Lumpy Lomi Luau Thursday

This was a tricky trip to plan, with Covid restrictions and travel requirements to navigate. Once all of the guests and guides were here, we had to have a discussion about masks and distancing. WIth most of us having received both doses of the vaccine, and with all of us having tested negative before the trip, we decided to consider ourselves all part of a household, and forgo masks and distancing when we were together in the Hale or outside. We’ve kept masks with us for when we could not be 6 feet from anyone outside our household or any other indoor spaces. 

Genna preps for our beach to beach swim at Kahalu’u.

Kahalu’u State Park and beach is, to me, the soul of Kona. Some elements here that stick with me: the tin roofed beach shack, the hibachis surrounded by Hawaaian families, cooking fish and pork with the Kiawe wood they’ve collected, the tiny blue church, surfers, snorkelers, black sand.

Our easy entry among the snorkelers at Kahalu’u

Our plan today was an A to B swim from Kahalu’u to Magic Sands beach, just over a mile away. Kahalu’u is a shallow lagoon with a lot of fish and coral, and to exit the lagoon you need to swim out past the break. We chose to exit on the far side of the lagoon, waiting for a pause between sets of waves, then stroked out to sea against the current, with a few waves breaking over our heads. A few moments of intensity and chaos and effort, and then, the freedom of the open. I love that moment when you first realize you are outside the break, things calm and you can just rest for a minute, which we did. 

The chaos of exiting Kahalu’u bay through the break ends with a floaty break in brilliant blue.

As we rested a spotted eagle ray came by in search of reef snacks for breakfast and cheering us as we faced the rest of our swim. We swam a little over a mile along the Kona coast, over pristine reefs and patches of white sand. Our pace groups periodically congregated and spread back out, Ryan being our beacon atop his board. Heather, Kyle, Miriam, Genna and Celine checked out a cave and an underwater archway - Heather free dove and swam through to the other side.

My (Heather) view up at Kyle from the exit point of the underwater arch.

Magic sands gained its name from this phenomenon where all the sand on the beach can disappear overnight, then return almost as quickly. Today it was covered in bright, white sand as we approached. Miriam had done much of the swim backstroke, which she has somehow learned to do while swimming straight towards her intended destination. The waves at Magics are often big and heavy, and they always break right at the shore, at the last second. You can feel their power even 100 yards out to sea, where we gathered on Ryan’s SUP. He shuttled the guests in one and two at a time, timing the waves for a safe exit. 

We hit the freshwater shower at Magics before shuttling back to Kahalu’u to get the van. These rinses make our car ride home from a briny swim quite comfortable.

At this point I could sense that our group needed a rest rather than a stop at another beach as we had planned, so we headed back to the Hale for a lunch of Bok Choy salad and a nap. Heather returned with some donuts from our local donut truck. The Hawaiians know these as Malasada, or Portugese Fried Dough. I think they only call them donuts so tourists will know what they are and stop for some. We allowed the afternoon to drift along, with the breeze off the water keeping the Hale cool. 

Our afternoon swim at Beach 69 evolved into an underwater photo shoot with Heather, and each swimmer got their time on the bumpy, choppy cat walk. In spite of the windy, lumpy waters everyone seemed at home in the brine today, and I think it shows in these photographs.

That Ono we caught yesterday appeared again, in the form of 3 kinds of delicious Poke prepared by chef Dan. Dinner was a traditional Hawaiian luau, with lau lau, lomi lomi, poi, and pork and cabbage. We earned these calories, but maybe not the ones in the coconut rice with mango we had for dessert. Eh, we’re on SwimVacation, and we embrace the full experience of Hawaii in every stroke, breeze and delicious bite.

Hopper