The Mantas

So my real snorkeling test came Wednesday evening. I had known since my first time that I would be doing this. It seemed impossible then, but I had really grown in my abilities -- much faster than I imagined I could.

We drove to Jack's Diving Locker to get fitted out with wet suits. Craig also got a snorkel mask, because I was using his that he had rented from Snorkel Bob's when we first arrived. We signed the disclaimers -- always a fun thing to do. We got in the van and drove over to the boat. We met our Captain -- now I can't remember her name. She looked like she was in her 20's, along with our two guides. We listened to all the rules.

We boated out about 45 minutes to the spot. Just off the rocks by the Kona Airport. The water was 35 feet deep. We rode out in front of the boat, with the wind in our faces. I loved it. I like being on boats. To get there we had to hold onto little railings and walk the 6 inch path around the bridge. In the harbor it was no big deal. The ocean was really calm that night, so really no big deal to get back, but I was still a bit nervous. We got our wet suits on, received our assignments -- which board we were on, and got into the water. The sun was going down.

So, to be perfectly frank, I was getting into the ocean knowing it was 35 deep where we were and it was getting dark.

The only way I think I would ever be talked into doing anything so crazy -- because let us remember that I am afraid of water that is over my head (and 35 feet of water is way over my head) -- is that I really, really, really wanted to be a part of swimming with MANTA RAYS!

The deal is that they have SCUBA divers on the bottom with lights shining up and then the snorkelers are on top with lights going down. The lights attract plankton, and the plankton attracts the mantas. They come to feed.

They are careful to point out that mantas are wild animals and they cannot guarantee that they will come the particular night that you choose to get in the water to see them. Hence, no refunds.

So we go out with hope that they will be hungry that night.

Mantas have no teeth -- or very small ones. They are filter feeders. They have so stingers in their tails. They are not aggressive. The guides are there to help you and keep you safe. They were careful to say that if you are scared, they can point you to the correct boat, or swim you over there -- even hold your hand.

I knew the basics about mantas before I even went to Hawaii, so I knew they would not eat me.

Craig was the first one in the water. That meant I was the second. I got in, and swam over to the surf board. The surf board was modified -- there were eight holes cut in it where they had inserted heavy duty flashlights. It was  "mounted" on a frame of PVC pipe. We hung onto the pipe. The idea was to float and keep our feet out straight and our feet pointed to give as much space under water as possible for the mantas.

I had the five other people of my group -- family members -- as well as the guide to keep me on track and safe.

We swam out around the other boat that brought the SCUBA divers in and entered the light zone. We saw schools of fish -- not the colorful reef fish, but the larger silver fish of the ocean.

Within about five minutes, we had our first encounter. A manta ray, attracted by the plankton that was attracted by our lights, came and started swimming in upside-down somersaults to eat. Maybe backward somersaults is a better way to describe it. And where we were not supposed to initiate contact, if they touched you it was all good.

I think everyone on our board was honored by being touched by a manta that night. They would swim so close to the board that it was almost like we were laying on top of them.

Our mantas were the smaller coastal rays. They would grow to have a wingspan of about 12 feet. The bigger ocean mantas can grow to have a wingspan of 22 feet. Our rays were all black on the back, the ocean mantas have white patches on their shoulders.

Each manta has a unique pattern of spots on their tummies that people use to identify them. Just off the coast of Kona there is a population of about 200 individuals.

I chose this picture because you can see right into their mouths. I saw the gills, looked into their eyes, and stared into their gullets.

After the dive, our guides told us the average number of mantas on any given night was 2. At one time I saw 9 together. Just in our little corner of the light field. The guide estimated that there were at least 20. I don't have the real number. But, needless to say, our outing was extraordinary -- for us and the guides who took us.

We were in the water for over 45 minutes, and I would have stayed longer. It was simply magical.

I was touched several times. A couple of times, I could feel the tail caress my leg as he swam in his somersaults. Once I could feel him on my hand. It sounds like Craig got touched more than I did, but I was happy with what I was graced with.

