HOMEWARD BOUND ON HAWAIIAN WATERS

I felt homeward bound with my head underwater and breathing though a snorkel.

No, I wasn’t drowning, just mingling with the fish on Kauai.

Lots of fish everyday.

So many that you could miss those swimming just under the surface, so look up.

What hit me was the silence.

Just the fish and me, and my swim partner sons.

Always swim the ocean with a buddy just in case things take a wrong turn.

And they did.

Twice I ended up on the rocks after a wrong turn.

It started with me saying, “Follow me.”

When you first start snorkeling around it feels like you’re a UFO flying over a new planet.

There are routes through the coral with a sandy bottom, so I followed one.

It felt like I was flying over canyons with fish zipping in and out of their little nooks and crannies.

There was an unknown life beneath the surface I’d never seen.

The top picture shows some of the fish, but not all.

My takeaway from two weeks in the water?

Drunk Looking Snorkelers?

Because of the volcanic nature of Kauai you need water shoes to navigate the underwater rocks.

One misstep and you’re tripping in water, maybe bleeding.

No problem because it’s shallow; big problem because some rocks rise up just below the surface.

Instead of a splash down after tripping, you could bounce your head off coral.

No thanks. I got enough cuts without falling.

So I popped up, told my partner to follow me and took off up a canyon.

He didn’t follow me because he saw the problem before I did: narrow canyon.

I found myself caught on the wrong side of manageable navigation, which was just over an underwater ridge.

All I had to do was get over it, which resulted in a snorkeler beached on the rocks like a drunk whale.

I waited on waves high enough to lift me since touching the sharp rocks was better with gloves.

Did I have gloves? Of course not. Who swims in gloves? I’m getting a pair for next time.

In my turquoise hoodie rash guard shirt from Columbia protecting my gut from scraping, I kicked hard with each wave. Took a few minutes to get free.

Apparently hilarious minutes in the maritime world that would make a good video of what not to do.

There I was, kicking, flopping, and humping my way off the rocks like the biggest baby on Baby Beach.

To make it more awkward I had zero balance leaving the water. I had to crawl up the sand and wait until my land legs returned.

Homeward Bound On Hawaii

Does everyone get obsessed with water after snorkeling Hawaii?

It was our focal point each day.

Water time came before sight seeing, food, and clothes.

My unrealistic goal was to wear the same swimsuit and shirt everyday.

I hit my goal, but had to change for other activities.

The face in the top pic is the face reef creatures saw looking at them.

And I still got close.

What also hit me was the environment needed for such wildlife to flourish.

From global warming and rising sea levels for those who could care less, everything I saw underwater was a wonder to preserve for others.

It’s hard to understand the beauty of it all if you’ve only seen fish in a saltwater aquarium.

The unreal diversity of ocean life comes into focus once you put on a mask, fins, and snorkel.

If you ever find yourself listening to a climate denier, ask if they’ve ever been under the sea.

I can’t believe anyone would want to see it destroyed instead of protecting it.

What’s a bigger threat, global warming, or global ignorance.

It’s kind of funny looking at a commercial beach picture and knowing the terrain.

These are the calm waters of Baby Beach, waters full of reef creatures.

The waves in the background?

That’s where I got grounded the second time, also where we saw a few turtles swimming past.

A turtle on the beach is one thing, sharing the ocean with them takes it to a whole ‘nother level.

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The beauty of feeling homeward bound on Hawaiian waters is the company you keep.

If they are helpful and cooperative and enthusiastic, you’ve got a good group.

I had a great group. Twice.

Does that mean everything went my way?

I woke up every day before sunrise to tiptoe around the Little Grass Shack, make a cup of coffee, and sit sideways on my single bed to write blog posts.

My wife and I shared the room with two single beds. The young married couples got the big room with a double.

How was it camping with a wife of over three decades in what had to be the ‘kids’ room?’

It felt like a vacation in a vacation.

After publishing blog posts I’d round everyone up for the beach, which had one access just ten steps away from the driveway, another a block further away.

If all we did was make sandwiches and hang out on the local beach all day jumping in and out of the warm ocean water it would have been a great success.

But we did much more.

Will I return?

First I want to check out Oregon snorkeling, then we’ll see.

I will be homeward bound in rivers, lakes, and bays, and most likely very cold.

Yes, I’ll be back for more.