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Hawaii (2) — Snorkeling!

I love to swim with fishes in the colorful tropical oceans! I figured that it would be a good experience as well to write down a snorkeling journal on a snow day near the corn fields to cure my misses and craves (a smile).  For more professional advice, please refer to online webs or mobile apps that rate the snorkeling sites based on the fishes, the vegetation, the waves, and how easy to access the water …

Molokini Crater @ Maui  

The water is so beautiful here. It is clear, crystal, light blue lit up till the bottom. The fish density is extremely high when I was here. It is only accessible by the boat though, so likely you will go with a local guide.

Maui mostly consists of resorts and golf courses. Many tourists stay in a town called Lahaina, and you can go to any little snorkeling shops on Lahaina to reserve your spots. I typically bring a mask, a snorkel and fins myself, but all these tour companies have gears for you. Except wetsuits (which actually are not required), everything else is free. Do reserve your spots a few days earlier if possible, as they can be sold out less than a day, especially during holiday seasons. If you have little kids and older family members traveling with you, you’ll need to ask what types of boats they offer. Many of the boats here are small and open, no showers, and swing hard under the waves.

Lahaina has wonderful restaurants and shops, although personally I like to stay in a less commercial area, so we stayed at Maalena. There is a snorkeling company located on the Maalena habor called Malolo. Compared to Lahaina, it is a shorter boat ride from Maalena.  It is cheaper too. They have two boats a day to take you to Molokini: one in the early morning and the other in the afternoon, looking for a staff called “Noodle”. He worked like my old friend and very fun to interact with. He would call me up and say “hey, I talked to my boss and secured four spots for you” “hey let me offer you some discount”…

A side note is that November/December/January are the whale watching season in Maui. We went out with a boat special for watching whales but saw none. But life never disappoints you too much —- on the snorkeling trip back from Molokini, we saw playful whales 🙂 People told me that when you dive down at the Molokini crater, you will hear whale whistling.

Turtle Town @ Maui

On route back from Molokini, the snorkeling companies will also take you  to another spot called the turtle town. It is important because you are supposed to find the famous hawaii green turtles here.  When I was here though, the water was muddy and green due to the rain the day before. I did not see any turtles but only some corals and fishes.

Carlsmith Beach Park @ Big Island

This is probably my favorite off-shore snorkeling site in Hawaii. It is free, the water is okay clear and has steps to walk down to the water.  THE MOST EXCITING PART IS THAT YOU WILL SEE HAWAII GREEN TURTLES FOR REAL. I have seen the big big green turtles in different locations near the shore, and they came after you. It is so damn close, and I almost see his cunning smiles. Is that you who I have dearly missed?!

The water here is not very deep even you swim a bit far, and there are almost no waves. Although at a few spots, the water is kind of cold. People told me that there is a spring pumping into this bay that brings the cold rain water from the land. There are no corals here but reasonable amount of fishes near the offshore rocks. This park is not terribly busy and has parking and outdoor showers. You will need to bring your own gears. It is located near the hilo airport and very close to a lot of shops. There is also a black sand beach park nearby called Richardson beach park that worth to check out.

Kahaluu Beach Park @ Big Island

It is a popular site on the Kona side. If I remember correctly, this park has black sand beaches. The water is not very deep and has reasonable amount of fishes near the rocks, a good place for kids and for people who want to learn snorkeling. Parking, outdoor showers and shelter for picnics. There are equipment rentals. If you stay nearby, it is worth of a try, a lot of people though.

Ahalanui County Beach Park @ Big Island

This place does not have many fishes, but the water is warm due to the volcanic activity! It is located on the south east of the big island, very scenic drive nearby. You are able to stand and walk around in this “warm spring” to see tropical fishes, very unique experience.  There are outdoor showers and parking.

Hanauma Bay @ Oahu

Many people come to Oahu for surfing, especially at the north shores. There are places to snorkel too. Hanauma Bay is a famous one. It is civilized, and you will watch a video on marine protections before you enter the water. It is a good spot for beginners and kids, as the water is shallow. I did not see many fishes here. This spot hosts so many visitors every day; as a result, the level of bacteria in the water is so high that the park has to close down from time to time. You will need to pay to enter the park, and the parking is not easy sometimes. A beautiful scene from the parking lot.

