Ben and I went to Hawaii for our honeymoon and had a blast!
It was a week full of non-stop thrills and new sights. As a first-timer there,
everything was new to me. It’s crazy to think that Hawaii, even though it is
part of the United States, has a completely different culture from the
continental US. We just explored Oahu so this post will be focusing on that
island.
Follow me as I present to you a series of activities that we did while in Oahu!
Follow me as I present to you a series of activities that we did while in Oahu!
Post snorkeling photo: Exhausted, yet happy!
Snorkeling
One of my top 3 activities on the island of Oahu was
snorkeling. Imagine going to an aquarium, except you’re swimming with the fish
and sea turtles in the fish tank, but the fish tank is actually an expansive
natural bay created by volcano lava over many years. Yes, that is how it feels
to snorkel in Hanauma bay with the sea life. We brought our own snorkeling
gear, rented fins, and dove into the ocean looking for tropical creatures. Unfortunately
we did not have an underwater camera so I do not have any photos to show you
guys here of what we saw.
As a first timer with snorkeling, it definitely was not the
most intuitive activity one can do. For one, you’re breathing while your face
is dunked underwater. Having had never done it, I had an anxiety attack trying
it out because I thought I was going to drown. Walking through the water in
fins was the second challenge as there is much more resistance from the water
compared to walking around with your feet. Naturally, being very anxious and
useless when moving about the water only led to one thing… me cursing very
loudly for a good 5 minutes until I got the hang of everything. Ben got a good
laugh out of it and it was much better after the first few tries. The feeling
of anxiety and nervousness started to fade once I realized I was not going to
drown and got a glimpse of the fish.
There are many types of tropical fish that hide in the
reefs, but sea turtle sightings are rare. Luckily we were able to spot one
after an hour of swimming. Gliding among the coral reefs and swimming alongside
the fish made me feel so much more connected to nature and its beauty. We also
had to be careful not to scrape ourselves against the reefs since the water
levels were shallow. (Actually, my genius self did get a few good scrapes.) There
were some parts where my body was literally inches away from the reefs as we
were gliding in the water.
As a word of caution to those who do want to snorkel here and
continue to share this amazing experience with others in the future, please
treat the wildlife with respect. This includes NOT stepping all over the coral
reefs and harassing the sea life. It’s really a shame when I see tourists
treating nature so poorly.