Sharks Cove/ Sunset Beach

Fairly early start. Did I mention that roosters seem to be all over the island? But the Apiarist has never been really good at sleeping in and we were to explore another new area. Ate tropical fruit and drank a cup of tea on the shaded balcony while we sorted through the snorkelling gear and prepared to head across the busy road to get into the water. Luckily the house came with plenty of snorkels, just enough masks and as it turned out enough pairs of aquashoes!

And knowing that, according to Scuba Diving Magazine, Sharks Cove is in the top 12 Shore Dives in the world http://www.hawaiisnorkelingguide.com/sharks_cove.html and who were we to argue. Unfortunately our  less than extensive research had not quite prepared us for the difficulty of actually getting into the water. Perhaps the route we chose was less than ideal and perhaps taking the extra time to follow the path the other divers were taking and also perhaps having one member of the party who is less than stable on their feet may have helped, but when we finally got into the water this was one of those WOW moments! The kaleidoscope of colours of the endless varieties and numbers of fish were amazing!! 

The only thing lacking was the by now dead underwater camera, so we left Sharks Cove, (by a much safer route) still full of amazement, had quick showers, swallowed a late breakfast and headed off in search of photographic equipment. Now we are in the USA where else would you look but.................  

No the camera wasn't bought there, but Walmart was a great starting point and after getting ideas of prices and after a bit of searching we headed to Best Buy and finally settled on a Fuji XP. Let's hope the fish are still there!!!

Travelling back up the Kamerahamera Highway to North Shore was much easier than the previous day and I guess that was due to the time of day as I guess even Oahu has a rush hour. We were in no real rush except to find some food and a small detour saw us in the Beet Box Cafe http://www.thebeetboxcafe.com/ for a great (late) lunch. And food was gooood!!

Home via Foodland at Haleiwa for groceries including beer, cider and wine (travelling is thirsty work) and also some local delicacies including shave ice and poke and then relaxation, more relaxation and even more relaxation!!! Life is good....even for geckos

Now remember that camera we went to buy? We did do a bit more diving every day! And although the clarity wasn't as great as the first day the fish were still there in great numbers, the water was still lovely and warm and we had managed to find easier and much safer ways to get the Apiarist into Shark's Cove. Of great interest to people with MS the time he spent in the water was neither really taxing physically, nor requires a lot of balance to swim or snorkel.And we even saw a Humuhumunukunukuapua'a. Look that up on Google!!!

Days at our North Shore house were basically spent relaxing and enjoying hearing about Melissa and Duane's Central American adventures and plans for Asia and their return to Australia later this year. Having a house right across the road from Shark's Cove and right on the beaches of Oahu's famed North Shore added to that relaxation! A glass of wine, an interesting beer, good conversation and a stunning sunset - it takes a lot to beat that life! We are lucky!!!

Well as they say all good things must come to an end and we have a lot of plans for other good things during the next few months, so it was back into the Dodge and back onto the road. This time we were heading east to the Windward Coast of Oahu. We chose a good day to be driving as it was cloudy with misty rain at times and we made it back to Honolulu airport in time for our flight to MAUI!!!