We spent most of the first week and a half in the water snorkling. The waters on the East side of the big island are not particularly known for their clear snorkle worthy water, but we do know some great places that rival any other spots I've seen in the rest of the islands. The Kapoho (Vacation Land) area, for instance, is a series of crystal clear tide pools. They are full of a kaleidascope of colorful corals and tropical fish. You need to be there when the tide is in, and be willing to swim in some areas only a couple of inches deep to travel from pool to pool, but it is so worth it! This area is a opehe preserve and fishing is strictly not allowed, but that makes it all the more wonderful.
Another great place to go, just up the road from Kapoho, is the warm ponds. While the selection of fish is less diverse than other areas, this natural warm spring was walled and resembles a swimming pool, but has a ocean inlet that feeds cool water in which is warmed by the geothermal springs. The water is rarely below 80 degrees.
We enjoy an area in Hilo called Richardson Center which is a cove protected by a sea wall a few miles from the Hilo bay and marina. This area is not a clear as others, but we have frequently swam with green sea turtles (honu) in this area. We saw several picasso triggerfish, also known as humuhumunukunkuapua'a, the Hawaiian state fish. There were Christmas wrass, a psychedelically colorful fish, yellow tangs, parrotfish, etc. This is a frequent stopover for tourists off of the cruise ships so there are often large groups visiting, and mom loves to talk to the newly visiting, sharing her island home with them. Someday, she will be a fulltime tour guide, I'm sure.
My dad and I went spelunking in a 2+ mile deep lava tube just outside of Hilo. The lava tube dates back about 100 years or so, and travels upward into the mountainside. It is about 15 feet wide, with a 25+ foot ceiling. After bouldering over a small cave in and ducking through an opening about 3 feet tall, we began the journey uphill, all the while imagining the 2500 degree lava that had once careened through this tube. We got about a quarter of a mile up and turned off our flashlights to truly experience the deep, inky blackness. There were no creatures that we saw, and no plant life, except the roots of plants far above us. There was some sort of powdery fungus on the walls, and it was very wet and drippy. It was a thrilling experience. I plan to explore more caves and lava tubes in the future. The photo is me just outside the opening of the tube.We also took advantage of the 'Imiloa Astronomy Center, a fantastic museum and planetarium run by University of Hawaii-Hilo. We watched their presentations on Mauna Kea and Black Holes and enjoyed the children-centric hands on museum which had several areas dedicated to Hawaiian History. I love planetariums and this one was great. The young lady who was our host for the shows also walked us through what we might expect in the night sky over Hilo (if it weren't always raining!)
