ilipichicuma]

Awesome story! I'm at work right now and I can't watch the video but I'll definitely do it when I get home! Good work!

[mtn_dude]

I'm there in Feb! This looks awesome!

[jman]

WOW! What a great experience and video!

So was this a first descent as far as you know?

[Slot Machine]

F*** YEAH!!! AWESOME!!!

Great job OC!! Congrats to all four of you.

GREAT video! The squared out scene at 6:50 gave me serious goosebumps.

Great story as well. Your bivy spot sounded horrible.

Questions... what camera did you use? Waterproof housing? What video editing software? What was the rigging you wore to shoot yourself rapping? It worked great and I've never seen anything like it.



Psst... the canyoneering technique police will soon arrive to tell you a better way...

[oahu_canyoneer]

Thanks guys!

@jman, no there has been at least one other group I know of that has done it, but there was little in terms of beta available.

@slot, the video was shot on a Canon 60D and a GoPro HD Hero 2, and edited with Final Cut Pro X. No waterproof housing for my 60D so I had to be careful with it but it made it through the trip unscathed. The backpack rig I had going was basically just a big upside down L made out of PVC, so that it extended out in front of me, and with a tripod mount for the GoPro attached to the end of the L. It was then secured down in my backpack but was able to swivel depending on which way I was leaning. I had to adjust it a few times throughout the trip but overall it worked out pretty well.

[Byron]

WOW, MAN!!!! You guys are awesome! Outstanding! Great video, and the music is great, too. Truly epic...congratulations.

[Sombeech]

Amazing

[Absolute Gravity]

This might be my new go to inspirational canyoneering video for a while. Looks unbelievably fun.

[Slot Machine]

@slot, the video was shot on a Canon 60D and a GoPro HD Hero 2, and edited with Final Cut Pro X. No waterproof housing for my 60D so I had to be careful with it but it made it through the trip unscathed. The backpack rig I had going was basically just a big upside down L made out of PVC, so that it extended out in front of me, and with a tripod mount for the GoPro attached to the end of the L. It was then secured down in my backpack but was able to swivel depending on which way I was leaning. I had to adjust it a few times throughout the trip but overall it worked out pretty well.

You are brave taking your Canon into those conditions. I'm amazed it survived.

@Deathcricket perfected the technique of using the GoPro on a hiking stick. Your PVC pipe mount takes self shooting to a whole different level. The crazy orbiting camera with the benefit of having both hands free is great! Many people will copy what you did. Brilliant!

[Slot Machine]

One thing from your previous thread that many folks were concerned about- rope damage.

Did you have any issues with the ropes getting chewed up on those two big drops?

Bob

[Deathcricket]

Wow, epic is right. You guys are on a whole different level of awesomeness. Amazing! I also really enjoyed the shots from the mounted backpack/tripod. I was just going to mention you should find a way to keep it forward so we see the drop and your face while rapping, but I now see from your previous comment that it wasn't supposed to swivel as much. Anyways there a couple shots of your face on there that tell the story nicely. Your eyes are saying "Oh Crap don't die" hehe.

Also really good editing skills and timing the footage to the music, that is a technique of itself and really adds enjoyment to the film, besides the amazing view. Anyways flawless execution, I also loved the super high jumping shots, 20 footers? Takes some brass balls for sure!

5/5 perfect story, perfect execution, flawless victory.

[oahu_canyoneer]

Did you have any issues with the ropes getting chewed up on those two big drops?

No surprisingly there wasn't any abrasion that I would consider out of the ordinary. The ropes held up well. On the 510' I did adjust the rope slightly after the second person had gone down, but it didn't turn out to be much of an issue.

I was just going to mention you should find a way to keep it forward so we see the drop and your face while rapping, but I now see from your previous comment that it wasn't supposed to swivel as much.

Here's a pic of the rig sans backpack.



The only problem I had was like you said, the camera was behind me a lot of the time while rappelling. I'm not quite sure how I can fix that going forward though...the rig swivels depending on which way I'm leaning, and when your rappelling most of the time you're leaning back. It's a bit awkward to lean forward with it while rappelling, but not impossible. On the big drops I had other things on my mind though haha. The other problem I didn't foresee was the fact that my big stinkin' head was blocking the pool when the camera WAS in the perfect position. The pool was mighty small from that distance, so it was easy to block it. Gah oh well. It'll take some tinkering to find the perfect formula...

