Ocean fun – Ullan Adventures

Snorkeling and Diving the Belize Barrier Reef

Kirsten / December 7, 2017

One of the main things we were looking forward to in Belize was getting out to explore the barrier reef. On our second full day, we went scuba diving and got our first taste of the reef.

The first dive, at Bottom Time, was not quite what I expected. I thought the reef would be one of the best I’d ever seen and that there would be tropical fish everywhere. However, this wasn’t the case. Sure there were a lot of corals, but not the vibrant colors I’m used to and the fish were quite scarce.

What was cool were the nurse sharks. These guys would swim so close to us and didn’t care at all that we were there. We also saw spotted eagle rays, lots of lionfish, a huge pufferfish, a giant lobster, shrimp, barracuda, a moray eel, and more.

While descending on the second dive, I felt like someone was jabbing an ice pick into my eye brow once I was down at 15′. I tried coming up and going back down only to have the same sensation so I aborted the dive. I’ve never had to do that before, and still don’t fully know why it happened, but it sounds like I got a sinus squeeze which commonly happens to divers. Chuck was able to do the dive and said it was similar to the first, so at least I didn’t miss out on much.

On our 3rd day, I was still in a lot of pain from the sinus squeeze, but decided to snorkel anyway. I’m so glad I did as this was my favorite ocean time of the entire trip. We went to Mexico Rocks which was right off of our resort. We saw so many stingrays and they were so close!

We also got to see some conchs up close.

We also saw a barracuda that followed us (I didn’t like him one bit), a green moray eel, lobsters, lots of lionfish, flounders, Sergeant majors, ocean triggerfish, trunkfish, a horseshoe conch, anemone, and 2 fish that were kissing in addition to stingrays, spotted eagle rays and another nurse shark.

On Day 4, we snorkeled at Hol Chan Marine Reserve and at Shark Ray Alley. Both sites are famous and considered ‘must do’.

At Hol Chan we saw similar fish and corals to our Mexico Rocks snorkel. We also saw a spiny starfish and a worm like a Christmas Tree worm.

On the way to Shark Ray alley, we stopped at a fishing boat that was feeding the fish. Here we saw a ton of fish, rays, and even a sea turtle looking for a hand out.

At Shark Ray alley, we quickly got in the water as our boat captain chummed the water. It was complete mayhem as nurse sharks and fish swarmed in hoping to get a bite to eat. We were only a few feet away from the action which was amazing to watch.

On Day 6, we went back to Mexico Rocks as I wanted more time in the water. This snorkel ended up being similar to the other two except we saw a group of squid. I chased these guys down and spent a long time watching them. I found it so cool how they lined up in a straight line formation and followed each other around.

Our dive guide found a trunkfish with a remora harassing it, so he pulled the trunkfish out of the water to discourage the remora and sent them both on their way. The remora kept looking for a new home and followed us around for the rest of the snorkel. At the end of the snorkel, I saw the fish stuck to Chuck’s chest! I couldn’t stop laughing. Unfortunately I didn’t get a good picture.

The remora that was harassing the trunkfish

We even saw jellyfish. Luckily they don’t sting, but I wasn’t a fan of being that close to them regardless.

Overall I’m quite happy with our ocean time in Belize aside from the sinus squeeze. The water was a fantastic temperature and it was so nice to explore a coral reef again. I was especially happy with how many rays we saw – I love spotted eagle rays – and how close we got to nurse sharks. I loved seeing the squid too and I’ve never seen lobsters that large before.

Africa Cape Town South Africa

Cage Diving with Great Whites in Simon’s Town, South Africa

Kirsten / June 26, 2017

I remember watching a nature show years ago and seeing Great Whites leaping out of the air at a place called Seal Island near Cape Town, South Africa. It instantly got put on my bucket list, although it was one of the few experiences on my list that made me really nervous.

It turns out, the great whites only leap out of the air at this one spot and only for a few months out of the year. As luck would have it, that time frame coincided with when we’d be there!

I asked the kids if they wanted to go along, and they were both huge yeses. In fact, I was the only nervous one out of the 4 of us.

So on our 2nd day in Cape Town, we got up at 4:30am and drove an hour south of Cape Town to Simon’s Town. Around 7am we headed out in the freezing cold with our fingers crossed we’d see some sharks. It was so cold out that the 3 of us bought hats at a different dive shop to try to keep warm, yet we still needed their cover ups and blankets to not be miserable.

