big island

Hawaii’s Big Island Delivers Big

April 23, 2010 by Shelli

In early April we spent our spring break on the Big Island of Hawaii. It was our second time there. It is one of our favorite places in the world.

FinatTidepools — Finis, our 2-year-old, poses on a rock in the ocean tidepools. That's the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort in the background.

We had a magnificent time. We had seven days there, including the first three days in the Kona area, and the last four days in the Waikoloa region.

Our initial nights were spent at the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort, and it is fabulous. It’s located on the ocean and is literally a few steps from several tidepools. Our three young sons had a wonderful time starting and ending each of our days in exploring the pools, where they spotted sea urchin, sea turtles, crabs, and made other interesting discoveries.

P4040226 — Me, dog-piling with our three boys during sunset at the Outrigger, in Kona.

The view looking out to the ocean from the bar and eating areas was magnificent. The breakfast, which is included as part of your stay, was abundant and delicious. Each morning we stocked up plate fulls of fresh fruit, eggs, pastries, pancakes, coffee, juice, etc., while watching the ocean hit the shore.

P4040153 — All four of my guys on the beach next to the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort in Kona.

It was also nice to be located so close to many other restaurants and to the heart and pulse of the great town, Kona. Just a handful of miles away were many restaurants and bistros, as well as beaches and places from which to rent surf and boogie boards, snorkel equipment, etc. We loved Kona the first time we visited six years ago. We love it even more now.

While based at the Outrigger, one day we snorkeled and swam at the adjacent beach, Kahalu`u Bay, where water toys are available for rent, there is a beach shower and bathrooms, as well as a food truck complete with shaved ice, grilled lunches and other tasty snacks.

Another day we traveled a few miles north of the Outrigger to a beach called Keauhau Beach. I rented a stand up paddle-board and oar and gave standup paddling a try. It was a blast and I’m now hooked!

Here’s a video clip I captured while enjoying some stand up paddle-boarding. Watch toward the end and you’ll see a sea turtle:

As I sit here now in my hometown of Lander, WY, which is in the snowy mountains, I ponder how/where I can do stand up paddle-boarding in Wyoming. It was that much fun.

Mostly, stand up paddle-boarding provided a different way to “tour” the ocean. As I stood up and paddled out into the ocean, sea turtle would every now and then swim near me or right with my board. (See video for proof-it’s toward the end of the clip) Then, with a little more confidence, I tried catching a wave. That didn’t work out so well. :> But, it is a great sport that I will definitely look forward to doing again on a return trip to Hawaii.

In addition, the older boys and I went on an adventure where we got to swim in the wild with dolphins, and see humpback whales and a manta ray. This was an adventure of a lifetime we’ll never forget. (Provided by Barefoot’s Adventures and Sunlight On Water.)

Here’s a video clip of Wolf, our 9-year-old, during one of the swims:

Our Outrigger room was beautiful and clean, and after a day of adventuring, we could see and hear the ocean from our room’s balcony and its sliding doors.

Next stop: Luxurious Paradise
After a lot of adventuring in the Kona region, we headed north for luxury, what our boys later dubbed “as sort of a paradise” — the Hilton Waikoloa.

Take it from me, once here, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a reason to leave the Hilton Waikoloa — ever. (Except maybe to return to work to start saving for the return trip)

There is a natural lagoon area, complete with sandy beach, ocean access, a waterfall, sea turtles, eels and other ocean critters, and water toys like bike and pedal boats, kayaks and stand up paddleboards to rent and explore.

BeachLagoon — The lagoon at the Hilton Waikoloa is a magnificent place at which to spend time.

Or, just suntan on the lagoon’s beach while listening to the ocean slap against the shores behind you.

P4060283 — Our three sons loved riding the pedal boats in the lagoon while looking for turtles and other critters.

Here’s a video clip of us playing the lagoon:

Then, after exploring in the lagoon each day, our mission was to swim, swim and swim some more in the many pools on the property. (Our routine was pretty stringent at the Hilton Waikoloa.)

Here’s what swimming looked like for Fin and I:

It basically went like this: Eat a bunch of fruit, head to the Lagoon to swim, look for turtles and ride toys until noon.

AtPool — Wolf and Hayden pose in front of one of the main pools at the Hilton Waikoloa.

