Monday, January 5th Hanauma Bay Snorkeling

Hanauma Bay from the tram ride down

My time in Hawaii was almost done. It was Monday and we were scheduled to leave on Wednesday. I had always had a goal to go to Hanauma Bay to snorkel, but the one other time I tried to catch the bus to go there the bus passed us by, too full to pick anyone up and the next one was not due for an hour, so I gave up and went snorkeling at my good beach in Kapiolani park instead. I realized I needed to get an earlier start. The bus that didn't stop was the 10:30 bus. The earliest bus comes sometime after 8:00 when it starts its run.
 

Beachgoers returning up the ramp

Tram Ride down

 I got up meaning to catch that early bus, but found myself stalling and feeling nervous. That's been my pattern with snorkeling. I want to do it, I plan to do it, but I feel nervous about it and find myself dithering around creating little delays and thinking thoughts designed to create excuses not to do it. I had gotten comfortable enough with the Kuhio beach snorkeling location to not be nervous about snorkeling there, but Hanauma Bay was an unknown, so this unreasonable nervousness was surfacing again. What I had to tell myself was that:
1-It was closed the next day and we were leaving the day after that. I knew I'd be really sorry if I let nerves keep me from experiencing Hawaii's best snorkeling beach. 
2-When I'm scared to do something that lots and lots of other people do, I know my fear is unreasonable and that I need to push past the fear because it isn't a reasonable fear. Doing it anyway is the only way to overcome it.
3-I can identify reasonable fears and take steps to protect myself, as in wearing my life jacket in case I get into deeper water, and taking care to stay in the beginner snorkeling areas. 

I ended up going down to the bus stop at 9:30 instead of 8:00. The bus came within about 15 minutes and had plenty of room, plus there were a lot fewer people waiting to get on than the time before. I enjoyed the ride and seeing some new vistas and neighborhoods. The route goes around a big bay and along a cliff top with great views of the ocean, surf and surfers. 

From where the bus dropped us there was a little walk to the visitors center and the ticket booth. I passed vendors of snacks and tee shirts, and overlooks where others were snapping photos of the beach far below. 

The non-resident, non-military admission is $7.50. I looked through the gift shop and at some interpretive displays, and managed to miss my scheduled time to view the nine minute film required of all who go down to the beach. So I got into the next one and afterwards came out and got into a trolley. For $1.00 you can ride down. For $1.25 you can ride back up. For $2.00 you can ride up and down unlimited times. For me it was a no-brainer. My bruised heel bone is still tender enough that I save the pressure on the foot for any walking I can't avoid.

Expense wise, the lockers are what cost. They are behind the counter where you can rent snorkel gear so you have to get an employee to put your stuff in and out. small lockers are $8 and large ones are $10 and there is no guarantee there will be one available, so an alternate plan for valuables is important. The small lockers were gone so I had to spring for a large locker to keep my phone, money and bank card safe. One thing to remember if you go there is that you go to the return window to get access to your locker, so you don't have to wait in the purchase line which is always long and slow. 

With my valuables secured, I looked for a spot to settle. There was a section of lawn nearby that had some space and I thought it would be good to stay out of the deep sand so things would stay cleaner, so I set up there. It was right by the lifeguard station and I thought that would be more secure for my stuff that wasn't locked up, not that there was much there in danger of being stolen. I put on my water shoes and sprayed sunscreen on my arms and legs. I had sun screened my face and neck when I dressed. I went and showered at the nearby outdoor shower (it really was a great spot, near to everything) and gritted my teeth to let the cool water run all over me, not just get my hair wet, so I could get used to the water sooner. I like to get my hair wet with fresh water to get it out of the way of the mask so I don't have salt water stinging my eyes from dunking it in the ocean. The ocean is much warmer than it is at home, but it is cool enough to take a minute to get used to and causes me a gasp or two as I ease in to deeper water. However, by the time I'm past my waist, my legs are used to it, and by the time I push off and pick my feet up off the bottom and put my face mask into the water, I'm not uncomfortable at all. 

The nervousness I'd felt earlier had vanished as soon as I got off the bus and now I was just excited to get in the water. I didn't bring my Hanauma bay book, so I thought I was going in at the first entry point, but I actually missed that part entirely and went in at the second entry point.  As I waded past a little boy and his mom, they were exclaiming and pointing, and I looked down and saw fish that were at least a foot and a half long swimming around nearby. I was barely knee deep at that point, and thought, 'I need to get in this water as fast as I can!"

When I submerged my face and started floating, I was amazed at the large fish that were swimming around me. I was seeing big Ringtail Surgeon fish and black and yellow striped Sailfin Tangs. These fish are 1.5 to 2 feet long and almost as tall. I had no idea this type of fish were so large!

