The time change is 4 hours so we were up before first light ready to snorkel with all the happy little fishes. A quick latte and breakfast bagel at an old style plantation market had us fueled for the morning. The scenery is incredible, but in some ways, feels like home. Except for the warmth. and the palm trees and the ocean. Cliffs go straight up in the air. The road, houses and businesses are all carved out of a small piece of "flat land" between the road and the ocean.
We stopped in to visit an online friend of Ted's who manages the Hawaiian Underwater Research Lab, which includes the 2 Pisces deep water scientific research subs (at least 6000 feet deep) at Makai Pier.
The pier served as Magnum's spot for a swim, and TJ's helicopter in Magnum PI. I Terry also has frequently worked on films: he was the shark wrangler in "For Your Eyes Only" and the stunt man in "The Abyss." These subs are affiliated with NOAA and the University of Hawaii. Ted couldn't help but admire the good welds on the grabby arms, similar to the Canadarm.
Not only did we get to check out the subs, but the local wildlife popped in for a visit.
There were quite a few sea turtles out & about. I joined Terry for his daily 2 mile swim which was great. Apparently there were turtles out there, but there were waves, and viz was limited. I did manage to get stung by a Portuguese Man O'War but nothing like the lethal nightmares of my childhood, gleaned from novels about Florida.
In Waikiki, we stopped by the War Memorial Natatorium, a 100 m sized swimming pool built just after WWI for returning soldiers, and home to Duke Kahanamoku, Olympic Gold Medalist and godfather of modern surfing, Johnny Weissmuller and Esther Williams. Talk about some great names in swimming! Only the magnificent art deco facade has been restored, but it is easy to imagine the facility in its glory days.
We watched a guy with a boogie board AND his dog swimming laps along the small beach beside the Natatorium. The golden retriever LUV'D swimming, but was not completely at ease on the boogie board. He is still a puppy so maybe he will learn to boogie yet.
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