My last entry on this blog was in October 2014 when we were returning from a wonderful trip to Ireland and Northern Ireland.  It is now May 2015 and I find myself in Hawaii.  You will note that there were no lead up posts about our May 2015 trip to Hawaii.  It’s not like this trip wasn’t planned.  It has been.  There were no anticipatory posts because I wasn’t planning on blogging at all about our present trip to the big island of Hawaii, Kona specifically.  Truthfully, the reason there was so little mention is because I had so few expectations for this trip. Actually, I had absolutely zero expectations about this trip. None. We were going because this place seemed to be the best place for Lynda to fulfill one of her bucket list items: actually getting to swim with the dolphins out in their natural habitat…the wild ocean. And so we planned and prepared for this trip.

For both Lynda and me, Hawaii was a complete unknown. There were only two knowns for us as we left last Sunday morning for the excursion to this faraway place I’ve never had any interest in before. Those two knowns would be Doug and Barb Anderson. I knew that no matter where we went…….from Tukwila to Tenino, or Kennewick to Kona, when we’re traveling with the Andersons, we can count on it being an enjoyable trip no matter what. So, off we went, the four of us.  We arrived Sunday night.  The Wagnersons in Hawaii!

I’m now four nights into this Hawaii excursion. One work describes it.  AMAZING! Everyone who has been next to or close to me over the past four days has heard me repeat this word over and over again as I’ve gone through each day. Seriously. At 62 years of age, I’ve seen a lot and am not easily moved. However, this place has frankly wowed me. The overwhelming beauty and wonder of God’s creation has been nothing short of breathtaking. Starting off Monday morning after running into Snorkel Bob’s where we rented masks, fins and snorkels for the week, a local neighborhood park on the ocean was our first stop. I wasn’t ten yards from shore in knee deep water before I could see fish swimming around my legs. But no, these weren’t bullheads and little flounders from Puget Sound. These were large, brightly colored and beautiful tropical fish, swimming around me….the kind I’ve only seen miniature versions of in aquariums before. Snorkeling out in deeper water only revealed more plentiful vibrant colored fish and beautiful coral formations. In a word, it was amazing.

The next morning, Tuesday, we were up early to head to the Kona Harbor by 8 am to hook up with Kona Ocean Adventures. The entire purpose of the trip was to take us to Kealakekua Bay and the Captain Cook Monument, one of the top ten snorkeling destinations in the world. It is about a 30 minute boat ride south. There were a total of 8 passengers who boarded our boat with a crew of 2. However, we hadn’t even left the harbor channel before the dolphins were surrounding our boat. We stopped and enjoyed watching them for a while but soon left the busy channel and turned our boat south. We traveled south less than five or six minutes when the skipper changed course and slowed the boat. There were more dolphins. After informing us about being non-aggressive, he invited us to don our masks, fins and snorkels and then ease into the water to see if the dolphins wanted to interact with us. All 8 of us did so and the dolphins did not disappoint. They were below us, in front of us, behind us, and next to us. We were underwater and could hear them talking back and forth between themselves. It was an absolutely fascinating and incredible experience. It was, in a word……amazing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZgeqpHjxs8

We climbed back on board the vessel and again headed south to Kealakekua Bay and the Captain Cook Monument. Upon arrival, after brief instructions, we each slipped into the warm ocean waters. Compared to the local neighborhood park from yesterday, the numbers and varieties of bright, vibrantly colored fish were multiplied tenfold. When snorkeling, you are underwater and essentially feel like you’re in a world by all by yourself. As I moved through the water exploring what was in front of me, this underwater world was simply stunning in its living, moving, world of sea life and beauty. Wow, was a word that kept coming up again and again in my mind. I tried capturing some of that by shooting a video using my waterproof camera. The video I was able to shoot doesn’t do the experience justice. It was by all accounts…..amazing.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjnm9F1wi6s

Wednesday we stayed closer to home and explored a little on our own. We had seen some sea turtles swimming out in front of the condo we have been staying in and were anxious to try and catch a closer look at them on land. On the advice of a waiter at a restaurant we visited the night before, we set off for a beach just north of the Kona marina we had started at the day before. Sure enough, we found dozens of massive sea turtles basking in the sun on the rocks of the beach, in the tide pools and the sand. We spent a couple of hours walking up and down the beach, exploring and enjoying the abundant sea life on open display. As we left the beach, the four of us could only shake our collective heads and remark how fun and unbelievable that experience was. And yes again, it was amazing.

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This brings us to the present day (Thursday). This morning we set off south from our condo to head to another marina to catch a boat with Dolphin Discoveries, a five hour tour designed to allow you to swim with the dolphins in the wild…..if they are willing to do so with you. Within a half an hour of leaving the dock, we were swimming once again with the dolphins. Incredible. We soon headed back south and found ourselves back at Kealakekua Bay and the Captain Cook Monument. Another amazing snorkeling experience was enjoyed. Along the way as we picked our way along the coast, we again had the opportunity to snorkel in a sheltered and unmarked bay. It was here that we were able to swim underwater with a giant sea turtle. Watching him move through the water….and be moved by the currents as he made his way along the amazing coral formations, was another incredible and awesome experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLb21KwKGbE

Here I am at the end of this fourth day and find myself sounding like a starry eyed school kid. I am and have been thunderstruck by this place. There are still many more days to go in our Hawaii experience, but I’m now looking forward to them with wonder and anticipation.