Josh is so jealous. He thinks we are so not fair that we didn't take him. Boaz felt better when I told him he had to be at least 10 to be able to go.

This was the highlight of the trip for me. Simply amazing.

Wednesday

We tried to get into a good beach by a ritzy hotel. But they have limited parking spots, and we didn't make it in. So we went to plan B. A beach that requires a bit of a hike. The road was bad, but not as bad as one that has become something of a family legend. Apparently, that road required Jeeps and a bit of sideways driving.

This road was just bumpy, bumpy, bumpy.

We parked and had about a mile to go. Of course, we passed beaches along the way, but we were headed to a special beach. :)

We found one that was a nice shallow somewhat rocky area. I learned to bob in in the water there. It was shallow enough beyond the breakers that I could still reach sand. Kris and I played for a while. I miss-judged a landing -- after riding a swell -- and rammed my foot into a jagged rock. It was all alone in the sand. Ouchie! But the beach was beautiful.

Craig decided to see if he could see anything snorkeling. He said it was a good spot. I came out of the water, and decided that I would go with him. I got geared up, borrowed the boogie board, and tried to navigate the beach with my flippers. I was walking sideways, because I was trying to see where I was going. The waves were pretty strong. I thought I was through, and ended up being tossed around a bit. I came up sputtering. Craig erupted in laughter. I spat out the mouthpiece, not realizing that it had become separated from the snorkel tube.

I lost it.

It was gone.

No where to be found.

I was entirely deflated. I wanted to go see the fish. I wanted to be able to do something amazing and hard, and I ruined it.

Everybody was nice. Craig asked if my being able to breath wasn't a indicator that the mouth piece was  not attached? But coming up sputtering from a big wave, my logic wasn't engaged. Brad and Kris helped look in the water, I searched the rocks and the waves. I knew it was gone. I knew I was keeping the search going, and interrupting the fun. I had said a silent, little prayer, but I knew it was hopeless. I went back to the bobbing. Others offered their snorkels, but I said no. I didn't want them to not be able to snorkel.

Really, it was one of those awkward times when you do something stupid that effects you and you try and not let it effect the others.

I felt stupid.

Craig said there were a lot of parrot fish and he would wear the small pool goggles and I could wear his mask. He would guide me where they were.

I said okay. I went past the breaking waves, put on my flippers -- much easier, and off we went. The most amazing thing happened. The mask didn't leak. I didn't have water bathing my nose the whole time. It was so much better. His mask was so much better.

I was amazed. The wind had picked up a bit, the sky had gotten  darker with a small storm, and the fish had all but disappeared. But I had an experience with a mask that I didn't know was available.

Sometimes I think life is like that. A variation on Plato's cave. We think we have the best available and that prevents us from looking for improvements. I think God's answer to my quiet, little prayer was 'try a different mask and see how it can really be.'

This was important for the evening activity.

But first a few pictures from our morning trip before I rush to work.

My computer is freaking out. So I will add the pictures later. :)

Let's see if the computer is feeling better after work. :)

Yeah, it is working.

Craig up on the top of the dunes watching the whales breaching.

Carrying our grass mats to the beach. The black lava rock was crazy.

This picture looks more desolate. No palm trees. Not a normal idea of Hawaii. The hat is new. I'm trying to not get a sunburn.

My cute man taking a nap on the beach. Really he was ready to get up, but he put the hat back on his face so I could get the picture. Obviously he is wearing a different shirt than the other picture. Hence it is ia different day. This picture might be from Thursday morning.

The beach. But this is from Thursday morning as well. Can you see all the sand in the waves. The water beyond the break is beautiful and blue and at the break it is all tan and sandy.

Tuesday

I'm starting to get it all mixed up in my head. So I have to get going on this.

Tuesday we went to Captain Cook's memorial. It is in a lovely bay and the memorial is where he was killed by the natives. The only problem is that you have to go there by boat. Last trip it was the others favorite site.