Then, move to the pools, but only after stopping for a great lunch at the grill in between the lagoon and pools. (Also worth mentioning, as we ate, we watched the dolphins swimming at the Dolphin Quest complex also located between the lagoon and the pools.)

A video of the “pool experience” at the Hilton Waikoloa:

Then, after re-fueling, we staked out chairs near the main pools. One pool is a baby pool that is sand-bottomed. Babies and young toddlers love it! The other pools are big and connected, eventually boasting a waterfall and a pretty good-sized slide, and a couple of hot tubs. There are bars everywhere, from which to treat your kids to a Green Gecko, or yourself to a Whale Watch, pina colada or Lava Flow. Take your pick. From my investigation into the matter, they are all more than satisfactory.

OnBeach-Waikoloa — Playing at Anaehoomalu Bay, near the Hilton.

Longing for a little more direct ocean and beach time, one afternoon we drove a few minutes to Anaehoomalu Bay (called “A Bay” for short), where we did some more snorkeling, sand castle-building and played with a few sea turtles that were near the shoreline.

The older boys and I departed for another guided adventure when we did a “deluxe” parasail over the ocean for 14 minutes. By deluxe, I mean we were about 50 stories over the ocean. UFO Parasailing provided the adventure, and it was a hoot! The boys did it for me, and they ended up loving it as much, or more, than I did!

Some helmet cam video of the parasail:

P4070387 — My guys on the walk between pools, etc.

P4070395 — Yummy. This was the famous chocolate soufflé at Roy's Bar and Grill, in Waikoloa.

P4040156 — Our son, Fin, shows how all of us felt about our Hawaii trip. It was awesome!

Other Hawaii blog posts:
Swimming with dolphins in the wild.
Parasailing

Parasailing Far Above the Ocean for 14 Minutes off Hawaii’s Big Island

April 17, 2010 by Shelli

We just returned from a week of blissful rest and relaxation on the Big Island of Hawaii. What a magnificent place!

Parasasail1 — Parasailing was an exhilarating experience.

While there, one of the exciting adventures we embarked upon was a parasail over the ocean. It was amazing.

I talked our two oldest sons, Wolf and Hayden, ages 9 and 8, to join me on a tandem parasail. They weren’t that excited about it, and actually a little nervous about it. But, being good sons, they did it for me. I wanted to share this experience with at least some of our family.

My husband, Jerry, is recovering from a spine fusion so he stayed at the beach and in the pools with our 2-year-old son, Fin, while we went “flying.”

Wolfparasail — Wolf, our 9-year-old, smiles from 1,200 feet above the ocean.

All told, we were up in the air — way up there, as in the equivalent of being 50 stories above sea level — for 14 minutes. It was thrilling and spectacular. The boys were yelling “woo hoo!” over and over again. They really got a kick out of it, as did I.

The view of the ocean was spectacular… turquoise in some areas and deep blue in others. As a bonus, we floated near a gigantic cruise ship that was docked in Kona.

Hayden parasail — Hayden, our 8-year-old, smiles from 1,200 feet above the ocean.

The “deluxe” adventure was provided by UFO Parasailing, who provides parasail experiences off the Big Island, as well as Maui.

About mid-way through our flight, the crew lowered us to right above the ocean for a short bit before jerking us up, up, up again. It was exhilarating. Then, right before reeling us back into the boat, they briefly dipped us in the ocean.

Here’s some helmet camera footage of part of the flight:

ThreesomeParasail — Hayden, Wolf and I, feeling a rush after our 14-minute flight over the ocean.

I would highly recommend this as an adventure for you or your family to consider. This was my second parasail. The other one I did was a few years back of Lake Tahoe. It’s an incredible experience that although it’s short-lived, provides yet another great vantage from which to view your surroundings — and a little bit of an adrenaline rush.

The boys were asking if we could do another parasail. I said, not until the next trip. But definitely count us in for another in the future.

(Another adventure we enjoyed during our trip to the Big Island was swimming with dolphins in the the wild.)

Swimming with Dolphins off Hawaii’s Kona Coast is a Magical Experience

April 12, 2010 by Shelli

We just returned from one week of vacationing on the Big Island of Hawaii. It was our second time to the area. The Big Island is definitely on our short list of favorite places in the world.

