Stranded in Hawaii... Not so Terrible

So if you have seen my updates, you know that we have been delayed a week in Hawaii due to a broken compressor on the ship. So we have been forced to occupy ourselves for a week. And it has turned out to be a pretty good week. I hiked to the top of Diamond Head volcano. During World War II, the rim of the crater housed Fort Ruger, the first military installation on the island. The volcano is a tuft cone that is part of the larger crater. The views from its 760 foot summit provided a great view of the south and west sides of Oahu.

View of West Oahu from the summit of Diamond Head

After climbing down, we rewarded ourselves with a trip to Waikiki beach to cool off. The next day, I took a trip up to a beach on the north side of the island. Where as Waikiki is very loud and touristy, the north side of the island is tranquil, laid-back, and relaxed. The beach we visited was in a shallow bay and featured soft sand and good surf. We even got a special visit!

A small green turtle surfing the waves

We ended the day with some great Thai food and a long bus ride home. Day three of my stranding started with an early report to a boat launch. I went diving! And it was quite an amazing day of diving. My first dive was on a wreck named the Sea Tiger. On the 100ft dive around the wreck, I saw two huge green sea turtles, numerous moray eels, and even an octopus. On our accent, we were accompanied by a school of black and white butterfly fish. The second dive was on a shallow reef where we again saw a couple eels, a school of balloon fish and a pod of 25+ Pacific Spinner Dolphins. They circled us three times in the water, giving us quite a show and giving me an experience I will never forget. 

Day four arrived with another hike in store. All around us, large ridges produced by the erosion of volcanic cones have tantalized me. And finally I was able to hike one of them. We hiked the Waahila ridge trail that follows a knife edge ridge for about 3 miles. Along the way we got some great views, a little rock climbing, and some time with three amazing dogs that kept pace the whole way. A great way to spend some time in nature.

Today we visited the Bishop Museum which displays the history of Hawaii and other islands in Oceania. Tomorrow we will hopefully get underway.