Almost immediately upon leaving the harbor we spotted a pod of dolphins but the captain said these were not friendly dolphins and we would keep looking for a better place to swim with them. We bumped along in the boat watching the lava-hardened land pass by us and the blue water pass under the boat. We stopped to look at a piece of wood floating in the water and then spotted a pod of spinner dolphins just off shore. The captain moved the boat along side and in front of the dolphins, snorkel gear was quickly put in place, and "last one off is a rotten egg!" was shouted in the air. I started swimming towards the shore and could watch the dolphins still a bit away above water. I ducked my head into the water and could hear the squeaks and noises of the dolphins but I still could not see them yet and even with the snorkel mask on I couldn't help but smile! All of sudden I could see one coming towards me, then two, then more than I could count! They were all around me, close enough that if I had reached out then I could have touched them (although I didn't because it is illegal and it is also important to respect the ocean's creatures). The dolphins swam back and forth past us several times and each time was just as awe-inspiring as the previous. It was not just a highlight of my trip but definitely a life highlight as well! We swam back to the boat and rode forward a little bit before repeating the same experience two more times. It was one of the coolest experiences that I have had in my life and I find myself watching the videos I took over and over again in amazement.
In the evening, I booked a swim with manta rays. The Big Island is well known for these swims and there are two areas near Kona that the manta rays like to congregate. The water had gotten pretty rough by the evening and it was quite a bouncy ride to get to the swim sight when off in the distance we saw two outrigger canoes, one was flipped over and missing it's passenger and the other was quickly taking on water and it's passengers were frantically waving us down. We motored over towards them and after righting the single canoe and rescuing it's passenger, we were able to tow in the other canoe making for an exciting start to the evening. With the rescue complete and successful, we moved onto our snorkel site and jumped in the water. The companies place a giant surfboard looking thing with multiple handles in the water and each person grabs on and lies flat with their head in the water. The wingspan of the manta ray is 20+ feet so you have to lie flat so you do not touch them. The have a protective coating on their bodies and human touch can wear away the coating and make the manta rays more susceptible to infection. Underwater blue lights were switched on and we waited. I kept popping my head above water because as much as I loved watching the fish, there was the most beautiful sunset that I had seen in the entire time that I was in Hawaii going on above the water. After popping my head up for a minute, I heard the guide yell "Here they come!" and immediately my head went down and these giant, majestic creatures were swimming towards us. I counted 4 different ones and they would swim along under the surfboard and then loop back around in a kind of water ballet with every bit as much grace as the most talented ballerina. They look prehistoric and are filter feeders so they have no teeth and are able to eat by just gliding smoothly along. I had two very memorable experiences with nature and the ocean creatures in one day and it is a day that I will never forget!
Our second day on the Big Island was also eventful. When our tour guide arrived to pick us up he was in a bit of excitement and explained that the tour we signed up for we may not be able to do. The lava in the volcano that he normally took tours to had dropped and could no longer be seen. The real excitement came because no one knew where it had gone to or where it would resurface at that time. The opposite side of the island had already felt several earthquakes as the earth was shifting. He explained that this volcano was not the kind of volcano that would abruptly start spewing lava and ash everywhere but it would instead start oozing out but had yet to display from where, so it was still safe to go near the volcano but we didn't know what we would see. The tour circles the island and we saw beautiful beaches and a long, cascading waterfall before a lunch stop and making our way up to Volcanoes National Park. When we arrived, the skies were clear enough we could see the lava bubbling occasionally in the volcano a mile away from the visitor's center. We waited to see if it would become more active (kind of like waiting for Old Faithful in Yellowstone but without the regularity). Eventually the fog rolled in and completely blocked our view so we decided to go ahead and head back to the Kona side of the island where we were staying.
Akaka Falls
Dewey spider web near the falls
Lava bubbling in Volcanoes National Park
Black sand beach
