Water, Water Everywhere, But I Don't Like To Swim

​                          Books by Patti Liszkay available on Amazon:   
     "Equal And Opposite Reactions"      http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
     "Hail Mary"                                           https://www.amzn.com/1684334888
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​Water, Water Everywhere, But I Don't Like To Swim

...Continued from yesterday:
     At the Hale Koa, the military R&R hotel in Fort Derussy, Honolulu where Tom, I, and a few days later, a few family members stayed,

...there are two pools. 
​        There's the adult pool, set back in a secluded tropical bower.

     And there's the meandering all-age pool,

...that includes a kids' splash pad,

...a water slide,

...and an infinity pool,

...that looks out over Waikiki Beach.

     Then, where Fort Derussy ends, Waikiki Beach begins,  

...with its clear, gentle, blue water.

      And then there are the lovely blue water beaches beyond Honolulu, that we visited during our trip:
​         Ko'olina,

...Hanauma Bay,

...and Shark's Cove,

    And then there's me, 

...who doesn't like to swim. Or sit around by a pool. Or on a beach.
       In truth, except for the shower, I really don't like to get into the water much at all. Especially the ocean. Maybe it's because I never learned to swim. 
        In any case, to me the ocean is scary. It moves. And there's, you know, things in it; things that might be alive and might, I don't know, sneak up on you and...bite you; or sting you; or touch you and you won't know what it was that just touched you.  None of which seems worry everybody else.

       And yet, here's the paradox: though I don't much like getting into the water or sitting around on the beach, I do like being at the beach and looking at the water. I love the beauty, the natural wonder of the landscape and the seascape, especially of Hawaii. And I enjoy walking along the margin of the water and snapping pictures of that beauty,

...and of everyone else enjoying the sand and the sea,

...which seems so appealing when I watch other people enjoying it that I kind of wish I could, too. And which, on every trip to Hawaii, I swear I'm going to try, as I once again swore I would on this trip.
         Our visiting relatives, who would arrive on Friday, unlike me love the water and were looking forward to snorkeling at all the beaches we were planning to take them to during their time here. And so I had reserved snorkeling gear for them at Snorkel Bob's, a popular snorkel shop near Waikiki.
       Snorkel Bob's

      On Friday morning, the day of my relatives' arrival, I woke up at 5 am (not out of necessity but rather out of residual time zone jet lag). But it was so very pleasant sitting in the Hale Koa lobby,  enjoying the breeze and the beautiful Hawaiian music playing over the speakers,  watching the light mosey up and the pink-blue sunrise sky.

      It occurred to me that maybe the sun and sea on the beach soothed others' souls the way the breeze and music in the Hale Koa lobby soothed mine.
       Still, later that afternoon when our family arrived and I took them to Snorkel Bob's to pick up their gear, I thought I'd see about picking up some snorkeling gear for myself and then giving snorkeling one more try, even though the last (and first) time a few years ago that I tried snorkeling I lasted under the water for about fifty-nine seconds:  The sea was too cold, I don't know how to swim, I couldn't stand putting my face underwater even with a mask, I didn't even like being in the water, and being that close to live fish gave me the creeps, even the beautiful exotic fish swimming among the coral reefs.

        In the end it was the memory of that last time, and especially of being that close to the fish and the thought of them being that close to me that made me back off from renting any snorkeling gear for myself.
        And so, during our snorkeling trips to the beaches beyond Waikiki (our strip of Waikiki Beach being, they tell me, also a great snorkeling spot) I was happy to walk along the surf, snap pictures, and watch our stuff so that everyone else could enjoy being in the water and watching the fish. 
           On Saturday we went to Ko'Olino, a lovely beach west of Honolulu.          

     After our morning at the beach we went to the nearby town of Kapolei,

...​for lunch at restaurant called Monkey Pod,

...where the music was lovely,

...the chickens friendly,

...and the food delish!

    The following day, Sunday, we went to beautiful Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, where one must make a reservation in advance, as only a limited number of visitors are allowed each day, and where visitors are required before visiting to watch a video laying out the nature preserve rules to follow in order to protect the delicate coral reef ecosystem.

      Hanauma Bay. The dark areas are the coral reefs where snorkelers find a magical kingdom of tropical fish,

...unless, like me, they prefer to stay on land,

...where there were also some enchanting sights to be seen,

...including a sea lion also enjoying the beach.

      On Monday we travelled up to the north side of the island, 

...to Shark's Cove, 

...where there is a rocky tide pool where at low tide one has only to step into the shallow water to see sea creatures darting about the rocks below. 

      And so here I did wade into the shallows, 

...since  I needed only to stand in water up to my knees and look down to see the fish below, a few of which I managed to snap as they swam by.

     Those who ventured out deeper and closer to the reef,

...told of seeing more fascinating things: sea turtles, a little octopus, and a humuhumunukunukuapua'a fish that nipped the leg of one of my family members for  for getting too close.
       I believe for me getting bitten on the leg by a fish would  be too steep a price to pay. Even to see a humuhumunukunukuapua'a go swimming by.