After 30 minutes, we arrived at Seal Island and started the look out for the sharks.

The sharks are hunting baby seals that are going out feed with the adults for the first time. So first you find a group of seals returning to Seal Island then watch them to see if they get attacked. I LOVED seeing the seals swimming in – and seeing the babies – and quickly found myself rooting for the seals to have a safe passage even though I really wanted to see a shark.

After about 30 minutes, the dive company, African Shark Eco Charters, towed a decoy behind the boat for about 30 minutes hoping a shark would go for the decoy. Unfortunately we didn’t see any sharks and the other boats didn’t seem to be having any better luck. In fact, it was really quiet out there and nobody seemed to be seeing anything.

We tried towing the decoy some more, then took a spin around Seal Island before anchoring up and chumming the water. Then we waited. And waited. And waited. …And nothing.

Luckily the ocean was pretty calm and flat, but Mara still got sick and threw up a few times. Beckett and I did OK though. Once it warmed up, he was enjoying himself.

We stayed out there an extra hour hoping to get lucky, but finally gave up around 11:30am, took one last spin around Seal Island, and went back to shore.

Our dive company offers a voucher to go back out for free if you don’t see any sharks, so we were hopeful we could go out the next day. But then we found out they were completely booked for the next day which was our last day in Cape Town. It was looking like we got shut out of seeing the sharks and spent a ton of $$ on a boat ride. 🙁

We checked in with the dive company a couple more times in the hope that someone canceled, but they were still full.

Once we got back to our AirBnb, we called again and this time found out they had 2 spots available. Mara didn’t want to go out again, but Beckett did so we had to figure out who got to go. We decided that Chuck and I would go and the kids would stay home and sleep in which Beckett said he as fine with.

So at 4:30 the next morning, Chuck and I headed back down to Simon’s Town hoping to get lucky.

As soon as we got out to Seal Island, there was a shark attack nearby. I missed the initial strike, but was able to see the shark strike a couple more times.

Then there was another attack!

Once things died down, they towed the decoy to see if we’d get any bites. And we did!

They then dropped anchor, chummed the water, and set out the dive cage. Four people jumped at going first so they got all suited up in thick wetsuits – the water is COLD – and waited. Once the crew saw a shark, they hopped into the cage and got an underwater view of a shark swimming by. I think they saw 2-3 sharks before their time was up.

Chuck and I were in the next group and hopped into the cage. Despite the 7mm wetsuit, hood, and boots, the bitterly cold water still makes its way in. And our hands were exposed which didn’t help.

I personally hated being in the cage. I didn’t have a good place to anchor my feet without them sticking out, I was trying to hold on to the top of the cage so my head didn’t slam into it as the water bobbed us around and slammed us into the boat, and I was shaking because I was so cold. I kept thinking about getting out, but knew I’d regret it if I missed seeing a shark.

Eventually the crew yelled that shark was approaching and told us to go underwater and look near the buoy. We had scuba hoses so we could breathe underwater – that’s why I picked this particular company – so we could watch without having to come up for breaths.

I saw a huge shark lazily swim maybe 10′ in front of us before he turned and headed out in the distance. I couldn’t believe it! The water is so murky, yet I still got a good look at him.

We hung out for a while longer in the cage, but didn’t get anymore sightings. Once out of the cage, I realized that I was the only one in our group of 4 to see the shark! I have no idea how they missed him, but felt even more fortunate that I saw him!

Sadly that was the last shark sighting of the day and after waiting around a bit longer, we headed back to shore.

I’m so grateful that Chuck and I got to go back out a 2nd time and that we got to see some sharks. I was sad the kids never got to see one, but seeing as Beckett was throwing up when we got back to our rental, it ended up working out for the best.

Africa Mauritius

5 Relaxing Days in Beautiful Mauritius

Kirsten / June 17, 2017

Once I saw pictures of Mauritius, I quickly added it to my list of places to go. It looked incredible! Plus, I’m always up for visiting a tropical island, especially one in a location I’ve never been before, the Indian Ocean.

When I booked our United flights, I realized we could stop over in Mauritius for free on our way to Cape Town. This seemed like a perfect way to start our trip.

