Earlier in the week I blogged about Aloha and the little parts of Hawaiian culture that I’ve witnessed, like the way in which Hawaiians treat their elders. It’s something we witnessed all week here on SwimVacation.

Charlie and Luise have been swimming with us for several years. Charlie is 86, and suffers from the early stages of dementia, which has affected him both mentally and physically. He can still hold a conversation quite well, but forgets some words sometimes. He has some trouble walking on uneven surfaces. On SwimVacation, Charlie needs extra help both getting into the ocean and while swimming. Last year we hired an extra guide for this job, a local lifeguard named Kekau, a friend of Ryan, and this year we brought him back for the same task.

Kekau, like Ryan, is a true waterman. He can dive, fish, swim, and rescue people in the worst of conditions. Over the past couple of trips, he has developed a way of swimming with Charlie. Kekau wears a set of red fins and slowly kicks in front of him, creating a visual to keep him swimming in a straight line. He also uses a boogie board to provide him with a quick break when needed. Charlie has said that he feels at his best on SwimVacation, and it’s all because of the way our Hawaiian guards treat him with so much dignity and respect.

We loaded up the minivan with gear and headed south for Kua Bay Thursday morning. The water here is the exact color of a blue raspberry slushie. Ryan and Kekau had set up a sun tent in the perfect spot, and we spent the morning swimming in the bay, snacking on apple bananas, and playing in the sand.

Ryan guided us to the jumping rock and helped everyone up. We love watching adults play in the water.

Spinner dolphins put on a show in the distance, and Ryan taught Hopper the art of making sand balls. Play was the theme of the day!

Chef Dan and Clare trusted me with preparing cheeseburgers for lunch, and I was able to complete the task without burning down the hale, and all the burgers were eaten, so I’ll call it a success. This is about the time of the trip where all the swimming and sunshine starts to catch up with our guests, so we had a small group for our afternoon swim here at Waialea Bay, which turned into a swim and gab session out at the point. Bobbing in the waves, looking back on Hawaii’s dramatic coastline of the cloud topped Mauna Kea, we all agreed that having the opportunity to swim in places we might not be inclined to on our own is one of the greatest gifts of a trip like this.

Everyone had awakened from their naps in time for a massage. Amanda and Daniel both provided lots of relief to tired muscles. As I watched, I thought about how grateful I am for the people we work with here, and how they have really come to understand the needs of our swimming guests.

I made a batch of Blue Hawaii cocktails (pineapple, vodka, rum, blue curacao, lime) to kick off the evening, and Chef Dan sliced up some of our catch from Wednesday for Ono sashimi, which was also the main course for dinner.

Today, Friday, we tackle the 2.4-mile Ironman course (2.6 when swum from shore as we will do). We are well rested from exercise induced sleep and blue raspberry slushy water dreams.

Hopper

Thursday Blue Raspberry Slushy Day

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