Last month Mike and I met up with Jeff and Lisa in Kona on the beautiful Big Island of Hawaii for a few days of adventures. We stayed on the west shores, mostly. Here are some of our super fun activities. Warning: for once this blog post is more pictures than words. I know, what is the world coming to? Let's start with one of the amazing sunsets we had from the dive boat. No, this is not proof the earth is flat, Go pro just loves to warp straight lines, like horizons.
1) We snorkeled Ke'alakua Beach. It's known for dolphins, but we didn't find any. What we did find were lots of fish, some really decent coral, a big moray eel, and a few abandoned masks I fished out of the water. Lisa also found an octopus. I can never find them.
2) One of the things I'd never done before was to hike to the green sand beach. The beach is on the south shores of the island and is covered in little bits of green volcanic glass. The result is a beach that glitters like tarnished gold. It is absolutely beautiful! Mike, of course, jumped in the water, but said the undertow was really strong so the rest of us camped out in a shady overhang for lunch.
3) Mike and I did the Manta Ray dive when we visited Kona a few years back. it was epic and we couldn't wait to do it again. The first time we tried to go this trip, there was a bit swell, visibility and buoyancy were more wishes than actual conditions. So, we did one dive and watched a lovely sunset on the way back into the harbor. We rebooked for a few days later and I couldn't believe the first dive was the same reef. It was so bright, clear, and vibrant. We heard dolphins, saw garden eels, and all sorts of other creatures. The manta dive was not as exciting as the first time I went a few years ago. There were 5 rays but only one or two at a time came in to feed. The previous time I visited, there were 14 and it was like a ballet. This time was cool because the rays would come hover over us, which is apparently unusual. On the way out, Mike and I were slow heading back. I saw an articulated eel hunting and a perfect banded shrimp.
4) Blackwater diving is something I've wanted to do for a few years now. Mike and I saw pictures of cool little underwater aliens last time we were in Kona, but all of the dives were booked. Since Jeff didn't want to go, Mike agreed to stay with him and have a guys' night. So, Lisa and I went. We were both a little apprehensive since the dive requires driving the boat 3 miles off shore, tethering ourselves to 40' lines, and otherwise just hanging out in the dark with a tiny light. It was awesome! We saw all sorts of weird creatures big and small. I loved it. Andy, our dive master was fantastic and rescued a baby octopus we'd somehow brought back into the boat with us. The pictures below are from the sunset dives. My GoPro doesn't like the dark and so I didn't take it on the blackwater. Check out this video for cool stuff similar to what we saw.
5) We rented a 4Runner and drove up Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. Mauna Loa is a one lane winding gorgeous road through miles and miles of black lava rock. The road took us all the way up to 13200 feet at which a trailhead leads to the summit. We didn't hike because of the rain. It was chilly, foggy, and beautiful. Next we drove up Mauna Kea to see the telescopes. The original plan was to drive up and have a sunset picnic then go stargazing at the visitors center. Unfortunately the rain blocked our sky views. It was way cool to cruise around the telescopes though. Plus, no traffic! Whoop!
6) On our way out of town, we caught a gorgeous sunset over a lava flow. It was just a great trip of small adventures and spending time with family. Thanks Jeff and Lisa!