We first flew on a red-eye to London, had a long layover in London, flew to Istanbul’s Ataturk where we had just enough time to grab some Turkish Delight and a snack, then took another red-eye to Mauritius. In total, we had 21 hours of in air flying time, and it took 30 hours, 30 minutes to arrive. We hired a shuttle company to drive us the 1 hour to the resort as we didn’t feel like landing and doing it ourselves after that much travel.

We were so happy to arrive especially once we saw our resort, the Victoria Beachcomber. Mara was so excited she threw up in their lobby. Ok, it was from motion sickness not happiness, but she did feel better after throwing up then seeing the place.

Yeah, this works.
Yes, that is the kids posing.

After checking in, we changed then headed to the buffet lunch as we were quite hungry even though our stomachs thought it was 6am. And then it was time to relax and play!

After lunch, the kids were really excited to try water skiing. They were able to stand up pretty easily holding onto the bar beside the boat. They loved it!

Beckett ended up going out water skiing 3 or 4 times during our stay, while Mara went out twice.

Mara water skiing:

Beckett water skiing:

Over the next few days, we took advantage of the free kayaks, stand up paddleboards, paddle boats, water skiing, mini sailboats, and more. The kids loved being able to go down to the beach and head out in one of the water craft. Chuck and I took them out too, but loved watching the kids enjoy the ocean just as much.

The kids spent so much time in the pool that I thought they were going to turn into fish

For a small fee, they also had an inflatable chair that they drag behind a motor boat which looked like a lot of fun. Chuck and Mara went first, followed by Beckett and I. It was a lot of fun although I made the mistake of giving the driver a thumbs up meaning to go faster – oh, we went faster and we really started flying around. It was awesome. Until the next morning when I couldn’t walk and had to cancel out of scuba diving. But it worked out as I went for a massage to help and had an interesting, but very good massage. The kids really wanted to go on the chair again, so we sent them out on our last day.

The kids getting towed in a giant inflatable chair

Luckily my back was better the next day and Chuck and I were able to go out scuba diving then. We only booked 1 dive and are glad we did as it was one of the worst dives we’ve ever done. There wasn’t much coral and what was left was mostly in poor shape, plus there weren’t that many fish or anything of interest. I thought the diving was supposed to be good in Mauritius, so we were pretty disappointed. But it’s still nice to get in the water, so it wasn’t a total loss. We did get to see a lot of clams, a moray eel, these neat sea cucumber type things that looked like fan filters, and I saw a lobster.

As you can see, the reef isn’t in great shape

The resort also had free snorkeling trips where they’d drive out to a reef about 10 minutes away and let you snorkel for 40 minutes. We all went our first full day and Chuck and the kids went the next day, but I stayed behind because of my back. The kids loved being the ocean and got so excited pointing out all the neat things.

Aside from all the ocean activities, we enjoyed the all inclusive buffet and drinks. They had juice cocktails for the kids and Beckett must’ve ordered 50 “Emotions” during our stay which were some mango, tropical fruit infusion. The kids also had more sodas and shirley temples that you can count. Chuck and I fully enjoyed the fruity cocktails and drinks of the day as well.

The buffet also had a rotating variety of food each night. Despite that, Beckett had pasta with tomato sauce for every dinner. Mara was more brave and discovered a love for calamari. She also joined us at the seafood restaurant one night where we had a lovely 3 course meal with our toes in the sand as we watched the sun set.

On another night, we ate at the Italian restaurant on site. We were so looking forward to an amazing Italian meal, but came away a little disappointed.

We also went to the one restaurant for snack time and got pancake/crepes and drinks.

When we weren’t eating, drinking, playing in the pool, or playing in the ocean, we enjoyed hanging out along the beach or around the resort. It was so beautiful there. And a great place to watch the sun set each night.

Too quickly our time was over and we headed to the airport for our flights to Cape Town.

Beckett asleep before we even took off. I think we wore him out!

Our time in Mauritius was even better than I hoped. The kids have never been big ocean/beach fans, but they loved all the water sports and had an absolute blast. The all-inclusive was absolutely the way to go as we didn’t have to think about the cost of all the food and activities and could just enjoy whatever we wanted whenever we wanted it. And we really allowed the kids a lot of freedom so they were able to enjoy themselves without many parenting reins on them.

