Abstract: The Kaoiki, Hawaii earthquake with magnitude 6.6 of November 16, 1983 was a strike-slip faulting event on a fault with large dip angle. The mechanisms of smaller events before and after the Kaoiki mainshock show that there were two kinds of mechanisms: (1) strick-slip on the fault with large dip angle; (2) slip on the crustal discontinuity plane with small flip angle. Systematic and alternative change of the mechanisms was observed.