The Rambling Writer Visits the Big Island, Hawaii, part 5: Snorkeling at Honaunau Bay

Our getaway continues with our favorite snorkeling spot on the Big Island. Come visit our fishy friends!

NOTE: After way too many months without travel, Thor insisted on an R&R escape to Hawaii this April. He’d been keeping on eye on the very careful Covid-19 precautions in the islands, and the testing required before flying there. And now that we’re both fully vaccinated, we took the plunge – literally, for some snorkeling in the healing sea, as well as exploring the Big Island and Kauai. After this detour (series started April 24), I promise I’ll finish up my Virtual Italy Vacation series soon!

In the last couple posts, we toured the Place of Refuge historical park. Conveniently, right next to it is the best snorkeling we found on the Big Island, Honaunau Bay. These god-figure guardians stand along the former grounds of the ali’i aristocrats to remind us that we commoners are not allowed to use this calm canoe (or snorkeling) access to the bay:

Instead, we had to wade in and thread a mazelike entrance through wave surges among shallow lava and coral formations into the deeper bay to enjoy the vibrant sea life. Calm coves and actual beaches are in short supply on this geologically new island pounded by waves. So we kept coming back on different days for the magically clear sea, lovely coral on shallow lava formations dropping into deeper mini-ravines to dive into, and of course the critters!

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More “Kona Gold” yellow tangs:

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The seas off the Hawaiian islands are rather cool (unlike the Caribbean), so I need a thin but full wetsuit. I had finally worn out my old one, so I got to break in a fancy new one for this trip!

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At the top in the photo below is the Hawaiian state fish, Humuhumunukunukuapua’a with its distinctive pattern. Its more mundane name is reef triggerfish. The colorful fish at the bottom is a parrotfish.

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Can anyone identify this one?

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Thor loves to snorkel along over the shallow reef with his underwater camera filming, and this YouTube link is just one of his films that make me feel like I’m swimming along. I want to go back!

In this video, you might notice occasional stretches where the water shimmers a bit out of focus. It’s not the camera, it’s freshwater springs bubbling up from underground to mix with the seawater. Apparently the ancient Hawaiians knew the location of these springs around the island, and would dive down with hollow gourds to upend over the rising freshwater. Then they had water bottles to carry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvFue6iQWqU

My Viking hero-driver, hauler of heavy bags, reacher of high shelves, and companion in adventures is tougher than me, and needs only a thin neoprene shirt or rash guard:

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Thor loves to find the oddities underwater (part of his paleontology studies), and below at upper left is a short-spined urchin that has partially disguised itself with small shells, a deceased urchin’s long spine, and other detritus. Just to the right of the urchin is a sea cucumber, pretty well camouflaged.

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Always welcome, a sweet Honu, green sea turtle!

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This was a fun sighting — a six-foot spotted eel peering out at us. Before it slithered into hiding there, I had spotted it swimming freely across one of the narrow “ravines.” I’ve seen a lot of eels in my diving days, but never one swimming out in the open like that.

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Tired, wet, a bit chilled, but happy, we emerged onto dry land/lava again. Back at the condo overlooking the shore, we ate dinner and raised our glasses to the sunset. And then the briefest of bright green flashes at the sea’s horizon answered us. Mahalo! Thank you!

*****

You will find The Rambling Writer’s blog posts here every Saturday. Sara’s latest novel from Book View Cafe is available in print and ebook: The Ariadne Connection.  It’s a near-future thriller set in the Greek islands. “Technology triggers a deadly new plague. Can a healer find the cure?”  The novel has received the Chanticleer Global Thriller Grand Prize and the Cygnus Award for Speculative Fiction. Sara has recently returned from another research trip in Greece and is back at work on the sequel, The Ariadne Disconnect. Sign up for her quarterly email newsletter at www.sarastamey.com

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