This time, the environmentalists had scored a  victory and it was off limits. Only very limited people had permits to go to the memorial, and there was no snorkeling. I took a few pictures.

This was as close as we got to the Captain Cook Memorial. It seems pretty silly to me to have a memorial that nobody, or very few people -- depending on your political connections -- can go see.

This was a sacred spot to the islanders. There was a temple, or the remains of a temple. You couldn't climb on it. But I got a few pictures.

The little monument in front of the temple is where a crew member from Cook's boat was killed. This created a problem, because the natives started thinking that the Europeans were perhaps not gods after all. They had been received in a similar manner as Cortez and Pisaro. Only the Hawaiians got off a lot better.

The walls around the corner.

The walk way to the point.

Not a sandy beach. It had these black round stones. I think it was still lava, but not the jagged kind.

The experienced vacationers were trying to figure out how to get out on the bay. I looked at it and thought it was very big and a whole lot scary.

When absolutely no way was found, we drove around the point to two-step. This was open water -- a lot like Cook's Bay. I started getting ready. Really, it was a determined, teeth-set, get a hold of your self moment. I put on the glaringly yellow vest, my mask and went to the steps. The rocks formed a two step ledge into the very deep water. This would be the first time that I would not be able to stand up if I got a bit freaked out.

Sandy was already in the water, Craig said he would follow me in. Sandy had a boogie board, and that is all I thought of. Get in the water, swim to the boogie board, and don't let go. Sandy was my buddy for most of the swim. But eventually she had had enough of me bumping the board into her, and she transferred the board over to me.

That meant I was in water way over my head with just a mask and a boogie board. Craig saw the transfer and he swam over and became my buddy. This was the best swim for me so far.

The most fish that we saw on the whole trip were the yellow tangs. The biggest fish in these from the shore swims were the parrot fish. I got a few images from the web to share.

One of the more elusive fish was the coronet fish. They blended in with the water. The right angle really helped to spot these fish.

I was so excited to see these parrot fish. They were the largest fish I saw. I think Brad was disappointed to not see a shark. But I was relieved.

Craig and I saw the yellow trumpet fish only once, and only for a few seconds. I was very excited about this one.

The water was this clear, and this is kind of what the reef looked like. It was down deep (for me), and only a few fish swam anywhere close enough for me to think that I might be able to touch them. They were just teasing me, but I was enchanted.

After a while, the vest was more of a nuisance than a help. I deflated it and then I took it off. It disappeared.  I think Brad took it away. It was just me, the boogie board, Craig and the ocean. It was magical.

We swam out looking for fish and then we noticed we were at the drop off. I was not brave enough to look over that, and then we headed back. Craig showed me how far out we were, and then I focused on getting back to the far away shore. He had to keep getting me back on track, I just started kicking. He tried hard to steer me, but we made it back.

I was awkward getting back up the two steps. Total strangers literally pulled me from the water and Craig pushed me out. I was exhilarated and exhausted -- but triumphant.

Monday

Monday I learned how to boogie board. I have no pictures. I was too busy getting all sandy and trying to make sure my suit was still covering me.



It was way fun. The surf churned up the sand, and that churned up sand got everywhere. Brad later called it "Sand in Your Crack Beach". Another day we were there, I saw a sign that said that this was the beach with the most spinal injuries. I am glad that we survived it twice.



Lunch and then we snorkeled again. I was very interested in getting some good practice in because Brad had booked us an open water snorkel trip. More on that to come.



The beach we chose was a little out of the way beach. We just pulled off the road and saw a local family there playing. We only saw one couple snorkeling. I spoke with them, and they said this was their favorite spot. Sounded good.



The water was murky. Too much sand on the bottom. I saw a few fish, but there were at least 9 turtles. I was able to swim with them a bit. They had plenty of room to avoid me and get away, but they seemed oblivious. I enjoyed it and practiced snorkeling without my bright yellow life vest. This time Craig stayed close, but I didn't hold his hand. Obviously I was growing up fast in the snorkeling world.



