Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend for folks on the mainland, giving them an extra hour of daylight until the Fall. But because of Hawaii's proximity to the equator, the islands stay on the same time all year round. That's right, we are always on Hawaii Time!
Sunrise at Kailua Beach, photo by Ryan Pernofski on Unsplash
On the second Sunday of March, this year it falls on March 10, the contiguous United States will set their clocks ahead one hour to mark the end of Daylight Saving Time. Benjamin Franklin is usually credited with the idea to reset clocks as a way to conserve energy. The thought is that with an extra hour of daylight in the Spring and Summer months, people will need to use less fuel (and now electricity) for lighting. Daylight Saving Time did not go into lasting effect on a national level until World War II however, and was enacted as law in in 1966.
If you've ever spent a whole year on the mainland, then you've experienced firsthand the drastic difference between the length of Summer and Winter days. But here in the islands, our proximity to the equator keeps the length of our days pretty consistent year round. You might notice a slight change in the times of sunrise and sunset between the Summer and Winter months, but not so much that changing our clocks would be advantageous.
Sunset view from the Maile Pillboxes, Waianae
Just because we don't participate in Daylight Saving Time in Hawaii does not mean it we are not effected by it though! The time difference between Hawaii and the mainland decreases by one hour. So make sure you double check flight arrival times to and from the islands, and keep the new time difference in mind when making calls!
As if there weren't enough reasons to love living in Hawaii already, not having to worry about changing our clocks and enjoying plenty of daylight year round is pretty spectacular!