Day 9: Surfing & Dolphins!!

  Kealakekua, Hawaii, United States
Tuesday, November 6, 2007

I was originally worried after looking at the weather forcast last night that my last 2 days here were going to be rained out!  Even as of this morning it they were predicting cloudy with scattered showers...noooooooo!  Well, as long as there wasn't thunder or lightning, surf was still a possibility, as long as the waters weren't going to be especially rough.  So I thought I'd call the surf shop, leave a message for when they eventually open and see how things were looking for lessons.

After saying my thank yous and goodbyes to Tabatha's parent's (they were all going fishing today), I hung out in the condo a little while longer, then packed up my things and was on my way.  As I was leaving Waikoloa Village, I could see Mauna Kea in the distance and the top was covered in snow!  I was hoping there would be snow on the volcano while I was here!  So I pulled off the road and took some great pictures.

Mauna Kea again

I decided to go ahead and drive straight to Kona, where the surf shop is, since it is about a 45 minute drive.   If I was going to be able to make the 9am lesson, I'd have to at least be on my way by the time they called.  During this time, the sky cleared and it ended up being a BEAUTIFUL morning!  Not only that, but I was in luck!  1.  The Mauna Kea tour called and told me that they have room for me on tomorrow's (Tuesday's) tour!  Hurray!  2.  The surf shop said I would be the only person at 9am so it would be a private lesson-even better! 

After sitting in a ridiculous amount of traffic (which the guidebooks warned me about...but they said remember: even if you are sitting in traffic, at least you're not at home sitting in traffic on your way to work!!) I finally made it to Kahalu'u Beach for my surfing lesson!  Everyone there was of course very nice and my instructor Dominic was very patient.  I was both excited and nervous, as compared the East Coast (and the Philippines, which was the last time I was in the ocean), the waves and currents are much stronger here (though smaller in comparison to the other Hawaiian island...which makes me glad I learned here on the Big Island and not the North Shore of Oahu!)  We went over the basics on land, I practiced where and how to lay on the board and how to stand up.  Sounds easy, right?  Well, maybe on solid ground...I knew on water would be a completely different and potentially terrifying experience!

So I put on the little reef shoes and shirt that they gave me and we headed off into the water.  I laid on my board and paddled my way through the waves.  And there I was, far from the safety of solid ground, and he said, "Okay...start paddling and then stand up!"  I'm like, "That's it?  I just go and do my thing?"  He helped give my board a little shove (since I wasn't good at picking up the speed of my board towards the end, like you're supposed to), I felt the wave catch the board...and I proceeded to do exactly what you're NOT to supposed to do!  My hands were too far forward and as I tried to push myself up, my board completely nose-dived and I wiped out!  Well no time to recover...after swallowing and inhaling a good amount of water, I had to get back on my board, paddle out and try again.  I won't bore you with a total wave by wave dissertation, but me being the kind of person who wants to be good at everything...well I was getting frustrated, but luckily Dominic had complete faith in me.  I think after that rough first experience, I got a little more nervous.  I decided to take a step back and practiced kneeling (as I kept my hands in the right place) as I caught the wave, and I also had to get out of the habit of looking down and the board and looking forward in the directing that you want to go.  Then I graduated up to getting my feet up and squatting while hanging on to the board (which was also a little annoying because I think I discovered too late that my shoes were a bit big, and when they filled with water, I sort of tripped on them as I was trying to get my feet under me).  By the last couple waves I actually stood up!!  YAY!!!  I'm sure it wasn't pretty and I wasn't the most graceful, but at least I wasn't wiping out anymore.  Not bad for my first hour of surfing...they say that's what the lesson is for, to get your comfortable and get the basics down so you can start going out on your own and practicing.  Well darn it!  When is the next time I'm going to go surfing?!  I did some research online, and there are surfing camps...hmmm, next vacation? 

I'm a surfer chick now!

So I took the expected cheesy picture with my instructor by the surfboard and was on my way.  Since it ended up being a beautiful day, I decided to rent some snorkeling gear and a boogieboard.  I made a feeble attempt to look into a kayaking/snorkeling tour group through Kealakekua Bay, with no luck.  I didn't put much effort into a group thing or getting a single and taking myself out, as I haven't kayaked before and while I made it through the surfing experience, I wasn't ready to venture into unfamiliar open water alone.  Anyway, it wasn't even 11am and I still had more than half the day ahead of me!  I drove down south about another 10 miles to Pu'uhonua o Honaunau to check out the snorkeling.  Once again I got a little nervous, as even though there weren't huge waves, it was a bit of a challenge getting into the water from the rocks and I definitely got a little banged up.  I met a nice family and I asked if they minded that I tag along since I'm by myself.  I knew I'd feel more relaxed and a little safer with other people around me.  I don't think we were out for more than 20 or 30 minutes.  I did see some beautiful fish, but the snorkeling I did in the Philippines was definitely way better!  The water was clearer over there, more fish and they looked more vibrant!  

