Today we were up early and quickly out the door to head to Hanaka’ape Bay (Koloa Landing) for AJ to go shore diving and Ayla and I to have a girls morning. On the way to the dive site we saw several rainbows, drove through our first real Hawaiian rain storm and experienced what embracing Island Time means.
At the dive site Ayla and I watched a turtle bathe in the sun on the old boat launch and spinner dolphins’ frolicking in the water. Once AJ got into the water Ayla and I waved him off then headed to Koloa Village for breakfast at Break and Feast. We shared the fruit platter, lilikoi pancake stack (lilikoi curd, candied macadamia nuts and honey salted butter) and a side of bacon. The food was good (possibly the best bacon I have had), but it felt like a restaurant that was trying a little too hard to be fancy, and definitely seemed more of a brunch place than breakfast.
After breakfast we walked around the shopping center and enjoyed finding the various mural paintings. Then we headed to The Shops at Kukui‘ula for more of a retail shopping experience. However, we got there before stores were opened, so we played the yard games for a while and then Ayla wanted to take a nap. So I found a quiet chair in the shade where she laid on me and fell asleep until AJ was ready to be picked up – my wallet thanked me! LOL
AJ went diving with Garden Isle Diving. Eric, the Dive Master, was up front about his concern with the diving conditions. He was worried the visibility may be lacking and therefore the dive experience may be subpar. He was generous in offering a full refund if we decided against diving. But, after a descent discussion, AJ decided to try one tank, and reassess for the second. He was thankful he went, because he had a great dive, spotting many Scorpion fish (including a Titan Scorpion, which is rare at this site), eels (including a Dragon Moray) and a few turtles. There were some areas that were a little stirred up, but it was minimal and the dive was still very fun. There wasn’t any questioning the idea of doing the second dive. Between dives, AJ finished adding a Nitrox Certification with Eric, which was a great way to spend their surface interval.
Dive two explored the West end of the cove. Here there was a lot of large coral formations, and interesting topography. There were also remnants of old steam ships – chunks of coal, discarded chains and even the bottom of a 900lb anchor. This area seemed even clearer than dive one. A highlight of the second dive was “Turtle Parking” which was a coral and rock area that had 3 turtles hanging out underneath it.
Once we picked AJ up we all headed back to the Koloa Village to meet friends for lunch at Kauai Island Brewing. It was a very chill outdoor restaurant, but I was still full from breakfast as I went to Ali’i Coffee for a latte and definitely will be going back for food before I leave. Their coffee was delicious and their breakfast sandwiches looked even better.
Next we headed further down the coast to view the Spouting Horn. The Spouting Horn has several natural blowholes, and going later in the afternoon when the swell was up made for some really dramatic viewings. The area had some nice picnic tables and facilities, so we hung out there for a little while and also watched several turtles swimming along the shoreline.
It was getting late enough that we figured it was time to head back to our condo for dinner and bed. The traffic here is unlike any other we’ve experienced in Hawaii (though, we haven’t yet been to Oahu…), and the idea of being on Island Time has never been truer. Traffic is a lot heavier, so you go nowhere real fast, but luckily the views are stunning so you always have something to appreciate. Ayla and I were in bed sleeping by 7:30pm hoping to be up early the next day for sunrise again.
Highlights:
Hanaka’ape Bay (Koloa Landing)
