At first we were not huge fans of the island of O'ahu, however we have had a great time the last two days. Yesterday after eating breakfast and blogging we decided to have a relaxing day on land. We went fake scuba diving by visiting the Waikiki Aquarium. We were able to learn a lot more about many of the fish we had seen diving. We were able to see a Flame Angelfish. This is a rare fish to Hawaii that we had seen several times diving, however on all our dives as soon as we spot the Flame Angelfish he runs for cover. In the aquarium we were able to finally get a good picture of one.
He is a beauty isn't he? Also in the aquarium we were able to see a Peppermint Angelfish. We actually read an article on the plane between O'ahu and Hawai'i talking about a group of researchers who were trying to identify every non-microscopic form of living organism in an entire eco-system. In their quest they captured the Peppermint Angelfish. Although not a new species, this is the only known Peppermint Angelsfish living in captivity. He was at the Waikiki aquarium and we were able to get some great pictures. Another beautiful fish.
The Waikiki aquarium is home to many fish that are only found here in Hawaii and thus are only in captivity in the aquarium. It is also home to two sharks. On the left is the Black Tip Reef Shark. We saw this sharks cousin on one of our dives (the White Tip Reef Shark). The aquarium is also home to a Zebra Shark. Our second Zebra of the trip :)
Finally one of our favorite animals at the aquarium was the Hawaiian Monk Seal. This seal is found only in Hawaii. They are critically endangered with an estimated 1500 remaining on the entire plant. The two seals at the aquarium (both male) were very active when we were there. We got some great pictures of the seals hanging out in the water. The seal pictures has been at the aquarium for most of his life, 30 years. The aquarium is run by students from the University of Hawaii. The seals are studied daily to observe their diet and habits to help preserve the rest of the seals in the wild.
After the aquarium we went to visit Diamond Head Crater. The crater, which was created by a single volcanic eruption, was once home to a military base engineered into the crater walls. Today a portion of the old military bunkers have been open to the public. Part of the crater is still operated by the Hawaii National Guard. We were able to get some spectacular views of Waikiki from the top of the crater. We could see our hotel!
We woke up early the next morning and drove to the North Shore for our shark cage dive. Wow what an awesome experience! When we first got in the water only one shark was hanging out, but within 10 minutes we had 4 sharks swimming around the cage. We got lots of great video and pictures to share when we get home. The smallest shark was probably around 6 feet, and the largest was probably close to 8 feet. The captain said one of the sharks, a Silky Shark was a rare find in those parts of Hawaii. The other 3 sharks were Galapagos Sharks. Check out the pictures below!
After our swim with the sharks we drove back to Honolulu changed into hiking gear and hit the trails again. This time we hiked to Manoa Falls. Fun fact, President Obama is from Manoa Heights, not far from the Falls and he listed Manoa Falls as one of his favorite places in the world.
At the end of our supposed 0.75 mile hike (it felt much longer) we reach the falls. The waterfall was about 150 feet high and is featured in Jurassic Park and LOST. Jenna was taking pictures and was getting really annoyed that they were all washed out. It took her literally 200 pictures to realize that her hat was preventing light from getting into the sensor on the camera that controls the shutter speed. So the shutter was open too long allowing too much light into the picture. We were still able to get plenty of wonderful shots, like the one on the right. After the falls we hiked back went to the hotel and had dinner at one of the Hale Koa restaurants. At dinner we were sitting overlooking the garden in the middle of the hotel. An old man on a scooter came ridding through like a bat outta hell chasing a pigeon. AWESOME! He even squealed his tires making a hard left chasing the bird. It was hilarious.
Aloha until tomorrow when we are off to Hanauma Bay for snorkeling and enjoying our last full day in Hawaii! Love you guys. -Mike and Jenna
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