There are holidays where I enjoy the days and still find time to write about my day. And then there are holidays when I’m having so much fun that I am too tired to write. My recent trip to Honolulu, Hawaii fell in the second category.

Beautiful Waikiki beach on the island of Oahu where Honolulu, the capital city of the state of Hawaii is located is captivating. The boulevard that runs beside the beach is lined with palm trees, high end stores and eateries. But the highlight is the gorgeous white sand and turquoise waters filled with surfers and swimmers. 

We went on a family holiday to celebrate our daughter’s graduation – more about that in a separate post. The plan was to chill (relax, not freeze) in a tropical paradise far from our home in Singapore. After crossing thousands of miles and multiple time zones (leading to a time difference of 18 hours), we looked forward to pristine beaches where we pursue exciting activities but also sit back and truly take a break from everyday life. 

A tourist’s view 

I was surprised to see heavy evening rush hour traffic when we left from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. Expecting to quickly and directly arrive at the hotel in Waikiki beach, I was confused to see tall buildings, multi-lane highways filled with cars and a typical urban environment. Did I leave one US city to arrive at another, I wondered?

While Hawaii as a whole is isolated from the mainland US and is known to be expensive, Waikiki turned out to be a high end tourist destination within Oahu. Parking charges were exorbitant and many of the buildings were closely spaced. Our hotel was not sea-facing but the first morning I was up early enough to walk to the beach before sunrise. 

The path to the beach which ran between two buildings was lined with surfboards,a quintessential Hawaiian scene. And of course, people of all ages carrying surfboards to the water. The skies were overcast so there was no way to watch the sun come up but the beach has a quiet vibe before the crowds arrive. The waves lapped loudly against the shore and in the distance I could see surfers enter the water one by one. 

The stores were not open but with every passing minute, more people came in as the daylight increased in brightness behind the cloud cover. I took pictures of crabs on the rocks, and videos of dogs frolicking in the sand and footsteps being erased by the waves. 

As I inhaled big breaths of the salty air, I had no doubt that I was indeed an ‘ocean’ person. 

Swimming with sharks and turtles

The most anticipated activity of this vacation was the shark cage diving that we had booked in advance. Although I can’t really swim, I love to participate in water-based adventures which involve observing marine life. But this was scarier than a simple snorkeling expedition. 

The boat took us out a few miles into the ocean where it docked beside a floating cage that was mostly submerged under water. After a safety briefing and donning of the snorkel mask, we descended into the cage where the buoyancy of the water kept us afloat. I held on tightly to the bars of the cage while breathing through the mask.

And there they were. Half a dozen galapagos sharks swimming around and beside us. The activity was wrongly termed as ‘shark cage diving’ because there was no diving involved. Or even swimming. We were safely enclosed in a square box with metallic bars and were able to observe the sharks under water.

As always, I was fascinated to see the giant creatures peacefully go about their day, swimming, moving, doing their thing. While other varieties of sharks are seen in the area, we saw only the galapagos sharks which are not very huge, perhaps five feet in length. One shark had two scars on its side. Even it’s fin tip seemed to have a cut. I felt sorry for him. At the same time I noticed that it was his scar that made him stand out from the rest.

Interesting right? Our trials and traumas mark us for life, they may or may not be visible to others but they are very much a part of us. 

On another day we went snorkeling at a reef where we spotted Hawaiian green sea turtles. We saw many of them from the boat itself as they rose to the surface to take a breath. At the reef, which serves as a turtle spa, the turtles rest while little fishes clean their shells by eating algae and parasites that park on the shell.

The sea was a bit choppy with big swells that made it difficult on that windy day for people to swim over from the boat to the reef. I floated closer to the boat and saw many tropical fish just below the water. It was just as exciting to see bright tropical fish within touching distance. I only wish I could swim better and have more confidence in the water. Hopefully, some day soon!

Our Hawaiian holiday was a wonderful getaway and celebration to mark a major milestone. We did many other things on other days, perhaps I will write about them in another post.

Have you been to any of the Hawaiian islands?