Having dry Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast, I rushed to eat before leaving. First, we went to the Marina to board a Zodiak boat. It was a small coast guard-like boat with two 150 horse power engines. We drove around in the pelagic zone looking for cetaceans. At the exit of the Marina, a harem of Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins appeared. Dolphins are nocturnal, and rest during the day. Although we saw the dolphins swimming around, they are actually asleep. This is because they are able to shut off parts of their brains in order to rest more efficiently. We found a harem of about 15 Hawaiian Pilot Whales. Then, we were allowed to jump in the water and do a five minute blue water snorkel. This is when the bottom can not be seen, you are in the open ocean, and it is daytime. Next, we went to Captain Cook’s Bay to snorkel around the reef. As we were driving back, we stopped in small bays to see a few cliff divers. The boat driver also showed us what the Native Hawaiians thought was the god of volcanoes, Pele. There was a face formed in the cliff formed by lava tubes and her hair and body was formed by colorations of sedimentary rock. Next, we came home to rest and have lunch before the SCUBA dives. At the Marina, we prepared to leave, when a giant spotted eagle ray appeared underneath the boat. When we got to the dive site, Eel Gardens, we jumped in and swam around the reef. After the first dive, we took a two hour depressurization break. The Manta dive was astoundingly impressive, with two mantas throughout most of the dive doing backflips to catch their food. The mantas do flips because it is more efficient than swimming back and forth.
