A triple dipped two-togs day

The youngsters were leaving today, so we got up early to take them to the airport. Very early - 5.30. We were ready way before they were!

After we dropped them off we had plans for the rest of the day. I had an agenda. At the luau we sat next to a young couple who said that Shark's Cove on the north shore was better than Hanauma Bay. I've been to Hanauma Bay twice before, so I pricked up my ears. We went.

We drove up the centre of the island, past the Dole Plantaion, past Hali'ewa. It was still early, and there was almost nobody there. A beautiful spot:



with a big tidal pool. I clambered over the rocks and took this picture of a rock rose.



Was it safe to swim there? It looked OK to me but you never know about currents, rips, and other nasties. There were no lifeguards and Michael wasn't about to rescue me if I got into trouble. But, I was there to snorkel, so I snorkeled.

Here's proof:



I wore my Teva sandals in case of coral, and they do add a certain buoyancy. It was just glorious. Almost immediately I saw a sea turtle chomping on a rocky coral outcrop. He stopped, hung suspended in the clear water and we gazed at each other for a while, before we went our separate ways. How lucky was that? This isn't my picture, and I only saw one turtle, but this is pretty much what I saw.




There were heaps of fish, and it was terrific. I felt a bit nervous as I went out quite a long way, so I had a bit of a swim back and hugged the rocks on the way back. Apparently there are lots of underwater caves, but I was not investigating those!

On the swim back in I saw a facemask wedged on the bottom. Always the tidy one, I picked it up and brought it back to shore with me. In the picture I am carrying one and wearing one. What will I do with it? Anyone want it? It is a really good one.



After this dip we went up to Kuilima Cove. I dipped there too. It was very shallow, there was lots of nice coral, and there were a lot of fish. The most interesting thing I saw were these long tangled strands of white stuff that I think were alive. Not sure though!

We came home after a coffee and cake at Starbucks, and were weary. Had lunch. Then the water called me again and I went for a long swim at Fort de Russy beach, my regular. As I emerged from the water, a woman asked me if I had seen anything. "Yes, lots of fish," I said. "How far out do you have to go to see any?" she asked. "About a foot," I indicated. She was surprised, but it is true. All you need to do is put your face in the water and there they are.

So a three-dip two-tog day. No bikini today, though.