We also ended up with some great family time as everyone was so relaxed and happy and not distracted by work, electronics, to do lists, etc. It was also a great way to start our trip to Africa as it let us adjust to the time change and let us recover from the flights. It also set a nice, relaxing tone for the rest of our trip.

Galapagos South America

Diving with Hammerheads at Gordon Rocks

Kirsten / January 21, 2016

One of the things we were most looking forward to on our trip was diving with hammerhead sharks. We had 2 chances – one at Kicker Rock off of San Cristobal and the other was at Gordon Rocks off of Santa Cruz.

Gordon Rocks is known as “THE” place to dive with schools of hammerheads in the Galapagos without doing a live-aboard. It is also considered an intermediate to advanced dive due to currents (it’s nickname is the “washing machine”). Most of the good dive shops won’t take anyone with less than 30 dives (I’m at 40+, Chuck is at 30-ish) and they make sure you’ve been diving recently too.

I’ll admit, I was actually nervous about this dive. I think I read too many stories online about the dive being difficult and even a case where a diver got swept a few miles away by the current (they found her a while later). Someone online was also telling a beginner that wanted to dive there to “Google ‘Gordon Rocks’ + death” as apparently people have died there. So yeah. Crazy current, being known as a “washing machine”, people dying, advanced dive credentials required. Oh and schools of sharks. Yep, I was a bit nervous.

At least my nerves were calmed when we went to the dive shop the previous day to get outfitted for our equipment. Once they heard we dove Kicker Rock a few days prior and had plenty of dives under our belt, they said we’d be fine and it’s only horrible a few days a year.

Ok, deep breath.

The morning of, we took a pickup truck taxi to the ferry landing at the north end of the island then headed out on the boat.

After about 45 min, we stopped to do a check dive. Then we took a 5-10 min trip over to Gordon Rocks. After about 5 minutes of the crew checking the current, it was time to go.

The dive entrance was different than normal because of the current. Our group got ready, sat on the side of the boat and waited. When our dive guide said “Go”, we immediately back rolled into the water, met at the back of the boat and descended quickly so the current didn’t sweep us away.

As soon as we got down to about 40′, I saw 2 hammerheads swim by on the sea floor (they were about 60′). And, that was the only hammerhead shark sighting we saw the entire dive. Sigh. 🙁

We swam around for about an hour but really didn’t see much: a sea turtle, others saw a golden ray, some fish. Very disappointing. The current wasn’t too bad though so that was good.

We were bummed coming back to the boat and got more bummed when we found out the other group saw a huge school of hammerheads. Guess we just weren’t in the right place at the right time.

After an hour surface interval (that was quite wavy and making me nauseous), it was time for dive #2. We knew the hammerheads were out there so our fingers were crossed.

Not long after we descended, we started seeing the sharks. Hammerheads, Whitetip reef sharks, Blacktip reef sharks, Galapagos sharks. Some were together maybe 20′ away, some were alone maybe 10′ away. Plus we saw a pair of spotted eagle rays. THIS was the dive we were hoping for. I was so calm yet excited when I saw the hammerheads. I kept saying to myself “I can’t believe I’m seeing this. I’m so lucky.”

DCIM100MICRO — Not me, but another girl in our group. Look how close!

There was definitely more current on this dive but nothing too bad. The only interesting thing was the up/down current that would make you ascend or descend a bit. It was subtle for me but Chuck got caught in it a bit more. Nothing too scary or a big deal, but I can totally see why this is an advanced dive.

Soon it was time to get back on the boat and head back to Santa Cruz. We were treated by a whale sighting on the trip back. At first they said it was a baby humpback whale, but I’ve seen enough of them to know it was something else. When I saw the head, I thought it was a pilot whale. But watching the video back, I’m starting to think it was a beaked whale, maybe a Cuvier’s beaked whale. Not sure, but still a cool sighting.

After lunch back at the harbor, we took the trucks back to the main town and that was that.

Logistics: We went diving with Academy Bay Diving out of Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz. They did a pretty good job so I’d definitely recommend them. We met at the dive shop at 6:30am, left the shop at 7am and returned around 2:30pm.

