Wayne and I spent a week in Kona, Hawaii enjoying 4 days of diving, a trip to the top of Mauna Kea, a hike through Volcano National Park, and the Ford Ironman World Championships. The diving was better than expected. The only downside was that we were hoping to see a 16ft tiger shark that is resident to one of the dive sites. We even went back for a second dive, but we didn’t get to see him (however, I’m sure he spotted us!!!!) We did 2 nights dives. The first one was with 12 foot Manta Rays. This was the best dive either of us have done to date. It you ever have a chance to dive or snorkel with Manta Rays….do it!!!!! The second night dive was a Blackwater dive. It’s 3 miles offshore, pitch black and started at 11:30pm. The boat captain tethers you to a 40 ft rope as you are over a depth of 6000 ft. You are not allowed to pee in the water or float on the surface as that will attract predatory animals. It was scary! We were able to see creatures that are only visible in Hawaii – they migrate to the surface at night to avoid their predators. The colors were amazing. Another dive that we highly recommend through Big Island Divers.
Top of Mauna Kea
The trip to the top of Mauna Kea was well worth it. The sunset views are some of the best in the world. The observatories on the summit are much bigger than I expected and beautiful to look at. Too bad we were unable to go inside to view the stars from the telescopes.
October 3rd – October 10th 2011
