Our last days in Hawaii and Snorkeling with the Manta Rays

The last day before Mom and I headed home was a Sunday and we were scheduled for a night swim with the manta rays. We were supposed to do it earlier that week, but it had gotten cancelled while we were on our way there. Imagine our surprise when we went to check in Sunday night and the company had a fully booked excursion and we were not on their reservation list! Luckily for us, the receptionist was able to call some of the people who had booked and rearrange their excursion so we could take their spot. So it all worked out in the end.

The boat ride out to where the mantas were was long but fun. We saw some spinner dolphins swimming alongside the boat and doing their acrobatic jumps out of the water. Spinner dolphins are smaller than Bottlenose dolphins and spin while they do their out of water flips. I wasn't able to get any good pictures of the dolphins because you never know where they'll jump out of the water and they disappear so quickly.

Me and Mom taking a selfie on the boat. Eden didn't want her picture taken. 

Before the sun went down, the blue sky was so pretty and the ocean seemed to go on forever.

Mom and Eden sitting at the back of the boat for a bit.

Mom at the front of the boat looking for dolphins.

The sun beginning to set.

The sun colored the clouds so pretty when it was setting.

When the sun had finally gone all the way down, we all suited up in our wetsuits, collected our snorkel gear, and jumped into the ocean. Because the water is so dark at night, the way you see the manta rays is through a floating surfboard with very powerful lights attached to it. You basically hang on to the board and float while the mantas do twirls underneath you.

Mom and I had bought underwater cameras, but Mom couldn't get hers to work and when I got my film developed, the techs told me that the film was blank, which is apparently very common when using underwater cameras. So unfortunately, we have no real pictures of the manta rays that we took ourselves, but I Googled images and included them so at least you can get an idea of what we saw.

This is a picture of snorkelers hanging onto the floating light boards.

This is what I saw swimming up at me when I was looking down. Mouths wide open and jaws flapping. Also lots of white, speckled bellies.

The manta rays eat plankton and are filter feeders with no true teeth, so they are completely harmless to people. However, at first, it is a bit disconcerting to see a 15 to 20 foot long sea creature swimming right at you with its mouth wide open. They do ballet dances in the water, spinning in circles and doing back flips in order to catch the most plankton they can. Sometimes they hit the boards or the snorkelers while flipping, although you're not supposed to touch them.

We got wine, beer, hot chocolate, and snacks on the boat ride home to end our night snorkel. What an amazing experience and such a great way to spend our final night on the island.

Aloha Hawaii! I'll return soon…hopefully to visit my Dad once his houses are built. :)

A big thank you goes out to my Mom for inviting me along and planning all the excursions. I'm glad we got to do such fun things together!

Until next time!

Hawaii Day Five - A Mishap in the Place of Refuge

Eden wanted to take us snorkeling with the dolphins at the Place of Refuge, or Pu'uhonua O Honaunau in Hawaiian. This meant we had to get there as early as possible since the dolphins are most active in the early morning hours.

When we got there, sadly, there were no dolphins hanging around. They come and go as they please, so it's really just by chance that they'll happen to be in one place at a certain time. Mom and Eden went snorkeling anyways though because apparently Place of Refuge has some of the best snorkeling on the big island.

I particularly enjoyed the Place of Refuge because I didn't have to get wet to enjoy its beauty. There were lots of shady trees and rocks to walk on and there were tide pools that you could look into and find little critters. I wore my New Rocks and didn't regret it one bit. Boots are best for any and every occasion in my mind.

Mom checking out the tide pools.

A view of some of the little tide pools from above.

I found an eel who poked his head out long enough for me to zoom in and get a decent photo. 

Can you find the little striped fish in this photo? They blend right into the rocks.

New Rocks at the beach. Winning.

Mom and Eden jumping in to snorkel.

Eden making fun of me for not snorkeling that day I think. ;-P

Mom and Eden out in the water checking out the fishies.

Mom's a pro at floating.

The shady, dry view I had of the Place of Refuge. Perfect spot on a picnic bench to read and do puzzles while everyone else went swimming. I could've stayed there all day. The weather was perfect.