Galapagos South America

Snorkeling with Penguins at Los Túneles, Galapagos

Kirsten / January 19, 2016

Before we came to the Galapagos, we each picked which experiences we most wanted and also which animals we most wanted to see. Near the top of my list was penguins! Yes, they have penguins in the Galapagos! They can only be found on 2 islands but only 1, Isabela, is (semi-)easily accessible to those doing a land based tour. We knew adding a 3rd island to our trip was going to keep us really busy, but I didn’t want to miss the chance to swim with wild penguins, so we figured out an itinerary that included Isabela and figured out that snorkeling at Los Túneles, aka The Tunnels, was the best place to go.

Los Túneles is about a 45 min boat trip from Puerto Villamil, which is the main town on Isabela. It’s a rocky trip out but we were lucky that it wasn’t too bad on the day we went. We were also REALLY lucky that we had some great animal sightings on the trip out. We saw a massive manta ray somersault out of the water twice, a baby hammerhead shark, and mating turtles.

We first stopped at an area outside of the Tunnels where we snorkeled for 2 hours. There weren’t that many fish or even coral, however, there were a lot of other cool things: Huge sea turtles munching away, lots of reef sharks hanging out in a cave, a marbled ray, a massive lobster (thing had to be 5lbs!), a big parrotfish, and a really cool eel that looked more like a sea snake than an eel. However, the highlight of this snorkel, for me at least, was seeing a seahorse!

I also found one of the more interesting things I’ve ever found in the ocean – a $5 bill. If you don’t know, I tend to find money all over the place and have found random money in many of the countries we’ve visited even if we’re just there for a few hours. Usually it’s pennies or some other small coin, but this time, it was a $5 floating in the water. I asked our group who lost money out of their pocket and no one had so they clapped for me and my good fortune.

After our snorkel, we headed over to The Tunnels to see the penguins. We weren’t sure if we’d be able to get in as other boats were having trouble, but our captain surfed us in no problem.

I was so excited to see the penguins and we quickly got into the water to get a closer view. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any penguins swimming in the water as they were content to hang out on the rocks.

There were also blue-footed boobies hanging out on the other rocks, so we were able to swim near them for a closer view.

A pelican then flew in and landed on one of the rocks. So cool!

After snorkeling here, we headed over to the actual Tunnels which were so pretty. We ate a quick lunch then headed up on the rocks for a look around.

Then it was finally time to head back to Puerto Villamil. However on the way we were treated to some jumping manta rays.

We then came upon a rock that had Nazca boobies alongside Blue-footed boobies.

Then it was back to the dock and our hotel.

Logistics: We booked our trip with Scuba Galapagos which is located in The Wooden House hotel. I was able to arrange the trip via email before we left the US. The trip was $90USD pp which included lunch. The good: They were really good at spotting wildlife. The bad: the boat didn’t have a bathroom or any shade which would be nice on a 6 hour trip, lunch was a warm ham sandwich, and we had a 1Km walk home from the dock after the trip. Lastly, the guides spoke both Spanish and English, however, most of the people on the boat spoke Spanish so they didn’t bother to translate as much into English for us English speakers. This made us feel a little clueless on some things and ignored other times. Overall, they wouldn’t be my first choice, but they were a fine choice and we had a magical day so I really can’t complain.

Galapagos South America

Diving Kicker Rock, Galapagos

Chuck Ullan / January 16, 2016

Kicker Rock is one of the better-known dive sites in the Galapagos, and we were so eager to get to diving that we scheduled this dive for the first day of the trip. It’s one of the prime spots for hammerheads, and you occasionally get good sightings of big fish as well.

We checked in for equipment fitting the night before, then met the boat at 7:30 am for a ride out that was about 45 minutes. We had a brief skills test in a shallow area on the way, then it was go time!

As it turns out, we were a little disappointed with what we saw on the dives. We caught a couple glimpses of hammerheads, one good Galapagos shark, but that was it for the big stuff. Some days there are lots of sharks, and they even had a sunfish show up recently, but it just wasn’t our lucky day. That said, we got to swim into a giant “bait ball” with thousands of fish, a very unique experience.

This video has the best highlights, including reef shark, Galapagos shark, sea turtle, spotted eagle ray, and the bait ball.

Skirting the outside of the giant bait ball

After the diving we went to a little bay and had lunch on the boat, then got to explore on the beach for a bit. Tracked down an iguana and saw lots of cool wildlife, with a guide there to explain some of what we were seeing.

20160116_134256 — Tracking down an iguana.