Ring Tail Surgeon Fish 1.5-2 feet

Sailfin Tang- 1.5-2 feet

My main thing when I snorkel is to take photos and videos. It isn't easy because I can't really see the screen, so I don't know whether the shot is framed or not. I was using my little Fuji underwater camera and had been disappointed the first time I snorkeled because I had thought I took lots of great photos, but only ended up with a few because I wasn't pressing the shutter release button hard enough. Since then I've been careful to push the shutter release really hard and have gotten good photos.  I chose not to bring the Go Pro because I hadn't tried changing the settings on it to get more close up photos and I knew I could get good shots with the Fuji. I also didn't want to carry two cameras or worry about one of them if I left it on the beach or to have to keep getting out to switch cameras. I want to be able to just get in the water and only get out when I need a rest. 

Threadfin Butterfly Fish        6-8 inches long

Orangespine Unicorn fish

Orangespine Unicorn fish tail streamers

After photographing for awhile, I moved close to a couple who were standing chest deep in the water near a large formation of fossil coral. They told me there was a big eel, so I put my face in and found a full size spotted 'White Mouth Moray' eel hanging about 5 inches out of the rock with its mouth open. I popped my head up with a gasp, and quickly tried to get a photo, but the eel retreated before I could. After that I hung in the water trying to be there to take a photo of the eel when it came out again, but it didn't. I went off for 15 or 20 minutes looking at other stuff and then came back around looking for the spot again. Meanwhile my camera had gone to sleep and turned off. So when I spotted the place and the eel was hanging out almost two feet! I fumbled with the on switch and actually turned it on then off again, and while I tried to turn it on again and was waiting for it to be ready to take a photo, the eel flowed all the way out of its spot in the coral formation and swam away, turning the corner and going out of sight in the rocks and coral. It was just like a nature show shot, and I was so glad I saw it, I just wished I'd gotten video of it!

Bluestripe Snapper 1-1.5 feet

Bird Wrasse  6-8 inches  Colors-Indigo, Teal, Green

Cauliflower Coral with surprise nearby resident-I didn't notice it when I took the photos...

 I came around a corner of rock and coral and suddenly the biggest fish yet came up right in front of me. I identified it immediately as a parrot fish because of the mouth shape. I had enough presence of mind to snap a couple of photos and then started a video, all in just a few seconds. This fish was at least five feet long, maybe more and at least 2 feet tall, maybe more.  After I started the video, trying to swim a little closer, it took off and moved so fast it was soon out of sight. There was no hope of my being able to catch up with it, so I just collected my dropped jaw off the ocean bottom and moved on. (I actually was vocalizing 'oh my...' into my tube when it appeared. 

Ember Parrot Fish, Nearby fish are 1.5 feet and 1 foot long, estimate Parrot fish is 5-7 feet long...

After spending about two hours in the water I came out, a little chilled, a little hungry and thirsty. Breathing through a tube in a salt water environment leaves me with a dry, salty mouth. When my tongue sticks against the roof of my mouth, I know it's time to get out and get a drink. For some reason snorkeling makes me really thirsty anyway. I went to my little spot and had some nuts and Clementine oranges and some water, and rested and let the sun warm me up some. 

When I'd rested for half an hour I went back into the water for another hour. 

Rock Boring Urchin

Orange Band Surgeon Fish

humuhumu-nukunuku-a-pua-a  Wedgetail Trigger Fish Hawaii state fish

Christmas Wrasse

Palenose Parrotfish

Palenose Parrotfish

Lagoon Triggerfish

It's hard to decide when to be done and go home in a setting like that. People are arriving and leaving all day long. I just finally got tired and was in an area where I wasn't seeing a lot of fish, and decided to go. It's always interesting how the shower that made me gasp and flinch feels warm and comfortable at the end of being in the water for hours. Drying off and getting dressed in the nearby bathroom/dressing room felt good. As I sat in the tram getting ready to go up, I felt so relaxed and comfortable. 

It turned out there were whales spouting and surfacing just outside the bay, so I sat and watched them while waiting. I'd had a little time at the interpretive booth and started watching them there while looking at the species photos at the booth. If I'd had my good camera with the telephoto lens, I would have tried to get some shots of that. 

The first entry point. I want to go back and explore that area

Second entry point where I started

The Beach

limbs down from Friday's windstorm

I got another fish identification book at the gift shop and went to the bus stop, where the bus showed up after 15 or 20 minutes, looked at us and never opened its doors, but just drove away. Apparently it was full. We found out from the next bus, which was going the wrong way, that he had called for another bus to come off schedule to pick up the slack. A van came, offering rides for $5 but I had a transfer slip from the ride there that covered my return, so I was willing to wait. $2.50 round trip trumps $5 one way. Sure enough, in another 10-15 minutes another bus came going back to Waikiki and I was home before 5 pm, and got there soon after Harry did, so the timing was good.