Hawaii: Day 8

This morning was one I've anticipated for quite some time now. It was standup paddle board (SUP) lesson day! When we originally planned this vacation (cough cough pre-COVID cough cough), we asked the kids what they wanted to do while in Hawaii and Annika's request was "surfing lessons". Before cancelling our 2020 trip, we signed up for surfing lessons. That said, the realization that we'd probably never go surfing again in our lives was there and made the lessons seem a bit less practical. Fast forward to when we re-planned this trip, we opted to take paddle boarding lessons instead, knowing the chances of us actually using the skills again were much greater. (Plus, there were no surfing lessons available with Maui Surf Lessons the week we would have wanted them, so that simplified things quite a bit!)

After breakfast (this time, we did take-out from the Kihei Caffe), we gathered up our gear and headed about 15 minutes south to Makena Beach. Our instructor, Curtis, was there waiting for us as soon as we arrived and quickly proved to be very personable, knowledgeable, and safety focused.

Curtis started out with the on-land portion of our time together. He talked about how to ride on the SUP, how to fall off of the SUP (very important skill), how to approach waves, how to paddle and maneuver the SUP, safety signals, and what we might see while on the water. He also taught us a bit about the Hawaiian language, including how to pronounce some words, the meaning of some words, and how the 'okina (aka the stop that looks like a single quote mark) impacts words. Pretty neat stuff!

When it was time to enter the water, Curtis helped us launch one-by-one, starting with Eric, followed by Conor, Annika, and then me. Standing up on a SUP is no joke when you're a newbie. Fortunately for us, the water was incredibly calm. In fact, Curtis kept calling it Lake Pacific because of how smooth the water was. (We lucked out, apparently, because the day before, the SUP lesson he taught had to be cut a bit short due to wind.) We spent a good chunk of time getting our feet under us and figuring out how to balance while on the SUP and how to fall off of the SUP... a skill we all needed along the way. (Except for Curtis, of course, because he's the pro!)

Eric paddling away

Me working on the whole "balance on water" thing

The paddling Olsons!

If we did this shape on purpose, we could have called
it synchronized paddle boarding, but sadly, we didn't...

I love how intense his posture is

Conor catching his breath and enjoying his balance

Annika

Mama

Daddy

Off to search for turtles

Dig, dig, dig

Once he thought we had the basics figured out, Curtis took us a bit further out so we could try to spy some sea turtles that like to hang out in the caves formed by lava flows. Lucky for us, we saw two turtles.... one of which popped up right in front of Annika's SUP. She (the turtle) was gorgeous and happy to let us peek at her for more than a second. (Per Curtis, the short tail is a way to tell that it was a female turtle and because she didn't dive right away, she was comfortable with us being there with her... at a safe distance, of course.)

Our new turtle friend

Hello, pretty turtle

After tootling around the bay for awhile longer, it was time to start heading back to shore. (Side note, I'd like to note I was the last one of us to go into the water ... and that wasn't until the last 5-ish minutes of our SUP time.) Curtis went to shore first and then had us paddle in one-by-one so he could help us safely return to shore and get the gear out of the water. Top notch experience all around!

We drove back to Kihei after bidding Curtis a fond farewell and de-sanded/de-salt watered ourselves. We kicked back at the condo for much of the day. I read my book on the balcony (and startled a bird on the roof when I sneezed!) while Eric and the kids hung out inside soaking up the AC. A little after 2, the four of us trekked through the parking lot and introduced Eric to Gus the Bus. Eric asked James (the owner) for a flavor recommendation. James said the coffee and dragonfruit flavors were his favorites. So, Eric ordered the coffee option and I ordered the dragonfruit option. Annika chose a combo of root beer, birthday cake, and cotton candy. Conor returned to his beloved lemon/lime flavor profile. After a bite, Eric was hooked!

James, our shaved ice chef

Oh the color!!!

I wanted to try for a few more turtle photos, so grabbed my camera and headed to the beach. (Yes, I'm pretty sure I've become an official sea turtle stalker... but in the nicest of ways.) I climbed up on the lava rocks I knew the turtles congregate at and waited ... and waited. The water was a bit rougher than I expected (it wasn't windy, which I hoped meant the water would be calmer than it had been on previous days) which I suspected kept the turtles closer to the bottom. Eventually, I saw a turtle head pop up. I realized that my turtle stalking has evolved ... I can now somewhat frequently find them when they are just under the surface of the water. I've learned to identify how the water moves a little differently as their shells slide along under the surface. I saw something today I had yet to see... turtles inside waves. The first time I saw it, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Then awhile later, I saw it again... and again. I tried to snap photos of the turtles in the waves but didn't realize I actually GOT any photos until I was able to get the camera's SD card into the computer and scroll through my photos. 

This sailboat was moored there the entire time we were on Maui.

Foamy waves

Molokini in the distance

Can you find the turtles in the wave?

Lava rocks getting swallowed by the waves

I could look at this water all day, every day

Eric grilled steaks for our final dinner in Hawaii. I'd like to point out that he made some AMAZING steaks all without the benefit of a meat thermometer... the man is THAT good at the grill. The rest if iyr dinner was pieced together based on what food items we still had to use up so things didn't go to waste. The kids thought they had died and gone to Heaven when they got to finish the remaining ice cream treats in the freezer .... seconds on dessert? Uhhh. yes please!

Following dinner, we officially entered "pack up and get ready to head home" mode. Packing cubes area an amazing little invention and made packing for this trip so much easier. Each person was responsible for packing his/her clothes into packing cubes, which I then Tetrised into the checked luggage. (We are grateful for a few travel-related inventions: suitcases with wheels, packing cubes, and portable luggage scales!)

