Diving with the Turtles at Honaunau

I recently went SCUBA Diving with the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles at Honaunau Bay (Place of Refuge), South Kona on the Big Island. This is one of my favorite places to dive on the Big Island and offers an expansive reef in relatively shallow water (that means a lot of bottom time!) The quality of the reef is excellent with a variety of different types and colors of mature coral that stretches out and around the bay. The visibility is usually typical Kona (excellent) - although on this particular stormy day it wasn't its usual 100' of clarity. Also, one added bonus - you are pretty much guaranteed to swim with some turtles!

This spot is popular with snorkelers too (if they can figure out the directions). The area closest to shore is shallow and offers exceptional snorkeling. The entry point is right off of a lava rock shelf. As popular a site as this is - if no one was in the water you would probably drive right by as it is a non-descript bend in the road.

Video - Kayaking to Makalawena

Here is a video clip of us kayaking onto Makalawena Beach - there were a few minor swells and rollers, luckily the arrival area was an empty sandy beach with no obstacles... Also, I forgot to mention that we kayaked next to a pod of Spinner Dolphoins on the way back to Kua Bay - it was quite memorable.

Kayak to Makalawena Beach

This morning we put in our Kayaks at Kua Bay (Maniniowali Beach) right as the park opened up at 9:00 AM. On board we had our snorkeling gear, our waterproof cameras and a cooler with kalua pig sandwiches inside. Our goal was to kayak to Makalawena Beach - a secluded and austere beach that is difficult to access. We talked about attempting this a while ago in a previous blog post but were unsuccessful - today we were determined to do it! Luckily, the weather smiled upon us with calm seas and sunshine. So, we loaded our kayak and carried it down over the rocks from the pavement to the bleached-white sandy beach below and started paddling.

Ahead and to the north there was already a dive boat anchored atop the reef nearby and our curiosity almost pulled us in that direction to investigate the diving conditions there - but we were focused on our goal of reaching Makalawena (many say this is the prettiest beach on the island...) We started paddling to the south and the scenery was spectacular. The waters of Kua Bay are many different shades of blue - from emerald to a light and bright blue, to a darker navy blue where the reef is below. We continued and passed the large mound of a hill to our left and noticed for the first time a row of houses near its base - I wonder, more vacation rentals - or perhaps exclusive beach bungalows for the rich and famous?

As we kept paddling beyond this cove, we began to see the strand of trees that borders the northern end of Makalawena and we knew we were not far. As we paddled, the waters were so clear that we could make out glimpses of the vast reef below us. On several occassions, I lowered myself into the water with a mask and snorkel to marvel at the underwater topography and corals - the reef was beautiful. By now, we could make out a glimpse of thegently sloping dunes at Makalawena. The sand there is a special shade of white and could be seen shining in the distance, surrounded by lava rocks and underbriush. As we stared at the beach we were dissappointed by seeing a few people already on the beach - we were hoping to be the only ones there...

As we approached the northen edge of the beach, we notice a very shallow reef shelf below us with vibrant yellow and blue hued colors. We decided to anchor the kayak and snorkel the reef below us. We dropped our anchor on a patch of sand at the bottom and saw a thriving reef below us in about 20 feet of water. We spent a short while snorkeling and free diving above the reef. Then we finally decided it was time to paddle in to shore - at Makalawena!

We navigated the approach avoiding lava rocks and a shallow reef and were pushed by surging waves the final distance onto the immacculate beach - we were finally there! The beach was better than I imagined and better than any piuctures could capture. The sand was perfect - soft, fine, and firm under our bare feet. The azure waters shined and the white sand contrasted starkly next to the dried lava rocks and surrounding green shrubbery. The waves lapped on shore on the beach and pounded the lava rocks sending sea spray into the air. Makalawena is actually three beach crescents located side by side to each other - we had landed on the center crescent. We spent some time exploring and photographing the beach and eventually sat on the lava rocks to enjoy our sandwiches before paddling back to Kua Bay. It was a wonderful day! Right now, my legs ache a bit because I forgot to add sunblock to them and they are a bit sun burnt...

Trip to Kauai (Part 1)

I have just returned from a week to the island of Kauai. Although this website and blog are meant to concentrate on "all things Big Island", I will indulge you with a few musings and anecdotes from my trip to Kauai. In the near future, I will be posting detailed travelogues, photos, videos, and virtual tours about Kauai on a separate website...





When first arriving Lihue Airport I marveled as to how similar in layout and appearance it was to the Hilo Airport! On the arrival and landing, our plane came in low over the ridge (south of the airfield) and took a hard right descending turn to touchdown - it was pretty exciting and the (close up) view of the lushly vegetated mountains and rugged terrain was unbelievable. Kauai was a sight to behold.

My initial impression of the island was that it was very scenic and captured a lot of the feel from "Old Hawaii" - much like the eastern (Hilo) side of the Big Island does. Kauai has a lot of small towns with a few roads connecting inbetween - mostly one lane each way with a guaranteed view of the mountains from any spot on the island! There are a lot of white sand beaches on Kauai - some are small and hidden by dense foliage or palm trees, others are wide open long stretches of sand (several miles) lined with surfers enjoying a favorable break -- the beaches reminded me of many in Kohala on the Big Island, minus the dried lava fields. There are beaches on all four coasts of Kauai - however, the Western shore (Na Pali Coast) is nearly inaccessible...


The weather was as unpredictable as Hilo / Hamakua - with guaranteed early morning showers, and spotty rain here and there inbetween bright blue tropical skies. Without a doubt Kauai was very pretty - we wanted to stop our car nearly every mile on nearly every drive to take pictures of the scenery. Like I always tell my friends, Hawaii will turn anyone into a good photographer - and Kauai is no exception.