Last Beach Day

Thursday was our last day in the water for this vacation since we are flying out Friday night and didn't want to be salty on the plane. We made a last-minute decision to do one more snorkel adventure with Blue Dolphin Charters. We booked it for Wednesday afternoon. They did not disappoint! We left Port Allen early in the morning with Captain Chris aboard the Blue Dolphin. We sailed to a snorkel spot, which we had nearly all to ourselves for about the first 30 minutes. We put on our masks, snorkels, and fins and took the waterslide into the ocean.

We saw tons of fish on this snorkel. We were right on a reef and saw plenty of small, pretty fish and also a really big rainbow fish. We really enjoyed spending time in the ocean swimming around. After snorkeling, we headed up the Na Pali Coast. It was stunning. The crew onboard was really awesome. We spent some time talking with them and one of them offered to take a picture for us on the bow. Once we got up there and took a few pictures, he told us to do the Titanic picture. We jokingly did the pose and got a picture. Captain Chris then turned on "My Heart Will Go On" and nearly every couple on board got the same picture. It was a really funny moment.

We also ran into a pod of dolphins. It was fun to see so many of them. They were very playful. We stayed put to watch them for a while. When we took off a few of them stayed with the boat and tried to race it as we picked up speed. They stuck with us for a while before we finally outran them.

Heading North we were fighting against the wind and the waves, so it was a pretty bumpy ride. We were on the top level of the ship and we were getting drenched by the waves! Several people on the catamaran got seasick and went to the lower deck. Eric and I were reluctantly going to head down below to get away from the splash, but since we didn't feel sick, the crew told us to stand directly behind the captain and the glass on the top deck so we could still get the beautiful views without the splash and the wind. Eric got some beautiful pictures while hanging onto the ship with one arm and taking pictures with both hands. Unfortunately, his efforts made him slightly seasick, so he spent the ride going South sitting on the top deck. We rode up the Na Pali Coast to the end of the hiking trail. It was truly stunning. We loved the Na Pali. Once we saw the beach, we turned around and headed down South. The wind and waves were much better going South. Captain Chris turned on "It's a Wonderful World" and we enjoyed the stunning views.

After the snorkel adventure, we headed to Salt Pond Beach near Waimea. This beach was awesome. It was not at all crowded and had mostly locals. It was also protected from the large waves. We spent a lot of time in the water, and also spent time laying out on the beach. I brought "My Name is Asher Lev" on this trip and I got about halfway through it. I love that book. Lounging on the beach was a dream.

When it was finally time to say goodbye to the ocean, we took a small walk on the beach, dipped our toes one last time, and headed back to Waimea. Several people recommended Gaylord's restaurant for this trip, so we decided to head there for dinner. Gaylord's is in an old Plantation House and the ambiance is amazing. We sat on a covered lanai surrounding an atrium in the middle and beautiful gardens off to the side. We got crab cakes for an appetizer, they were a little small, but delicious! For our Entree, Eric got Ahi Tuna and I had the Fresh Hawaiian Catch. Both were amazing. For dessert, we had a Macadamia Nut ice cream cake. It was a delicious meal with an even better ambiance. We love Hawaii!