Sojourn in the Sun, Part 2: Kona warm-up 01/06 - 01/07 - The Off Season, 2022-2023

January 6, 2023 to January 7, 2023

Sojourn in the Sun, Part 2: Kona warm-up 01/06 - 01/07

Big fun on the Big Island

OUR HAWAIIAN VACATION begins well and gets progressively better as time passes. Not confident that the airlines could be fully trusted to deliver us on schedule as promised, we've booked a flight that gets us on island a couple days before the scheduled start of the walking tour that has brought us to the islands.

6 January

Departing Phoenix on an early morning flight, we arrive in Kailua-Kona right on schedule in mid-afternoon, after two uneventful flights. A short while after landing our luggage appears on the conveyor belt and we're all set. A cab (cash only, please) deposits us at our AirBnB and we settle in to our temporary surroundings. Having got ourselves situated we have time to do whatever we want for the afternoon and the following day. It turns out that a short walk to get our bearings and find an early dinner are just about the right level of activity, and we're fed and in bed not long after sunset.

[photo: KTA market]

Sunset on arrival day, 6 January. I have fond memories of our previous visits to paradise, and this bodes well for more of the same this time around.

7 January

To begin, after being stuck on land for three years I'm finally able to re-immerse myself in the warm salt water off the coast of Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. It's a nostalgic pair of dives, as I've booked with the same shop I certified with back in 2010. It's even the very same boat, which isn't really surprising given what those things cost. Kea Nui is a solid, rugged, workhorse of a vessel, admirably configured for the tourist type of boat diving it supports.

From the archives: on the surface after earning my Open Water SCUBA certification, something I had wanted since the time I could say "Jacques Cousteau".

Kea Nui in 2010. She's still going strong, 13 years later.

Having looked into (and not liked) the price of an Uber to get from our AirBnB to the dive shop, I elect instead to walk the 3.3 miles. The instructions specified that I should be there by 0830, so I leave the B&B around 0700 and walk up the Queen K Highway. Behind me the sun's just about to clear the high horizon created by Mauna Loa well to the southeast. The overnight breeze has carried the vog (a haze created by gas emissions from the ongoing eruption in Kilauea Crater) over the ridge, and it glows a hazy gold in the early morning sun.

Traffic at this hour on a Saturday morning is light, so although the Queen K is a normally busy four-lane highway today it's not an unpleasant walk along the wide shoulder. I pass the modest, partially-hidden encampments of several unhoused people, a common and sad phenomenon here in Hawai'i.

Our crew is full today, mixed between students completing the first two of the four dives required for basic certification, some doing their advanced certification dives, and those of us who passed those benchmarks some time ago. As usual, it's a friendly and congenial crowd.

The diving is good, and begins at a site I think I remember visiting 13 years ago as a would-be diver. (I am wrong, as it turns out. My diving log records visits to other dive sites but not this one.) The water's clear and 78 degrees with minimal swell, making for an enjoyable experience. The Pacific Ocean rocks us gently in its bosom, with a to-and-fro reminiscent of an enormous hammock.

It's a relaxing, rewarding experience and everything I'd hoped for after my prolonged absence from salt water. In an effort to reduce the bulk of my luggage I have chosen not to carry a camera down with me, focusing instead on simply enjoying what there is to see. What I see is a bunch of fish species that don't occur in the Caribbean, where most of my modest diving experiences have taken place, so they're new to me. Back on the boat, another diver and I consult some of the fish identification reference books aboard and conclude that we've seen, among other things, an orangespine unicornfish, bird wrasse, and an Achilles tang.

The orangespine unicornfish (left) and a bird wrasse (right) are species I don't encounter in the Caribbean.

The elusive orangespine unicornfish, accompanied by a yellow tang. Okay they're not really all that elusive but I had a hard time getting a good side-on shot while I was snorkeling.

An achilles tang. The orange spot and orange tail are certain identifiers.

The second dive goes as well as the first. The students are visibly more relaxed and chat enthusiastically than when they came on board or even between dives.

After the diving's done and the boat has returned to the dock I start back toward Kailua on foot as well but am pleased when a Jeep pulls over and offers me a ride. It contains three of my erstwhile dive companions, so I'm glad for the lift.

At dinner my wife and I opt for a place in the heart of the tourist area of Kailua. We arrive early and without a reservation but at that hour the place has only a few other patrons. By the time we leave, a bit over 75 minutes later and having enjoyed a very tasty meal, they're full up with a waiting list to boot.

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