if you had to choose between february and the week of the 4th of july, which would you choose and why??? thanks

February - you will get to see the Humpback whales then - a truly inspirational sight!

thanks, that's what i was thinking

In February, the waves on the north shore will be HUGE -- great if you want to watch the big-wave surfers (or risk your own a$$ out there!).

In July, the north shore turns into a bathtub

(Waikiki Beach is swimmable any time of year, I believe.)

You don't mention which island. If it is Kaua'i, I'd say go in the summer. I like things as hot as possible in Hawaii, so I'd say go for July. The water is warmer in the summer for snorkeling and swimming.

There is no guarantee of seeing whales. I went to Maui in early March one year and didn't see a one. We went to Maui this year in mid February and saw many.

Hana on the east side of Maui will be wetter in the winter than in the summer.

North shore Kaua'i will be wetter in the winter than in summer.

Hawaii's trade winds fail more often in summer (although they can fail anytime of year for brief periods), so if you go in July make sure your hotel/B&B/whatever has air conditioning.

As for whale watching, their migration usually winds down in February, so sightings in March are less frequent.

Why choose? Go for both months and decide for yourself! Aloooooha!

Depends where you're from... we go to escape the brutal New England winter so February would win out.

I would choose July. I've been in Jan/Feb., May, July and Sept/Oct. July is when the fruit is sweetest, flowers most abundant ... but it's not quite as hot as September. Of course, I will ALWAYS go to Hawaii anytime, but if I had to choose ...

As highflyer mentions, I usually go Nov thru Feb months but that's to get away from winter at home, not about weather in Hawaii (which always seems gorgeous to me).

Hawaii has two seasons, winter (October thru May) and summer (June thru September). During winter sometimes the trade winds can shift from coming from the northeast to coming from the southwest. This means that the normally dry sides of the islands, where most of the resorts are, can sometimes be subject to unusual storms and roiled oceans. Locals call this "Kona weather," even though it can impact all of the islands. This is why sometimes there are weeklong storms between Christmas and New Year's or other times in winter. These storms are unpredictable and may not happen while you are there in winter, but are a possibility. So this might be a factor to include in your considerations.

hmmm, if it were me, I'd choose February. The summers have been oppressively hot these last couple of years, and you will see throngs of tourists in town for the July 3-4 fireworks. February enables you to see whales, escape the cold of the mainland, and check out the huge North Shore waves. (Although, as iamq says, there's no guarantee. I've lived here all my life and have never seen a whale breaching.)

I see tourists year round, and they are all happy to be in Hawaii....but somehow when I see them here during the winter months, they look extra blissed out.

Melissa, I assume that you have never seen a whale breaching even though you have lived in Hawaii all your life becuase you live on Oahu. There are few whales in the waters off Oahu. Most off the whales are in the channel between Maui and the islands of Molokai and Lanai in the winter.

i have heard a couple of people mention the "north shore" never been to hawaii, so I have no idea what you mean. north shore of all the islands? I was planning on going to maui (grand wailea) and the big island (mauni lani )I'm not sure if these hotels are on the north shore? I would like to be able to snorkel though.

Many of the references to the "north shore" refer to either the north shore of Oahu or the north shore of Kaua'i, where in the summer months the waters are calm and the swimming and snorkeling can be good.

I was referring to North Shore of Oahu (where the major surfing beaches like Banzai Pipeline, Waimea Bay, and Sunset Beach are). There's only one major hotel in the area -- Turtle Bay Resort. But it's an easy drive from Waikiki.

Which island(s) are you going to? My brain's default setting is Oahu, so I replied for Oahu without thinking!