Snorkeling and Shorkeling

All was right with the world today. My headache which has been threatening to make me want to scream out at whoever would listen had disappeared this morning and the sky was the same hue of blue it always is with the same fluffy and billowing clouds along the mountain ridge that we wake up to every morning in "paradise." Last night HH and I decided that if I was feeling better we would take the kids to Harauma Bay which lays beyond Diamond Head near the Koko Head Crater and along the Kalanianaole Hwy. Look for the end of Oahu past Wakiki and you'll find the majestic and beautiful Hanauma Bay Beach and Nature Preserve. The tourists and locals alike flock to this beach and the parking fills up quick as a wink on weekends, so with a back up plan in mind and crossing fingers and toes, we set out for snorkeling and shorkeling the morning away with the Honu, tropical fish, and a handful of who would become our closest friends as we enjoyed the waters of Hanauma Bay.
As we rounded the bend we caught the parking lot sign and shouted out "yes! there's parking!!!" HS bellowed from the backseat, "that means we get the beach to ourselves!!!" Ummm...well...you can't blame a little guy for hopelessly dreaming that the rest of the population would just decided not to visit one of the most visited spots on Oahu. We were pleasantly surprised at how few people there were with us. We chalk it up to our ability to maneuver quickly from the house first thing since we have morning children, but more than likely it was because we were just lucky. The bay is a nature preserve and it is treated as such with volunteers guiding you through the process of getting yourself down to the beach. Don't even think about trying to get down there without watching the orientation video!!! You may be one of those people who thinks that the fish are for feeding and the coral is for touching and the turtle is there just for your own personal ride. Once you've seen it proceeding down the rather steep incline is mesmerizing. Walking with LD I had to remember what was more important...picture or my life and that of my LD with HH and HS way ahead of me since I had to ogle over the side down at the crystal clear waters and coral reefs.

Once we arrived at the beach the fun of finding the "perfect spot" began. When we were BC (before kids) we would have thrown our towels down anywhere and proceeded in. Life AC is very different...the more shade the better and with LD not mobile a little bit of grass is close to heaven. Since Hanauma Bay is "heaven" finding our spot was not difficult and once we were settled in, HH and HS headed out to snorkel and LD and I were left to "shorkel" (ok...after an hour spent hanging out on my towel I decided I had to come up with some mumbojumbo word to describe what I do while the guys are in the water). Here is a comparison of the two:

Snorkeling: Placing oneself into the water to observe the natural wildlife found within the coral and sand pockets and basically "spying" on poor unsuspecting sea creature.
Shorkeling: Placing oneself upon a towel in order to watch family members frolic in the ocean and snorkel but find themselves observing the humanlife found hanging out on the shore and within the water, therby learning about the eating and dressing habits of people. Watch out for the wildlife who hover to find the "perfect" spot on the beach.

While shorkeling, LD and I were privy to seeing some of the land creatures besides just the humans. I spotted my first mongoose who kept creeping out from the bush and making his round of the trashcan left near us in hopes that I just may have been sloppy enough to throw something aside of the trash instead of inside. LD was fascinated by the Brazilian cardinals who were fighting and playing a game of chase me, chase you for a bit of cracker.


After awhile HH and HS returned and were excited to see what I thought of the bay. Well, go in I did, and the world underwater here is easy to enjoy. Following unsuspecting fish as they went about their daily routine made me wonder all the more what they have to say about the weird masked wonder hanging out above them. I could almost make out the small pufferfishes' lament, "oh geez, here's another coming to see me...can't I have this reef to myself?" as he darted to and fro without slamming into the triggerfish munching on coral nearby. I tell you, it's a traffic jam sometimes down there!

I must have been out for awhile because when I returned both men were standing looking out to the bay with looks of panic that I had disappeared. Well, I did get lost for a while. Lost in the world of my own imagination and enjoying every minute of silence under the water with my new found fish friends who didn't have a choice but to allow me to hover over and live in their world for awhile.

If you'd like to see more of Hanauma Bay visit the following website:
http://www.hanauma-bay-hawaii.com/