Hawaiian Vacation – Water Activities

I am home from Hawaii and back to work. I thought I’d post our adventures in separate parts and grouped by similarities rather than a day by day diary. Some days we did a few activities, and others we just walked or drove around enjoying the views.

One of my favorite things was the Makani Catamaran sail. We used our Go Oahu Card for this 2 hour sail out of Waikiki. There were about 30 people on the boat, and the crew of 3 were fun, but capable. We sailed out to sea from the harbor for an hour, looped around and sailed back in. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any special marine life; the crew said it was not the best season for it. But we sure enjoyed the wind in our faces, the bluest sea and sky you can imagine, and several para-sailers nearby. And of course, the Mai Tais!

Captain Donna

The First Mate

Wind in our faces

The ocean was about the bluest blue I’ve ever seen

On Monday, we drove up the coast to the North Shore, stopping at several beaches along the way to watch the wildlife, waves and surfers. We pulled into Turtle Bay Resort and just walked around the beautiful grounds and window shopped in the mall area. We had heard about Laniakea Beach, a little (not so secret) hidden beach where giant green sea turtles come in to bask (warm their bodies in the sun). There are 28 endangered “honu” living in the waters off Oahu, which is one of only three places in the world where they exist. There happened to be two lazy beauties there when we stopped. A team of marine biologists stand guard whenever turtles make their way to the beach, roping off an 8 foot perimeter in the sand, and answering questions from the tourists.

Near Diamond Head

Little birdie with a red head

Along the North Shore

Near Turtle Bay Resort

One afternoon, we put on our swimsuits and walked down to Waikiki beach. Both of us waded a little bit in the ocean, but neither of us are big fans of sand or salt, so we walked back up to our condo for a dip in the pool.

On our last full day on the island, we drove up the west coast. I remembered the two coast roads do not completely circle the island, and we wanted to see how different the other side looked. It is more rugged and the waves (at least the day we were there) were much higher than on the east and north shores. We happened to arrive at the Kaena Point State Park just before sunset. With a clear view and very few people, we watched a spectacular show, as waves crashed upon the shore and the sun dropped into the ocean.

Since this is the “water” entry, I must mention the water show we missed: the one hundred year flood back home. Chandler (which my house borders) got 5.47 inches of rain in less than 24 hours! I received frequent updates from my neighbor that our street remained clear and the canal did not overflow, so I figured my house was high and dry. My only slight concern was my roof, but it held strong, and all was fine when I arrived back home, with only a wild mushroom as evidence of the earlier moisture.

Rainfall in the Valley.