Day at the Beach(es)

It's a beach day! We headed over to Hanauma Bay this afternoon because this is the beach you constantly hear people brag about as their favorite for snorkeling and simply, the view. We hopped on H1 and I finally got to drive by Diamond Head and the Punchbowl Crater. I can't wait to see those close-up and do the hikes and touristy-stuff involved. About 30 minutes from our house, I start to see the surroundings to Hanauma Bay. On the right is Koko Head and on the left is an enormous volcanic crater called Koko Crater. Right in between those is the gorgeous bay, called [Hana-uma], which is almost a perfect circle formed by a crater that filled with water and reef. Immediately, I knew I was in for a treat when I could see the crowds of people forming a line to get into the Nature Preserve. First time visitors must watch a quick film on how to protect the reef and all of its animals and then you can sign up to be put in the computer so you don't have to watch it again next time you visit. 10 minutes later, we were walking down the really steep hill (which you can pay $1.00 to ride if you can't manage the hills) that brings you down to the beach. The walk down is incredible. I almost got run over a few times for stopping and taking pictures. This circular bay is astonishing, you can see every piece of reef from above and even see some of the larger fish from 300 feet away. How cool is that? Even in the pictures I took, you can see exactly what I saw. The reef has a bunch of different spots with certain names. Joe wanted to snorkel the Keyhole and the Back Channel. He did both last month with Dominic and they saw a turtle. Nervous, but really excited at this point. We laid on the beach for a little bit, then we were ready for our adventure. We snorkeled for over an hour! I saw the most beautiful, colorful fish I had ever seen. Now the coral reef is pretty bland and rocky (well it is a volcano and all...), but it's crazy how close you get to the thousands of fish. We saw a 1-2ft long parrotfish, awesome tangs, some fish that had every possible color on them, a few puffers, angelfish, and a bunch on other random fish that ranged in size from 1" to 2'. I still hadn't seen my turtle, so Joe brought me out past the buoy to the exact place they had seen one. We stayed there for a few minutes until we realized we weren't going to see one and started swimming back. I started to get really scared because every kick or stroke I was making, wasn't moving me anywhere! The current was WAY to strong for me and Joe had to come help. I yelled at him for bringing me out past the buoys, but he quickly recovered and hold me to hold onto his foot while he swam me in 20 feet. WOW, that boy is one hell of a swimmer, no wonder he's such a good dive candidate. He would be the guy you want dolphin rides in a pool from as a kid. I felt like I was holding onto a small boat bringing me to safety. Oh well, I got away from the current and we started snorkeling back. We stayed on the beach for a little longer and he wanted to go somewhere different to do some body-surfing. I looked in my book and read that Sandy Beach is one of the best places in the area for it. We left Hanauma, jumped in the car, and headed northeast for the next beach. On our way, I discovered than the Halona Blowhole is closed for a few months for renovations to the parking lot. We shortly found Sandy Beach, but went ahead a drove past it to find a quick bite to eat. Luckily, to our surprise, we found Makapa'U Beach and Waimanalo Beach, which we've both heard so much about. This area is mainly concentrated with locals, and has some of the best body-surfing and Hawaiian food on the island. We stopped in Waimanalo to eat lunch at a little BBQ shack, it was cheap and delicious. Plus, I had a snow cone afterwards. Joe said that the aquatic center in town was where they filmed 50 First Dates. We headed back towards Sandy Beach, but pulled off and took a bunch of pictures. There was a guy para-gliding with Rabbit Island and a lighthouse behind him. It was mesmerizing. Rabbit Island is kinda creepy to have read about. It's an island, which is ONLY inhabited by wild rabbits and seabirds, absolutely no humans are allowed on it. Gross huh? After watching the guy get a little too close to the power lines, Joe was getting anxious to go body surfing. We got to Sandy Beach and we both got a nice hint of "this is where the locals hang out." They were all partying in and around their pick-up trucks, blasting reggae music, flirting with all the cute girls, chillin with their surfboards standing in the sand, etc. The waves were big! Surprisingly, because the big surf doesn't get here until Oct. Joe hopped right into the water and all I could imagine was his head getting chopped off by a boogie or surf board. These people are crazy on those boards. I bet there are a lot of injuries here when the tourists all start to arrive. He came back in after a half hour and gave up. He said the waves were too strong compared to California, where he learned how to body surf. I tanned a little longer and we headed back home.

Our big pack-out is arriving tomorrow, so we need to clear out the garage and make some room.

P.S. - If you click on the pictures, it will make them bigger!