Snorkeling and Sunburns

Today we had to get everyone up bright and early so we could arrive at Hanauma Bay in time for our guided snorkelling adventure. Upon arrival the parking lot was full so we had to turn around and park in a residential neighborhood about 1/2 mile down the road. Our guide me us at 10:00 and we got fitted with fins and floatations belts. We had to watch a short orientation film before being allowed into the park.

Soon, we had all our gear on and we were in the water. Our guide took us to all the best locations to see fish. We were also allowed to take off our belts and free dive to the bottom. The variety of colourful fish was spectacular. It was like swimming in an aquarium. And, I was surprised at the size of many of the fish. They were huge! We swam from one side of the bay to the other and were in the water for over an hour. We don't have pictures of the fish yet, but our guide had a Go-Pro and will email us the photos.

Our guide gave us a ride back to our car and we headed to Sandy Beach to eat lunch and enjoy the ocean. When we got there though, the lifeguards informed us that this beach has the distinction for being the number one beach in the world for broken necks and backs because of how the powerful waves crash into the shore. So, we didn't stay long and instead drove north along the coast to an absolutely beautiful beach, Kailua Beach. Fine, white sand extending all around a bay with gentle waves and few people.

At this time, we began to notice sunburn, even though we hadn't been in the sun long. What we had not realized was that we were going to be exposed to the sun most of the time we were in the water snorkelling. And, we had not used sunscreen as it is harmful to the coral. So, later in the day we began to notice the effects!

From Kailua we drove back in air conditioned comfort to our condo where we showered, relaxed for awhile, did laundry, made dinner before walking along Kalakuau to check out the shops and action on the promenade. We watched a talented group of dancers perform and enjoyed the performance until they started badgering the crowd for money and even making insulting remarks like "What a cheap crowd!". We left before their final act.Read more