One of the highlights of our trip was a “Swim with Dolphins” snorkeling trip, provided by Sunlight on Water. I went on the adventure with our two oldest sons, Wolf and Hayden, ages 9 and 8.

Here’s one clip of a guide, Kevin, swimming with Wolf. Watch to the end and you’ll see a manta ray:

My husband, Jerry, is recovering from a spine fusion, so he and our 2-year-old son, Fin, spent the morning exploring tidepools and building sand castles and swimming while Wolf, Hayden and I went on the dolphin swim.

Here is a clip of Spinner Dolphins living up to their name, captured before we swam with them:

Sunlight on Water is owned and operated by “China Mike” and Melainah Yee. This adventure is ecotourism at its best! We found out, firsthand, that to swim with dolphins, in the wild and out in the middle of the ocean, is an adventure of a lifetime.

The adventure started with Captain China Mike performing a Hawaiian Ceremony and prayer. This offered a cultural aspect to the adventure, making it even more memorable.

Coming out of the harbor, we were all pleasantly surprised to see a humpback whale. We were visiting the Big Island at the tail end of the humpback whale migration. Most of the whales are well on their way back to Alaska so we didn’t expect to see any whales.

However, before our 4-hour adventure ended, we had viewed six to eight whales. It was incredible! We not only saw mommy whales with their babies, but also males, who were singing. China Mike put a microphone under the ocean waters so we could listen to one of the male whale’s tunes. One time we watched a mommy whale and her baby right before they passed under our boat. For a minute the good-sized boat we were on felt pretty small…

Check out the male whale’s song here:

According to Mike, the whales spend time in Hawaii’s waters giving birth. Alaska’s waters are too cold for birthing because baby whales, who can weigh about 2,000 pounds, don’t have any fat on them. Mommy whales’ milk has more fat than any other milk on the planet.

We learned a lot about dolphins and all of it was fascinating. For example, dolphins are among the most intelligent of animals. Individuals communicate using a variety of clicks, whistles and other vocalizations, all of which we could hear while swimming among the dolphins. Play is an important part of dolphin culture, and although dolphins rest, they never fully sleep. Rather, they can turn one hemisphere of their brain off in a “slow wave sleep” that allows them to remain conscious enough to breathe and be aware of predators.

Here is a clip of me swimming with the dolphins:

China Mike and his guides were phenomenal. One of the guides was Kevin, and he helped ensure that Wolf and Hayden got the pleasure of swimming right in and with the dolphins and helped them see things they might otherwise had missed. It was the first time the boys, who are good swimmers, spent time swimming out in the middle of the ocean, and it was their first time for snorkeling. I was worried and they were a little uneasy. But thanks to great instruction and hand-holding by the Sunlight on Water crew, particularly Kevin, the boys had an awesome time of it. In all, I think we snorkeled and swam with dolphins on five different occasions during the adventure.

Whale — Humpback whale we spotted during our Sunlight on Water dolphin swim adventure.

It was a perfect day. After our adventure with the dolphins came to an end, I asked Wolf and Hayden how they would describe it. Both of them thought “magical” best described it. It was a significant highlight of their trip, and they are still talking about it as we return to our life in the snowy mountains of Wyoming.

This was truly a magical adventure and I can’t recommend it enough!

Both Michael and Melainah are USCG licensed captains. “China” Mike has been surfing, diving and has captained boats on the Kona Coast for over 25 years and is one of the most experienced captains on the Big Island. He operated the first charter boat offering Dolphin Swims in Hawaii.

Michael and Melainah are Kona’s leaders when talking about experience with Dolphins and are known internationally for their expertise. They have been featured on several television documentaries discussing the human/dolphin connection.

We were made aware of Sunlight on Water, and this great adventure, by Tom Barefoot, of Tom Barefoot’s Tours, a provider of discount tours and activities on the Big Island, Maui, Oahu and Kauai. Tom provided invaluable input to us as we were planning activities for our trip, and I am grateful to him, especially for directing us to the Sunlight on Water dolphin swim. (And yes, Barefoot is his real last name.)

Dolphin swim videos included in this blog post were captured and provided by Ryan Leinbach and DolphinDreams.com, a video business that accompanies the adventure and captures underwater footage, which is available for purchase later.