The other notable part of our diving here was running into new friends from Australia, Laith and Katie, whom we ran into about 10 other times throughout the week. We envied their trip, as after the Galapagos, they were headed to Peru to hike the Inca trail to Machu Picchu!

We booked directly with Wreck Bay diving for $160 pp. The boat was reasonably nice and shady and we got a pretty solid meal after the dives. Definitely worth considering them if you go.

Animals Favorite Moments Thailand World Travels

Scuba Diving Koh Tao

Kirsten / June 26, 2013

While we were vacationing on Koh Samui, I was able to go scuba diving twice while Chuck watched the kids. The first time I went to Chumphon Pinnacle and Twin Rocks off the coast of Koh Tao with CSI: Samui. I was REALLY hoping to see a whale shark on either dive, however, it was not to be.

The water was murkier than I was used to from Hawaii but I was blown away by the large schools of fish and the sheer number of other fish. And it was interesting to see the same type of fish we had in Hawaii with different markings or different shadings – like the parrotfish weren’t nearly as vibrant and multi-colored as the ones from Hawaii, and the triggerfish were bigger and more muted as well (and supposedly much meaner).

After snorkeling and diving in Hawaii so much, it was so cool to see different creatures and different corals as well.

One of the highlights, that unfortunately we didn’t get on film, was seeing a Blue Spotted Eagle Ray. And in a first, the cleaner wrasse apparently thought I needed cleaning and started biting my lips – I had to shoo them away then cover my lips until we were clear.

Chuck went scuba diving the next day with the same company, however they went to Sail Rock, which is another one of the main scuba diving sites in the region.

And finally, I went diving one more time with a different company because I wanted to scuba dive Sail Rock as well.

I definitely enjoyed all 4 dives however the quest for diving with a whale shark continues…

School of fish — School of fusilier fish

Christmas Tree worms - if you wave your hand near them, the immediately duck into their hole — Christmas Tree worms – if you wave your hand near them, they immediately duck into their hole

Animals Favorite Moments Hawaii North America USA

Swimming with (Wild) Dolphins

Kirsten / May 26, 2012

On Thursday, Chuck and I took the kayak down to Kealakekua Bay which is about 30 min south of Kona. There are usually dolphins swimming in the bay but it’s also known for having great snorkeling on the north side of the bay near the Captain Cook memorial.

So we paddled out and when some dolphins came near, Chuck jumped in the water with them. After a while, I jumped in the water and waited patiently. Sure enough, dolphins started swimming under me and near me. I had at least 4 different encounters with the dolphins being close to me. At one point, there were about 30 dolphins swimming under and beside me. And at another point, some dolphins were near the surface and one got maybe 10′ from me before he turned and headed off in another direction.

Aside from seeing them, we could hear them “talk” to each other. And other times we’d see them jump and spin out of the water too.

After swimming with them for a while, we kayaked over to the north side and snorkeled for a bit.

It was one of the cooler things I’ve ever experienced and I can’t wait to take the kayak back down there with the kids next time.

Update: Chuck and I were lucky enough to experience this again also at Kealakekua Bay. This time, one of the dolphins (above), circled around me a couple of times close enough for me to touch (I didn’t). He (she?) looked me in the eye then swam off to join their friends. It was an unbelievable experience to be so close and feel a connection to a beautiful, wild animal.

Hawaii North America USA

We on Sea

Kirsten / September 19, 2011

On Friday, Chuck took a break from work and we went for our first kayak voyage. We rented a 2 person kayak and headed out. There was a pod of spinner dolphins playing at the edge of the bay but by the time we got out there, they were headed north. We weren’t far away so we “chased” them north but they were faster. We were close enough to see them jump out of the water and spin and play but not close enough to have them right near our kayak. After a while we headed south down to some caves and an area called coral gardens. We found another pod of dolphins in that bay and started chasing them down but once again they were on the move and we never got close enough.

So we headed back to coral gardens, jumped out of the kayak and snorkeled around for a while. The coral was amazing. And Chuck spotted a huge crown of thorns starfish. This thing was easily 24″ in diameter and a very cool find.

Somehow we were out kayaking for 3 1/2 hours! We were so sore later and the next day. But what a great thing. Definitely adding kayaking to our mix of sports!

The rest of the weekend Chuck had to work so it was a really low-key weekend. Soccer for Beck, strolling around this little festival yesterday, play in the pool, etc.

