Wild Snorkelling {Hawaii, Day 2}

Sleeping in a yurt in Hawaii with screened windows that don’t close, on a busy farm, is a loud experience.  I don’t love listening to the chickens but I do enjoy the frogs that start as soon as the sun goes down. Travelling west means I wake up early enough anyway, so I could also live without the morning roosters.

For our second morning we decided to find somewhere we could rent snorkel gear for the week and go to Honaunau Bay (“2-step”,) one of the most popular snorkel spots on the island, and apparently one of the best spots in the state.

We hadn’t yet figured out our area and the offline maps we were using didn’t seem to know the area any better than us so we did a lot of random driving before finding what we needed. We got a mask, tube and flippers each for $30, to keep for the week.

The snorkelling area at 2-step is right next to The City of Refuge, you can see it from the water, and would make a nice afternoon out if you wanted to combine the trip. We didn’t visit the national historic site but in all fairness, I can’t resist the ocean when it’s right there!

I had been looking forward to snorkelling again since Ryan and I left Maui last year and even more so since I heard we might be able to see wild dolphins.

2-Step proved to be a perfect place. The depth of the water varies greatly but there is nowhere to touch down on the bottom if you aren’t a strong swimmer. You get in on naturally formed rock steps and are already in 15-20ft water. I have a healthy respect but no fear of the ocean so this was fine for me. Having spent 5-7 hours a day swimming during the summers of my youth really paid off when I  need to be able to swim and tread for a long period of time; the fact that the salt content in the water makes floating so easy doesn’t hurt either.

This area is incredibly lively and vibrant. Almost everywhere you look down is Coral, Urchins, tons of different fish, the occasional turtle and if you get lucky, a pod of dolphins.

We had been in the water for over an hour already, seeing what there was to see, watching the scuba divers and swimming through their bubbles. We got out for a break and snacks and just as I was thinking about getting back in I saw the breaching dolphins in the distance. It took me no time at all to get back in the water and swim out to that area; I really couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see them up close.

I wish I had have thought about my camera battery earlier on because I didn’t get to capture any of it, but you can believe me when I say that having a pod of 10 dolphins swimming in your general area is incredible. The bottom of the ocean was nowhere in sight and the dolphins often disappeared with it, only to return again at the surface 20 feet away. If I did have my camera you would hear an overwhelming amount of excited squealing from my snorkel and those around me. The photos here are from one of the other days a 2-step.

If you are considering coming to 2-Step to swim with the dolphins just know that you need to go out quite far and the water is extremely deep. I wouldn’t recommend going out alone, wear a lifejacket if you’re not a strong, confident swimmer or consider taking a boat tour where you know someone will be watching.

The fact that I was already burnt and hoped not to make it any worse is the only reason I was able to pull myself from the dolphins and back to shore; I could have watched them for hours. Back on the rocks we sat and listened to a group of retirees that come to 2-step and free dive every morning, I could have listened to them all day too.

It turns out I was burning again so I guess it’s good that we left when we did. Our next stop was the Kona Brewing Company restaurant for a delicious lunch followed by Shave Ice, shopping and a walk around the Kona waterfront.

As much as I love Hawaii, and I really do, I can only spend so much time in the sunshine and heat before I need to retreat to cooler places. One of my favorite options is Target. I know, why would I waste precious Hawaiian time at Target?! It’s because I love Target and I’m sad it left Canada, though I think I’m the only one. It has cheap shopping, cheap snacks, air conditioning, Pizza hut, Starbucks and maybe most importantly, WiFi (which our yurt sadly did not.) How could I go wrong?!

As with most evenings, we spent it relaxing at the yurt, eating and listening to the choir or frogs before bed. We did considerably less driving on day 2, which I’m totally fine with, and a got another item checked off my list; A successful day.