Shark's Cove - Hawaii Day 7?

I accidentally got days 6 and 7 mixed up.  One of the wonderful things about being on vacation is that it doesn't matter!  It's all awesomeness and rainbows!

Anyway, on this particular day, whichever day it was, we went to Shark's Cove so the kids could play in the tide pools.

Shark's Cove was one of my most favorite places to go as a kid, but it's not exactly close.  It's on the North Shore of the island, so it took us an hour or so to get there.

Of course, we did make a few stops for necessities.

It always strikes me as humorous to see chickens randomly wandering around.  It's not just in the rural parts of the island either!  We saw them in Aiea and Waikiki!

(Perhaps they're on vacation too?)

Shark's Cove is an awesome place to explore and snorkel, but you do have to be careful.  For one thing, the lava rocks there are wicked sharp and will badly cut your skin, sometimes through your shoes.  No going barefoot here!

The weather on this particular day was very inconsistent.  It would alternate between beautiful and sunny to a short 3 minute torrential downpour.

My brother Nathan had arrived from the Mainland the night before, but despite his being jet lagged he came along as well.

Peter especially had fun discovering secrets in the pools.



Gabe was the only one, though, who managed to catch a fish in his little hand net.  (Poor fish.)

Uncle Broke-toe Earl (to be explained later) and Auntie Cupcake Pauline as well as my cousin Candace came along too.

One thing about the locals is, "dey no like for swim".  All the haoles (white people) are in the sun soaking up the UV rays and the locals are in their sweat shirts hiding under umbrellas.

The other thing to keep in mind is that the waves on this side of the island can be intense and not to be taken lightly, especially during the winter months.  My Mum told us a story about one time when we were kids visiting here, a rogue wave came in and swept several people on a nearby ledge out to sea.

 

As long as you're careful and not foolish, you can see some fantastic fish and even honu (sea turtles) if you're lucky.  If you don't have an underwater camera you can always purchase a disposable underwater camera for around $7. 

 

Shark's Cove is the only place I've ever seen the Hawaiian state fish, the humuhumunukunukuapua'a.

 

Once we were done snorkeling and exploring, Grandpa and I headed back home with the three youngest kids, while Andy, Grandma, Nathan, and Peter went hiking.

 

People complain that Oahu is too tourist-y, but that's only because they don't get outside of Honolulu or Waikiki.  Seriously, can it get any more beautiful than this?!