Turtles and dolphins

May 16, 2012

I am posting this adventure the day after because I was just so exhausted I fell asleep before I got to this yesterday. It was by far the most amazing experience so far on the island. I got to snorkel with sea turtles and dolphins in the ocean. I chose Eo Wai'anae Tours because it is a local family owned and operated business. They were super nice and it was incredible.

I took a couple of pictures off the boat as we were leaving the harbor but then put everything away for the rest of the trip since there was water, flippers, snorkels and all. Didn't want my phone or camera knocked into the ocean. HOWEVER, I ordered the photos from the trip. There are tons of photos taken underwater of my tour and I'll be posting those shortly. They had doughnuts and juice to start the tour. I had some juice and a doughnut hole, I wasn't hungry. Here are the 2 pictures I took:

After leaving the harbor we went to the first site, where we got to snorkel and swim with green sea turtles. They are protected animals because they are endangered. We couldn't touch them but they could touch us. However, these had BABIES with them so they stayed closer to their babies and only one came up to be close. There were 4 in all and they were so incredibly neat to see. This is where I learned to snorkel. Let me just say, it is SUPER easy and fun. We swam along and saw the coral reef, tons of brightly colored fish, and of course the sea turtles.

Next we went to find dolphins. These are spinner dolphins, named because they jump from the water and spin in the air. They are smaller than the dolphins around Florida. They travel in groups called pods. We saw a pod and carefully got into the water so we wouldn't scare them. Dolphins communicate mainly through splashes and noise. The dolphins swam right underneath us! Then they circled around and did some jumping and spinning. They spent a while circling and coming back to us. It was so incredible. These are wild creatures, not in a zoo or tank. They could have left at any time, but chose to stay with us and be friendly. They are very smart and very curious creatures.

We left the site and took off all our snorkeling gear. We stopped closer to the beach and had burgers, chips, raw carrots and broccoli for lunch. I had some more juice and some water. staying hydrated is important and it is easy to not drink enough here. the food was simple but tasty and we were all hungry after snorkeling. Then they got out the kayak and paddle board. People took turns on those. The highlight was we decided to climb up to the top of the boat and everyone took turns jumping, doing flips or diving into the ocean. It was super fun. The two sons that dove and snorkeled with us did some male hula on the trip back, it was fun to watch. One of the sons is just super fun, he is like a polynesian Johnny Depp. He was doing headstands and handstands on the paddle board and just generally hamming it up for the crowd. The whole family is just super nice and fun.

After that we returned to the harbor and boarded the van to return to Waikiki. Half the passengers fell asleep on the ride. It is amazing how fast you get worn out in the ocean. I was very tired and took the bus back to my place. I was back by 2:30 but exhausted. I got a little sun today, a slight sunburn on my shoulders but not bad. After a shower I did a quick check online, had a nice video chat with the boys back home, then fell asleep at about 5. I didn't wake back up till this morning. I basically slept for 14 hours. I was one tired Lissa.

Some things I learned today:
1) The ocean is constantly moving. Just floating the currents and waves will move you a significant distance if you don't constantly work to stay in one spot.
2) Snorkeling is easy and super fun. I want to do more!!!!!
3) Some new Hawaiian words: Whales - Kohola, Dolphins - Nai'a, Fish - I'a, and Turtles - Honu.
4) The Pacific ocean is a bit colder than the Atlantic, but much much clearer.

As for today, I am having a day of rest. I am super fatigued and will just relax and read a bit so I have plenty of energy for my adventure tomorrow.

Aloha kakahiaka (Good morning),
~Melissa