As I sit here now, I half can't believe this trip finally happened. Our time in Hawaii was a 3+ years in the making and happened over a year later than we originally expected. Was waiting to be here worth it? Without a doubt. Tonight during dinner, Eric asked everyone if we'd want to come back at some point in the future. All of us answered a whole-hearted "YES!" That is always the sign of a good trip... if you hope to return in the future.

I hope this isn't a true goodbye. I am choosing to bid Hawaii "ahui hou" instead, hoping that we'll have the chance to return some day. (Ahui hou = Until we meet again)

Hawaii: Day 6

 This morning, I was bound and determined to hit the beach (Kamaole Beach I) early and attempt to get some photos. I happily had sand-covered feet before 7 AM (there are serious advantages to traveling this direction in terms of time zones... we are ready to start our days nice and early!). In the early morning hours, the water is calmer, which makes for rather tranquil landscape photo opportunities. I had a clear view of Molokini and was able to get shots of some pretty waves as they broke over the lava rocks. 

Molokini

Waves and lava rocks

While I was out, I happened upon a very chatty retiree who has lived on Maui for the past 7 years. He gave me the scoop on some of the sea life (including the helmet urchin we saw a few days ago), recommended we avoid going to Big Beach (no lifeguards + sudden depth change = unsafe), warned me about a venomous shelled creature on the beach, and offered some restaurant recommendations. All in all, quite a handy person to meet!

No clue what this is but it was really neat to look at.
It reminded me of a huge marble.

Sea urchin holding on for life

As luck would have it, a sea turtle surfaced while I was standing on a rock outcropping. Hurray!!! It stuck its nose out of the water a few times. (Eric says I should name it Sheldon, which seems very reasonable to me!)

Hello, Sheldon!

Sheldon showing me his big smile

After I got back from my beach photography excursion, we rallied the troops and hit the beach, snorkel gear in hand. We started out in water with very little visibility due to the churn and shallow depth of the water. As we made our way north (and into deeper water), we were able to see a bit further. During the first part of our snorkeling, we really saw nothing more than the sandy bottom. Fortunately, that shifted as we neared the lava rock jetty I'd visited a little bit earlier when I was out taking photos. Pretty soon, we started to see a variety of pretty fish and coral below us, not to mention sea urchin and interesting rock formations. Then... I saw it. A sea turtle! A big sea turtle was tucked up on the sandy bottom next to a rock formation. I swear that my heart skipped a beat when I realized what I was looking at. I tugged on Conor and pointed out the turtle to him. As soon as I knew he saw it, I popped my head out of the water and signaled for Eric and Annika to join us so they could see it, too. Needless to say, we were all quite excited. Then we saw another turtle ... and another ... and another! It was AMAZING. Before we came to Hawaii, I saw a video online that was made by a family to document their Molokini/Turtle Town snorkeling. At one point, one of the little boys in the family said, "I saw a gwampa tuwtle" (he coudn't say his R's yet). We DEFINITELY saw a "big gwampa tuwtle" today, too. The fourth sea turtle we saw was enormous. It took every ounce of strength not to just stay there all day watching it rest on the ocean floor. What is so neat about these marvelous creatures is how still and calm they were. They just hung out on the sandy sea floor while we gawked at them. (I can't help but wonder if one of the turtles that I we saw during our snorkeling adventure was Sheldon!)  After awhile, however, it was time to move on. Conor and I started to make our way back to our belongings on the beach so we could try out body surfing and because my left foot was getting a sore spot from where the fin was rubbing it. While we did that, Eric and Annika made another loop around the rocks to find any remaining sights to see before packing up for the day.

After wrapping up our snorkeling and body surfing adventure, we walked back to the condo, showered, ate breakfast, and relaxed for a bit. I briefly zipped out to return the snorkel gear and make a much-anticipated run to Starbucks for iced Americanos for Eric and me and strawberry lemonades for the kids. MMMM!! Coffee!!

I had hoped the turtles would be near the surface again during high tide (the retiree I met earlier said they are sometimes more visible then because the feed off of the rocks), so Annika and I meandered back to the beach around 3 to see if we could spy any. We didn't have any luck in the turtle department, but definitely had a great walk on the beach together. Annika had fun making feet prints, writing words and hearts in the sand... and trying out her own photography skills with my phone's camera. The water was very choppy due to the wind, which we guessed might have kept the turtles away from the rocks. (Smart turtles!) 

I could sit on this beach all day, every day
and simply watch the waves on the sand

Annika and I were here!

Annika making her mark on the world

Sharing a little love with Kihei

Annika's photo of the West Maui Mountains, palm trees, and the Pacific

Annika's palm tree reflections photo

While we were out and about on the beach, Annika found a coconut that was floating in the water. (Initially, I thought someone lost a hat, but it wasn't a hat at all!) She got a good case of the giggles because each time she threw it back in the ocean, it kept coming back to her. That coconut reallllly liked Annika! :)

Annika and her new best friend "Coconut"

For dinner, we opted to try a highly-rated restaurant called Coconut's Fish Cafe for takeout. Eric and I had mahi-mahi fish and chips while the kids had shrimp and chips. Prior to our trip, we all thought it would be fun to watch the Disney movie "Moana" while on Maui and tonight was the night. We sang along with the characters, laughed until our sides hurt (often before the funny part happened ... we just knew what was coming!), and simply enjoyed being together. We have a few family jokes/favorite movie quotes from "Moana" that simply don't grown old for us: "Boat snack", "You're so amazing", and "You're WEL-come" are definitely at the top of the list!