Great Barrier Reef @ Cairns Australia

As a comparison, I also described my snorkeling experience at the great barrier reef. You will want to go soon, as sadly the reefs are disappearing. Great barrier reef has the most beautiful coral systems I have ever seen, it is big and colorful with so many fishes. To me, the best way to tour great barrier reef is to hire a boat to take you to a couple of spots for a few days. We were the newbies to Aussie and used the famous Quicksilver. The boat is fun and romantic but expensive and not able to snorkel very long.

25. March 2018 by admin
Categories: off to see the world | Leave a comment

Hawaii (1) — Lava!

2017 12/19 – 2018 1/5:  sunny, cloudy, some short rains and rainbows

in the new year, wish you live free and open as the Pacific!

Hiking for Watching Flowing Lava 

Big island has the most active volcanoes on earth. In the past, there are a lot of boat tours taking you to see the red lava flowing into the Ocean. It costs a few hundreds of dollars per person, but if you have family and old people traveling with you, I highly recommend you to do so, as another option to see flowing lava is to hike through lava fields, which is pretty much impossible for people that are not used to strenuous hiking.  Also, it should be noted that at some seasons the lava is not able to reach the Ocean, so the boat tours are not always available.

Hiking through the lava fields during night is one of the life changing moments.  If you spent 20 or 30 dollars, the local guide will drive a bus or rent you a bike to help you get closer to the flowing lava. The local guide is nice almost like a volunteer organization, not commercial like Waikiki at all, and they will give you a flash light, a bottle of water and a bag pack if you need one (I had some scratches from a fall during hiking, they have first aid facility too).  The lava field is one of the most beautiful landscapes I have seen. We arrived the lava site around dusk.  On the left, it is the blue Ocean; on the horizon, there are  different shades of sunset, red, yellow, pink, orange, blue, green …; on the right side, it is the black lava field with some red flowing lava lit up on the mountains. You see waves and shapes in rocks from pushing and squeezing. In the older lava fields, there are wild flowers and green grasses growing stubbornly from the cracks. I leave a bad picture here so that you will be surprisingly impressed when you see it in person one day :p

After 2 or 3 miles of bus or bike ride, you need to hike another 3 or 4 miles till reaching the flowing lava. It starts to get dark and you will be only able to see where your flashlight lits. The hike is just wild in that there are no trails but only the red lava in front of you that guide you the path.  So some headlight will be useful. Night hiking is thrilling. I like the stars, the moon, the breeze and the vast of darkness around you that make you feel at peace. It also reminds me of my high school time when a group of good friends went out for night hikes and then sat in the tent to chat until sunrise.

As you are getting closer to the flowing lava, your shoes and feet start getting hot, so make sure you wear some not-easy-to-melt shoes 🙂  The flowing lava is pushing from the red rocks, and makes the sizzling sound. You feel the radiation heat swirling in the air. I was screaming during the hike for my excitement of seeing lava from faraway. But right now when I am so close to it and listen to it, only the silence dignifies the moment and the touchingness.

On the way back, the hiking is more difficult. There is no light to tell you where is the destiny, and when you are going to reach the finish line.  You occasionally see somebody over there, and you are not sure whether they are on the correct paths, you are on the correct paths, or both of you are on the correct paths 🙂  The local guide promises to pick you up after your hiking is over only if you can come down by 9pm, yet there are still people who is hiking up to see flowing lava when we came down; sometimes we joked with them “it already runs out”, sometimes we worried about them, “oh, that poor family definitely cannot make down by 9pm”.  For a quick hike, you will prepare to start the hike around 6 or 6:30pm and finish around 8 or 8:30pm. For a slow hike, you will prepare 4-5 hours.

Note some details above for my future visits and hopefully they are useful for your preparation of trips to Hawaii as well.

14. January 2018 by admin
Categories: off to see the world | Leave a comment