There is a picture of us girls standing by a turtle in the water and making the turtle sign. I think it was from this beach. But the picture will live here in my blog. :)

I know this picture is not centered well, but you can see the turtle (who looks like a rock) and us girls laughing. Poor Kris is partially cut out.

Sunday continued

We continues up the Western Coast. Brad says we turned the point and started a bit south. The Big Island is a bit amazing. There is a bit of everything. The black lava flows, a bit of a desert, and then back to the tropical landscape you would expect. We got into the tropical area. There are lots of ranches -- cows. We passed a statue of King Kamehameha. I didn't get a picture. But I did get a picture of a wonderful little valley.



It's on my tablet, and I'll have to experiment a bit to transfer them to the blog. I wish I was more tech savvy.


I'm not sure why, but the process of posting from the tablet seems to stretch the pictures. Sorry.

The little bay that the valley runs into.

The valley. It is protected -- that means no development.



Sunset on the fly from the car.



Sunset on the beach.



Brad and Kris.



Sandy and Alan.



Sandy and Alan, they humored me and turned around to watch the sunset.



Craig and I. (I know my hair looks crazy. It's been in the back of a convertible with the top down all day.)



Kris



Sandy



Me


I happen to love this picture. :)

Here are a few pictures from the camera.

This is proof that Craig and I were in Hawaii.

A nice family took our picture up at the little valley.

Brad and Kris. I don't have a picture of her with her eyes open, so I have to use this one.

Saturday in Hawaii

Our plan was to play in the water on Saturday, but it was drizzly and gray.

After much thinking and looking at the weather report, we decided to attend the Kona temple.

Brad had pointed it out to us as he collected us from the airport.

I only brought one skirt, so I put it on again and off we went. My green lava-lava was my jacket. I only took one carry on bag for the whole ten days. I was glad there was a washer-dryer. :)

Here is the little Kona temple. It is a bit difficult to find. It is on a dead-end road. We had a bit of an adventure driving there, but we arrived safe and sound. This time we knew when the session started and had planned accordingly.

Alan, Sandy, Craig and I standing in the front of the temple.

Brad and Kris in front of the temple. Brad wanted to be by the sign -- the Kona Hawaii Temple. He will always know which temple he was at. :) You can see in the picture that Brad is in flip-flops. He forgot his Sunday shoes. This is a better shot of Moroni.

Brad, Kris, Sandy and Alan.

We found a place for lunch. It was a popular spot. I had the roast pig with gravy. I love Hawaiian pig, but it was a bit heavy. I wished for more veggies when my plate came.

Then it was time to learn to snorkel.

Those that know me well, know that I am a bit frightened of the water. I am quite frightened when I can not touch bottom. The idea of snorkeling was a bit terrifying for me. But I wanted to see the fish and I wanted to conquer my fear.

So Craig got a blow-up, bright, yellow life jacket. I used Sandy and Alan's extra snorkel mask and I set off to learn how. The wind was still blowing a bit. The water was a bit choppy. The mask leaked water. I spent a lot of that first day emptying the water out of the nose area of the mask. I spent a lot of the day pulling my head up out of the water and blowing out the water in the breathing tube.

But I saw fish. I didn't get an underwater camera, and I was no where ready to use it this day, but I saw some amazingly colorful fish. Yellow Tangs were everywhere. These were the fish that you could see from the rocks. I saw parrot fish, Hawaiian spotted puffer fish, Hawaiian spotted toby, Coronet fish, reef trigger fish, Moorish idols, Lei trigger fish, 4-spot butterfly fish, teardrop butterfly fish, bandtail goatfish, milletseed butterflyflish and others. The fish like the rocks. I swam over some cauliflower coral and lava rocks and finger coral. It was simply amazing.

After perusing the internet, I found a few pictures. The Moorish Idol.

Hawaiian Spotted Pufferfish

 Parrot fish

Yellow Tang

Trigger fish

Courtesy of my leaky mask, I drained sea water from my nasal passages for over an hour after I got out of the water.