Right next to the Place of Refuge is a national park with tiki statues. I think it might actually be considered the Place of Refuge too, although I'm not 100% sure of that.

Mom was attempting to park the car and somehow backed up into a very low, hidden lava boulder while going under five MPH. The tire got pushed forward so it rubbed on the car (some sort of bar that the wheel is attached to underneath the car got bent), so even though it was just a little bump, the car was no longer drivable! What an ordeal. We had to call AAA to come tow the car and then find a way to get another rental car in the mean time. While waiting for the tow truck, Mom and I walked around the park and looked at all the tiki statues and scenery. Eden ended up driving us around in her pickup truck before she headed off to work. Mom sat in the truck bed because it's legal in Hawaii and Eden's truck only has two seats in the front.

Triangle huts

A lone tiki god statue.

Beautiful view from the park.

Look at all the tiki statues!

Check out all the lava rock. I love this kind of beach because it actually makes sense to wear close-toed shoes, which I feel most at home in of course.

This guy was cutting down coconuts. It's dangerous to walk under the trees if the coconuts aren't harvested - more people are killed annually by falling coconuts than by sharks!

These little green geckos are everywhere! They're so cute. 

Mom's view from the back of Eden's pickup as the tow truck takes away our broken car. Good thing Mom's insured!

 After the ordeal of breaking the rental car, we headed back to Eden's house because there's a really nice beach that's a two minute walk away. But first, Eden fed a crazy-looking wild duck.

Our friend the ugly duck.

The duck wanted that fancy organic popcorn.

The beach by Eden's was grassy and shady, so of course, I enjoyed it. This is my kinda beach.

Gorgeous view of the beach by Eden's house.

Another little green gecko. 

It was a rough day and Eden had work at 4 p.m., so Mom and I were stuck at the hotel without a car for the remainder of the day. Not to worry - the pool was great!

Stay tuned for more Hawaii posts. Still to come - Mom and I take a Kona coffee farm tour and visit Eden at work.

Until next time!

Kayaking for the First Time and a Luau

One morning we decided to go paddle boarding. That's a sport where you have a really long, round surfboard and a long oar and you stand up and paddle yourself around. I thought that sounded pretty cool because it'd be a pretty intense workout.

It turned out that when we got to the booth to rent the paddle boards, we were told it was a very choppy day and probably not the best idea for any of us to go out because none of us had any previous experience. But we didn't have to worry because there were kayaks to rent!

There were no three-person kayaks, so we just got one two-seater and took turns going out.

Swimsuit cover up - eBay; Oversized aviators - eBay; Gladiator sandals - eBay

Me and Eden heading out to sea. I was very nervous at first because I had never been in a kayak. It looks a lot scarier than it really is. I was afraid it would tip over, but it was really easy to steer, paddle, and keep afloat.

They said the person in the back is supposed to steer and provide momentum, so I let Eden have that spot. I've got no upper body strength. Hahaha.

Me and Eden hauling the kayak out to the water. 

You can't tell, but Eden had to keep reassuring me it was going to be OK.

After me and Eden came back, it was Mom and Eden's turn. 

Eden had to go to work that evening, so Mom and I hung out at the hotel and went to the little luau hosted at the pool. It was free and the girls that performed in it were adorable. They even danced to a "Lilo and Stitch" song. We also got free Hawaiian traditional snacks and leis to wear.

The snacks we were served before the show - Hawaiian potato chips, pulled pork (which I of course didn't eat), Hawaiian sweet bread with lillikoi jelly, salmon ceviche, cherry tomatoes in Hawaiian pink sea salt, purple sweet potatoes, and some sort of coconut jello cubes.

This lady was the master of ceremonies. She told all the stories and kept time on her drum. 

All of these girls are from the local hula school. 

The older girls did all the real dancing, while the little ones needed more training. They were still super cute though.

The older girls got to dance on their own for a bit.

And the little girls also got to dance on their own. 

The leis they gave us at the luau.

Me and Mom at the pool after they gave us the leis. Me sans makeup.

We found these flowers near the pond on our way to the pool. 

These flowers looked like white spiders. 

Next post will be about our crazy time at the Place of Refuge.

Until next time!