Hawaii Day Thirteen

This afternoon, we headed out for a two-part snorkeling trip. Jerry had snorkeled before, but I never had, and I admit I was a little intimidated. Due in large part, I think, to my bone density and muscle mass, I've always been a bit of a sinker in the water, and I was a bit nervous about constantly getting seawater down my breathing tube. I needn't have worried, however; I wore a wetsuit and that really helped me stay afloat (and keep a bit warmer). Here I am, testing out equipment:


Visibility in the water was truly amazing, much better than appears in these photos. From the boat deck we could clearly see the ocean floor, which at that point was 35 feet down! This was such an incredible experience; I'll definitely go snorkeling again!





Sorry there are no photos of Jerry; he was in charge of the underwater camera (a rental), and got some really great pics (tough to do when you're constantly being jostled about by the waves).

The second part of our snorkeling trip was a night swim with manta rays, which was truly incredible, albeit a bit surreal. They swam within inches of us, numerous times. Jerry left the camera on the boat so that he could just enjoy the moment without feeling pressured to take photos. There was an underwater videographer there, and we purchased a great video DVD and photo stills, but I can't seem to download them onto my iPad. Will have to wait to post them until I get home.

This night swim was very cool; it and the helicopter tour are my two favorite things we've done here.