Hawai’i (the Big Island) From My Perspective

After time on Oahu soaking up the sun and seeing the sights, we hopped a commuter flight to Hawai’i…aka the Big Island.  Arriving on the island, we knew we wanted to check out at least one of the National Parks there and we had two sets of friends to visit, so our visit would not be boring.  While on the island for this trip we did visit friends, we did a night dive with a handful of huge reef manta’s, snorkeled with dolphins in the wild, checked out the only Hawaiian Monk Seal rehab facility (in the world) and spent a couple days in Hawai’i Volcanos National Park…..during one of the multiple eruptions going on since December.  We’ll get to all of it and my recommendations for families…as we dig into this post.

We were back.  The last time we had been to the Big Island was 2011, with a new baby and in-laws in tow.  We had come to Hawaii to spend time with friends at a grand wedding on Oahu, then we had big plans to knock out our latest 1/2 Ironman.  Grossly UNDERTRAINED but brimming with false confidence, I knew the race would be ugly.  The HelmsMistress was better prepared and had a decent race, I barely finished.  Unknown to us, this would be our last 1/2 Ironman and our last triathlon.

The Big Island is a really big place but still not yet completely taken over by tourist infrastructure…which surprises me.  I had thought the whole island would now be hotels and tourist traps, but it’s not…and perhaps that’s part of the draw for us.  We basically toured the whole island this trip, getting the lowdown on many of the areas from our friends who went with us driving around the island; but of course the trip was too fast and seems like a whirlwind of greenery and bluish hues of the sea winding by.

Kailua-Kona

I think this bustling and lively town embodies the island as a near perfect mix of tourist and traditional.  I had been here before but not before the Costco was built here.  The town still looks mostly like it did when I was here in 2011, history is obvious and you can’t miss it if you go walking around seeing the sights.

Ke Kai Ola- The Marine Mammal Sanctuary

The Hawaiian monk seal is one of the most endangered and vulnerable seal species in the world and is found only in the islands of the Hawaiian Archipelago.  Nearly hunted to extinction in the 1800’s, the species has not rebounded into a large enough population to come off any endangered status and the population is only slowly rebounding during to intense management from the state of Hawaii, NOAA and with help from the Coast Guard and the Marine Mammal Sanctuary.

The Marine Mammal Sanctuary is a nondescript series of buildings tucked into an industrial park near Kona, which runs volunteer operations to protect monk seals in the Hawaiian Island and actually take in injured or sick monk seals at it’s facility and prepare them to reintegrate back into the wild as soon as possible.  The facility was open to visitors for education purposes prior to Covid, but those visiting opportunities were shut down during Covid and visitation has not started again.  We were able to visit through a family friend but not able to take photos or write directly about the animals in rehab, who were due to be released just after we visited.  Needless to say, the facility was professionally run, clean, well staff and well stocked with everything they needed and I think it’s simply world class.  Here’s some of my photos:

Night Diving With Giant Manta Rays

The Big Island of Hawaii has two known nighttime gathering spots for giant reef mantas, both started by human interaction but continued for the benefit of us tourists.  There is some controversy about this style of night diving with the mantas, as the lighting arrays used by the dive companies draw, concentrate and excite the plankton….which draws the manta rays back to these specific spots to feed.  There’s also controversy because of mantas being hurt by “engaged and on” boat engine propellers and the overcrowding of the two specific areas during peak tourist seasons.  The “legit” dive operators are regulated by the state of Hawaii.

If you choose to go with one of the dive companies to see these natural wonders in their own environment like we did,  here’s questions to ask when selecting a dive company (from the Hawaii Ocean Watch Site):

Actually snorkeling and mingling with these gentle giants was beyond wild.  We showed up at the appointed time while it was still light to hurry up and wait for another 40 minutes until the darkness fell and our tour time came about.  While waiting, we hopped into our wetsuits (even in April it was chilly water) and waited some more.  Be warned, you cannot take much on the boat, but we did take our own snorkeling gear, they would be happy to rent you theirs for a price.  The boat had plenty of staff keeping us safe and we motored out to the Keauhou Viewing Site.  There were other tours onsite and before getting in the water, I mused to myself that it was a bit of a circus.  But the backboards went into the water and the lights were turned on “campfire” style, with approx eight tourists on each side, right beside each other.  None of this prepares one to have a giant reef manta fly through the water right up the bottom of the board just inches from or actually touching people while it gently flies through, swallowing mouthfuls of plankton filled water.

Here’s our most recent YouTube video from the HelmMistress that has LIVE video from our underwater adventure:  Oceans Dance, Earth Fury.

A day later, we headed out to Hawaii Volcanos National Park on the far end of the Big Island.  But, that story is for next week.

Headed for the Big Island?  Here’s a few of my recommendations for families:

1.  A large enough vehicle:  Our friends met us at the airport and we immediately rented a Ford Expedition so we could get all six of us in at once (and our gear).  Why??? Parking is crazy hard in some places on the Big Island or you have to pay locals to park in some places..so all of us rolling in one vehicle makes sense.  A huge thanks to our friend Sudsey for driving, some of the roads are challenging. 

2.  Night Diving With Mantas:  If you can get out on the water to see these gentle giants….DO IT!  This will be a once in a lifetime experience for all! 

3.  Get out of Kona:  I’m NOT knocking Kona, but we drove all over the Big Island and it’s really diverse.  Go see it. 

4.  First Day Shopping:  Our first day on the Island, we went into town and did some shopping.  Not only were we bringing teenagers into our friends house, it gave us a chance to hit a larger store to pick up what we needed, saving money on sundries, snacks and drinks.

There hasn’t been a lot of writing lately because we’ve been OUT ADVENTURING!  Our slow travels have taken us to Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona.  We love road tripping and especially trips throughout the southwest.

Make sure you stick with us to read our upcoming stories, as we’ve got lots more stories coming soon: 

Our trip to a live and erupting volcano at Volcano’s National Park on the Big Island and our trip throughout the rest of the Big Island

Doubling Down On Electric…wha? 

Road Tripping Throughout the Southwest In An Electric Car (with Family)

Learning From The Best: A week of donkey work with Ross Keller