Getting them open while green (when the juice inside is best for sipping) is a much more difficult challenge. We're talking dozens of whacks with a machete and it takes strength plus a special touch to get it right.

This link is less "how to crack a coconut" and more like: "misadventures of suburban foodie who has a husband with a woodshop but has never cooked a coconut" :D

I learned how to do this while living in the Marshall islands. You bang the spine or ridge against a rock/curb while rotating it. Those brown things are not "fresh" btw.

Seriously. Girl has no clue how to actually open a coconut easily.

Here's how I learned... a coconut's seam runs between it's "eyes." There appear to be three "eye" indentations, but if you dig with your fingernail, one will be softer and that's a "mouth." Usually you can get a screwdriver right into the mouth if you want to drain the juice. But to open it up, just use a cleaver right between the eyes. It's always worked for me. YMMV.