Chuck is busy this week then leaving for the mainland on Saturday so I’m not sure what adventurous stuff we’ll do this week. Stayed tuned though!

Hawaii North America USA

Wednesdays are Kua Bay Day!

Kirsten / September 2, 2011

Yesterday afternoon we went to Kua Bay – one of our, if not our, favorite beach. We went there last Wednesday too and I’m hoping to make it a regular Wednesday activity unless a sport or activity comes up.

The kids are home from school by 1:15pm on Wednesdays so its the best day to hit the beach. They can come home and relax, grab and snack and we can be at the beach by 3pm.

I’ll have to get Kua Bay pics at some point but picture a white sand beach, gorgeous blue ocean, small waves and 80 some degree water. We don’t have too many white sand beaches here in Kona so that’s another reason this is a fav.

Last week I decided to try boogie boarding again. I tried it a while ago and it didn’t go so well. But this time I grabbed the board and thought “I can do this” and viola, I was on the board riding waves in no time.

Well yesterday was a boogie boarding fest – I spent the entire time riding in waves with the biggest grin on my face until I was too exhausted to do more and Chuck wanted to go home. I felt like a kid that could play and play until their parents call them for dinner or bed.

I can’t wait to learn more and of course do it again!

Nothing too exciting today except I’ll give you the “Daily Grill” run down. See, we’ve been grilling a lot more since we got here and grilling all sorts of different things: everything from papaya to peaches to ginger and more.

Tonight’s Daily Grill: filet, onions, mushrooms, garlic, potatoes and apples (with cinnamon, butter and brown sugar that were tasty!). Yummers!

Tomorrow I’m going swimming with our “landlord” from the pier out into the ocean. I’m happy to go out with a local first to get a feel for the ocean and any potential danger spots like currents and what not. It’ll also be nice to have a guide because of all the shark sightings and I just don’t know what on earth I’d do if a 15′ Tiger shark came to swim beside me like happened to a girl a few weeks ago.

And Saturday is Chuck’s birthday and I think he’s going to do something crazy cool… will fill you in later!

Aloha!

Hawaii North America USA

Birthday Fun

Kirsten / August 29, 2011

Chuck and I had such a great week last week.

It started on Monday which was my birthday. We dropped the kids off at school then headed to the harbor for a scuba dive boat trip. As soon as we left the harbor, a huge pod of dolphins came over to play so we watched them cruise beside/under/around the boat.

The dives were fabulous. However, on the first dive I headed over to a cave with the rest of the divers and saw a small white tip reef shark. When I got to the boat, I found out that a 2nd reef shark had come out of the cave and swam right under me. And I never saw a thing! ACK!

The 2nd dive was tremendous. One of those dives that made me want to stay in the ocean for hours and hours and hours. In that dive, everything in the past 6 months came together and I was filled with such a sense of happiness, contentment and peace that I can’t even explain.

The rest of the day we did my cake, headed to a happy hour for pupus (appetizers) and Mai Tais.

On Wednesday, we did a family trip to one of our favorite beaches here. I went for a swim in the ocean while the kids played and then I borrowed the boogie board from Chuck determined to learn to boogie board. Somehow it all came together and I was riding wave after wave into the beach and even learning to turn a bit. I must have spent a good hour or more riding waves until I wore myself out.

Thursday, Chuck and I went out snorkeling. We hit this spot we’d only briefly checked out before and spent about 2 hours viewing the coral and fish. We saw a sea turtle as we were getting in but unfortunately didn’t see him from in the water.

On Friday, Chuck and I went to this amazing snorkeling spot, Place of Refuge, and again spent about 2 hours exploring the vast coral forests and the tons of fish. Saw a white mouthed moray eel at the end swimming around which is always a treat.

Anyway, it was a great, great week filled with lots of ocean time. I find I’m happiest when playing in and around the ocean so every day was a real treat.

To say I’m (we’re) loving it here is an understatement. And to say we’re enjoying the time when the kids are in school is also an understatement🙂

Aside from the ocean stuff, there always seems to be a festival or cultural activity on the weekends and we’ve hit so many: rodeo, Mai Tai festival, mac nut festival, Kona coffee festival, Japan Hiroshima Peace festival (I think we were the only non-Japanese there).

Hopefully we can start to participate a bit more now and start making some connections.

Aloha!