Kealakelua Bay

About the Bay

I drove 5 miles back north again and thought I'd at least check out Kealakekua Bay.  It was beautiful, but definitely not the type of beach where one lays out, or can just jump into the water for a swim.  I watched some massive waves crashing into the boulders.  As I was walking around, I saw a group of people by a launch area, putting their kayaks in the water.  I asked one guy if there was a tour group that goes out today.  He said there wasn't an organized group, but if I wanted, he could take his double out with me and do a private tour.  It ended up being a pretty sweet deal (cheaper than what it would have cost through one of the companies, and I already had the snorkeling gear) and he was able to share with me some interesting history about the area.  So Amancio and I were on our way, and not even halfway across the bay, we were greeted by a dozen SPINNER DOLPHINS!!  They came so close to us, maybe 10-15 feet away.  He told me to jump in and swim with them...so I did!  I put my snorkeling gear on, but visibility in the water wasn't the greatest.  At one point I could faintly see a couple swim by me, but I had better luck hearing rather than seeing them underwater.  But they did put on a good show for us on the surface!

After a while, they disappeared, so I got back in the kayak, and we proceeded across the bay to the Captain Cook monument.  This area which is not so easily accessible except by some sort of boat (unless you're hardcore and decide to swim across the bay or do an insanely steep hike down the mountain) is supposed to be some of the best snorkeling in the state.  The snorkeling was definitely better than my previous location, but still, not as good as the Philippines.  It also may be that there was a lot of sediment from the storm the day before.  So I got back in the kayak and we proceeded across the bay.  At first I was sad because it looked like the dolphins were long gone, but Amancio said to be patient.  Sure enough they reappeared to say hello!  I jumped back in with my gear.  They were swimming around us for a bit, and at one point, as I was looking underwater, a couple dolphins were maybe just a couple couple arms-length away!  They seemed to me getting closer to check me out.  To think I considered paying a ridiculous amount of money at the Hilton to hang with the dolphins, and I could just pay half (or less) to kayak/snorkel/swim with them in their natural habitat!

What a day!!!!!!!!!

So those were my BIG adventures for the day.  The only thing I regret is not having an underwater camera to bring while I was surfing, snorkeling, kayaking and swimming with the dolphins.  By now it was late afternoon, so I headed back north to Waikoloa to check into my hotel.  After enjoying a much needed shower, I decided that I deserved to be celebrated today and made reservations at a nice restaurant for dinner.  I thought I needed to get another use out of the dress I brought for the wedding, so I got all dolled up!  I took some silly pictures of myself, to prove that I really am having fun and ready for a night out!  

The diva going out on a date nite w/ herself!

I also thought maybe before and/or after dinner, I'd hang out in the lounge, where there was supposed to be Hawaiian music until 9pm, and then jazz music until midnight and read or even possibly meet some new people (which I pretty much gotten in the habit of every day since I've been here!).  After walking about ¾ mile (I think from one end of the resort to the other is a mile), I arrived at the restaurant, actually the same place we ate after Tabatha's wedding.  While I could have tried any of the other restaurants, I wanted to go somewhere with Hawaiian-style food...I can eat Italian or Japanese back home!  Dinner was delicious: Blackened Mahi-mahi and for dessert a coconut crème brulee served in a halved coconut shell.  I'm also in love with the bread at this place, or maybe it's the butter with I think garlic and herbs that does me in!  Unfortunately halfway through dinner, the day's activities and also being up since 4 or 5 am caught up with me.  I knew there was no way I could handle hanging out and being social at the lounge.  Oh yeah, I did also have a lava flow with dinner (strawberries, rum, coconut and pineapple juice) so that lay have added to the tiredness.  The hotel has boats and a tram that runs the length of the resort, so I ended up being lazy and instead of walking back to my room, I waited for the boat.  It took every last bit of energy to just get myself to my room and ready for bed...I barely remember even getting under the covers!!