[Taylor]

Very cool! Nice trip report. I think I will stop bragging about doing Stewart Falls now.

[Eric Holden]

Here's a pic of the rig sans backpack.

Going to copy this thing next time I head out. Love the low tech/money solutions to get great results. The swiveling really made you get some cool shots.

[Deathcricket]

I'm not quite sure how I can fix that going forward though...the rig swivels depending on which way I'm leaning, and when your rappelling most of the time you're leaning back. It's a bit awkward to lean forward with it while rappelling, but not impossible. On the big drops I had other things on my mind though haha. The other problem I didn't foresee was the fact that my big stinkin' head was blocking the pool when the camera WAS in the perfect position. The pool was mighty small from that distance, so it was easy to block it. Gah oh well. It'll take some tinkering to find the perfect formula...

Ya agreed. In my opinion the best shot is kinda over your right shoulder. Directly overhead, like you said, the helmet gets in the way a bit. I would suggest putting a "T" on the bottom of your rig and then a couple short pieces, maybe 3 inches depending on how wide your backpack is to give is some stability. You could use a piece of Duct tape instead of glue (over the t) and then change the angles a couple times to get a spot you are happy with. I really like this rig and am going to try one myself, hope you don't mind, hehe. Not sure how long you have been around but here is a couple vids with my rig. It's just a GoPro attached to the end of a collapsible hiking stick using a tube attachment. I can take a shot of it if you like. But I just use it on easy raps because it ties up one of my hands. No way I would use this on the insane stuff you guys are trying up there, so what you found is an awesome solution because you can have both hands completely free. And it sounds like you really needed it when that pull line got wrapped around and slowed you up. But the point being, it gets shots over my left hand, which is nice but would rather not have the rope in the way. My stick method does extend the camera away though about 5ish feet so that would help with your head not dominating the shots and capturing the environment more. I wonder if you could extend your pole out a bit without it flexing too hard? I think the further "up" you can get it, the better off you'll be overall. Good 1st design though, like I said before, i really really like it.

100 footer in pine creek, raw footage.


300 footer in Englestead, mash up.


150 footer in Behuinin? Can't remember.. Raw footage.

[Eric Holden]

100 footer in pine creek, raw footage.

Punisher T-shirt... Nice!

[oahu_canyoneer]

Ya agreed. In my opinion the best shot is kinda over your right shoulder. Directly overhead, like you said, the helmet gets in the way a bit. I would suggest putting a "T" on the bottom of your rig and then a couple short pieces, maybe 3 inches depending on how wide your backpack is to give is some stability. You could use a piece of Duct tape instead of glue (over the t) and then change the angles a couple times to get a spot you are happy with. I really like this rig and am going to try one myself, hope you don't mind, hehe. Not sure how long you have been around but here is a couple vids with my rig. It's just a GoPro attached to the end of a collapsible hiking stick using a tube attachment. I can take a shot of it if you like. But I just use it on easy raps because it ties up one of my hands. No way I would use this on the insane stuff you guys are trying up there, so what you found is an awesome solution because you can have both hands completely free. And it sounds like you really needed it when that pull line got wrapped around and slowed you up. But the point being, it gets shots over my left hand, which is nice but would rather not have the rope in the way. My stick method does extend the camera away though about 5ish feet so that would help with your head not dominating the shots and capturing the environment more. I wonder if you could extend your pole out a bit without it flexing too hard? I think the further "up" you can get it, the better off you'll be overall. Good 1st design though, like I said before, i really really like it.

Nice vids! Whoever went down Aussie style is pretty nuts.

Wouldn't the T keep it from swiveling though? That's my favorite part about it. I think it would have been beneficial to have made the rig sit a little higher up, either by making the long pole longer, or by possibly adding a 45 degree angle instead of a 90 at the joint.

I actually used a setup similar to the one you had, except I used a painters pole, when we did one of our scouting sessions. There are a couple clips in my vid with that being used. But like you said, it takes away one hand and I was not ready to go down the big drops with only one hand lol.