first of all, a disclaimer: i did not take this picture. i stole it from the website for this tour that we went on on tuesday. it was our big splurge, which was nicely reduced by a 2-for-1 promotion we were offered, otherwise we wouldn't have gone, but we're glad we did.
while this is not my photo, we were on this boat at that location, so i consider it legit.
the tour started at 6 am on the opposite side of the island from where we were staying, so we decided to camp at a local park on the beach the night before so that we could wake up, break up camp, and do a five minute drive to the landing rather than a 60 to 90 minute drive from home.
we set out early monday and our major stop along the way was at kauai coffee. we saw beans growing on the vine (above) and learned about the process.
of course, we mainly went there for the free samples,
which made these two seattlites very happy, as did the chocolate covered beans we bought.
that evening, we camped at salt pond beach park, which was very beautiful, but hard to sleep at due to the stray cats, chickens, and bright street lamps. during the summer, native hawaiians pan for salt there.
we hardly slept at all but managed to make it in time for our tour.
the tour started out along the highly inaccessible but beautiful na pali coastline of kauai. the cliffs are very high and treacherous. there are scattered beaches along them which are very small and mostly only accessible by kayak.
this is another of my borrowed photos. we took the boat right under this keyhole, but our picture really didn't turn out.
one of the first things we saw was a group of 20 or so spinner dolphins that were mostly asleep and just floating all around us. one was a baby about the size of a football! they were quick and hard to get with the camera.
we then set out across open water for about 17 miles to this rocky island. that is where, after a briefing on sharks, seals, and other wildlife, we jumped in for an hour of snorkeling in open water from 20 to 220 feet deep. we had been snorkeling every day on our own in shallow reefs with our own gear, but this was pretty different. at one point brian thought i was right behind him and he turned around and a 300 to 400 pound monk seal was right in his face! i was watching from about 15 feet away. pretty cool. we're pretty sure i saw a shark, but it was hanging out at just deep enough for me to not be able to see very clearly. if it was, it was a small one that we had been informed about. they are not aggressive to people.
once again, not my photo, but we did see these fish.
we didn't see these turtles from the water at that location, but we did swim with them in the shallow reefs a few days before, so here they are.
we then got back on the boat for lunch and a spin around the rock. about 20 yards around the bend we saw these 4 monk seals sunning themselves. they are one of the most endangered species in the world, so it is really unusual to see them in a group, especially since they are not naturally social with eachother much and tend to compete over food, so our guide said this was a real treat that he had never seen before.
we then set out for niihau, the forbidden island. only full blooded hawaiians can live there and the living is very simple. they are trying to preserve the native language and culture. tourists are not allowed.
after the tour was a quick stop at glass beach, which i guess is composed primarily of tumbled broken glass because of an old off-shore dump. over time the biodegradables have gone away but the glass is all over the place and quite pretty!!
after all that, we headed home for pizza and a movie, a fun two days. more to come!
