Wednesday: A boat and three bays.
Boats are great for swimmers. They can bring us to places that are hard or impossible to reach by car, and can easily drop us off in one place and pick us up in another. Today was our boat day here in Hawaii, where we charter a fishing boat to take us to a few places down the coast. Calm seas and blue skies greeted us as we steamed out of Honokohau Harbor.
Our first stop was Kealakekua, where we jumped into gin-clear water. A few boats full of snorkelers and noodlers were already there, and we parted their masses as we swam right through them and left them behind us. Our group of 5 swimmers and 3 guides stroked for about a mile at the bottom of a high cliff filled with little caves. Amanda spotted a spotted eagle ray that was mostly covered in sand, evidence of a good breakfast hunt.
Clare and Dan had stayed up very late the previous night to make us sandwiches for lunch on the boat, and we hungrily downed them as we headed for Ho’okena Bay. It’s my first time here, and I was impressed by how remote it felt. We had the bay to ourselves, and as we swam I spotted an octopus doing its best to look like a rock. I dove down to see it and it turned a bright red and hid under an actual rock. The Hawaiian guys swimming near me (Kekau and deckhand Mikey) teased it out, and we all got to play with and examine it before letting it go. This is not an easy thing for Hawaiians to do, as it would normally be dinner.
Back up the coast to Honaunau, with its giant mounds of flashy coral. We found and quickly dispatched a Crown of Thorns, an invasive creature that eats coral. It is common practice here to rid the reef of these destructive creatures. The sun was beating down on us, and our strokes grew a little weary on our third swim. Captain Momi pulled us back aboard and steamed back toward town. We troll for fish on the long runs, and we’ve caught some big fish over the years, but no bites today.
Back at Hale, I mixed up some Green Flash cocktails, a drink that Clare and I invented. It has honeydew melon juice, lime, and white rum. I got to serve it in real cocktail glasses for the first time ever on SwimVacation, as we usually only have access to water glasses but today Clare found some nice coupes.
Island Chicken curry over rice and a tropical veggie slaw filled our bellies. A macadamia nut pie over-filled them. Heads hit pillows and the breezes kept us cool for a rest well earned.
Hopper