Sandy got some lovely pictures of me and my fluorescent yellow floatie. I still have to beg them from her. When I get them, I'll insert them in the post.

Day two

Saturday morning we checked out of our hotel and headed to Waikiki Beach. We knew it would be full of people, but we had to go so we could say we did. The plan was to walk along the beach and then meet up with Craig's sister and visit Pearl Harbor before we caught our flight to the Big Island.

I was fascinated by the banyan (I think) trees with their roots hanging down and creating larger and larger network of trunks.

I got a few pictures of some.

In this picture you can see a root bundle reaching for the ground. In the back ground are successful roots already planted.

This would be such a fun tree to play in. I think it would make an awesome fort or tree house.

I didn't take pictures of the beach itself. Silly me. I was people watching. I have decided that there are some people that should never attempt a bikini. Seriously.

The beach was crowded. We came upon a beach volleyball tournament of college girls. It was fun to watch for a while. They were playing some serious volleyball.

We found a hygiene store (drug store) and bought me some aleve -- I had had a headache for two days. (The thing that really took care of that was some major stretching in Pilates.) I guess the stress of traveling was getting to me.

We didn't get the whole beach wandered. It was a long beach. But I did see this cute sculpture. I took a picture of it for Josh and Boaz. It is based on a children's story. I'm not familiar, but I think I should look it up. :)

I wanted to get a look at both faces. The boy and seal and catching the same wave and checking each other out.

The leis got my attention first, but I love the look on the seal's face. Totally willing to play with a kindred spirit.

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The visit to Pearl Harbor was awesome in some ways. We arrived after noon, and so all the tickets to the Arizona Memorial had been sold. We became a victim to the stupid sequester that dysfunctional Washington is punishing the country with.

So we chose to visit the USS Missouri. I have been on her before when she docked in Astoria the summer Craig and I started dating. In fact, I had invited him and Thea to come with me when I went, but his folks were in town and he hung with them instead. I went alone. :) But had three dates set up after the phone call. The beginning of an eternal thing right there.

Alan wanted to see her, and I love to tour naval ships. Something from my days in Portland.

It had been so long, my people wanted me to tell them everything, but I had forgotten a lot. We hooked up with a tour group on the main deck. We ended the guided tour on the surrender deck. I got a picture of the plaque.

This is where the Pacific Theature of World War II was ended. In Tokyo Harbor. I didn't get a picture of the Instruments of Surrender. I should have. But I read the signature of General MacArthur. My dad would have loved touring that ship.

We didn't have time to wander the whole ship that was open. We chose to go up. We saw the bridge and all the instruments in the command center. We crossed the Tomahawk Deck. Off the bow, on Battleship Row we could see the Arizona Memorial.

I took some pictures.

We learned these huge guns were always fired broadside. So as not to damage the Missouri, herself. And with all the force of the blast -- six bags of gunpowder weighing about 50 lbs each (I think) the ship absorbed the recoil and wasn't moved in the water. But the shock waves were visible after the shot. She could fire a projectile that weighed the same as a small car over 20 miles (over the horizon) with accuracy. The decks were cleared of all hands when she was firing. And it took about 90 men to work the guns.

A different view .

The white pylons are where the ships were moored that Sunday in 1941. The current ships were in a different part of the harbor. I saw them when we were on the plane headed to the Big Island. I was amazed at the size of the harbor. Pearl is huge!

We crowded on the bus to go back and I ended up next to the driver in the aisle. I asked questions, of course. We talked about the huge radar ball. He said it could track a base ball with pin point accuracy for over 300 miles. (I am pulling these figures out of my head, so I hope they are correct.) But they have something better, so they are selling it. Simply amazing.

Looking back at the Mighty Mo with her honor guards of the stars and stripes. She is so big that I couldn't fit her in the picture and still see details.

We returned to the airport and settled in for the wait for our flight to the Big Island. I was much more relaxed knowing that we had confirmed seats. :)

Friday was a big day and we were on to the next phase of our adventure.