Our last day on Hawaii is our last chance to do a snorkel trip. We went with SeaQuest, which was an inflatable raft trip. The 7:45 beginning meant another early morning. Our very entertaining guide, Liam, took us first about half an hour down the coast to Pu’uhonua O Honaunau (Place of Refuge) Bay where we had been on Saturday by land. The water there was a bit rougher than it is usually but we stayed for about an hour and saw two green sea turtles, along with spectacular fish and coral. One of the turtles swam straight at Marv, causing him to have to back pedal in order to keep his required distance. As we left the bay a pod of spinner dolphins swam all around us. We went north to Kealakekua Bay where the Captain Cook Memorial is. The intrepid explorer first came to the islands in this bay, where the natives greeted him as a God because his pale skin and masts with sails seemed to be the fulfillment of a prophesy. However, on his return trip there was a little “misunderstanding” and he was killed here. The bay is now a protected marine sanctuary and the snorkeling is even better here. The natural harbor is calm and protected and the reef drops in a sheer wall down to 150 feet. We saw a green sea turtle here, too, and Kris and I saw a four foot Moray Eel. After an hour or so we made our way back up the coast, pausing several times to look at sea caves and arches. We got back about noon, picked up a few more groceries and ate lunch on our lanai. Then everyone wanted a nap before thinking of anything else. Afterwards, Marv and I sat on the shore and read, napped and listened to music (Marv) and journaled (me) while Kris and Heidi took a walk to find some postcards. We ended up staying there all afternoon and got to see some green sea turtles feeding. For dinner we went to Jackie Rey’s Grill for some authentic Hawaiian poke (a raw marinated fish pupu, or appetizer) and salads. Afterwards we tried to find the Sheraton Resort, where they shine lights into the water near the deck. The lights attract plankton, which in turn attract manta rays to feed. But they turn off the lights at 9:30 and we couldn’t find the resort in time. So instead we returned to the Kona Bali Kai for the last time to pack up and get ready for an early trip to the airport to fly to Oahu in the morning.
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