I can't believe we actually did this, but a few months back, Rob sent us a link for Shark diving in Hawai'i. It was so far away, Eric and I just sort of laughed it off. Well, by the time we got here, we realized we needed to make a decision....so, we went for it! We woke up at 4:30 in the morning, yes, 4:30 and were in the car by 5am to drive about an hour to the north shore to dive with sharks. Let me tell you, it was so worth it!
There were 8 people on the boat including two of the men who instructed us. We headed 4 miles off shore to meet up with the cage which was left in the middle of the water, ready for us to dive in it!! By this point, I was severely regretting my decision to do this. I was really fearing for my life. We anchored, and then it was time for us to snorkel up and get in the water. Eric was first, then Rob, then Lauren, then me. Oh my gosh, I was so freaked out. I wish I had a pic of the cage but basically it was an 8'x8' cube that had a few areas that were plexy glass for viewing. The sharks show up as soon as they hear the boat. It's the age old pavlovian reaction, Boats = Food. We didn't even have to give them food but many of the crabbing boats give them food every other day. As soon as we were anchored, they were swimming around our boat, coming up just enough so we could see their fin (think jaws). So, here we are in the water, that's 800 feet deep in a cage that is attached to the boat!!!
This was the typical view from the cage of galapagos sharks!!!!
Eric
Rob
These pics were not easy to take as we were really getting knocked all over the cage as the water was a bit rough. By the time a minute had passed, I was (and everyone else was too) hooked! It was so cool!!!
Can you see the shark in the background?
Awesome shot
We were in the water about 20 minutes and were all totally bummed when we had to come out. We were greeted with a warm, fresh water shower, which wasn't as cool as swimming with sharks, but I guess it was fair to let the other group go :)
It was a real bummer to get off the boat, but I guess it had to be, so it was 8am when we were finished and we had the whole day on the North Shore to hang out. We headed out to Kono's breakfast joint in this cute little plaza in Hawaiwa where we scarfed down a delicious breakfast. Literally, scarfed down. Think we were exerting a lot of energy swimming with sharks?! Clearly we were!
Some shots from the plaza...Aloha Alarm, awesome!
What a cute patagonia. We even bought a Tote, Lauren :)
We drove a bit, and found a little beach to relax at for a few hours. Have a I mentioned how much I am loving Hawai'i?!?
Perfect water temperature.
Neat balancing rocks.
Since we were taking the scenic route home, all along the coast, we stopped a little places that looked interesting including Ted's Bakery which had fantastic reviews on Trip Advisor. Most of us would rate it a 2 or 3, not too impressed. I did enjoy their Chocolate Haupia Pie (Chocolate coconut pie) though, which they are famous for.
Then on to the Polynesian Cultural Center
By the time we got back to the condo, we were all so zonked, we literally only had energy to hang in the hot tub/pool and go to bed. That's the sign of a really great day!!
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