My First Snorkeling Experience



In 2012, for my birthday, my parents decided that our family should visit Hawaii for the first time ever. We visited Waikiki beach and in turn Hanauma Bay. Hanauma bay is a cove near Honolulu where there is a coral "shield," creating a place where the tides are super calm. This is probably the best place to first start snorkeling because of these lack of tides and the shallow depth of the water.

We travelled to the bay at around 10 am, just as many other tourists were getting there. We then watched a safety video discussing the rules of the bay (like do not sit on the coral, do not try to touch anything with very bright colors). After the video, our family rushed towards the water, which was shining with some of the brightest greens and blues I have ever seen, even to this day (I looked at the pictures). Since it was my first time, I was excited to see the marine wildlife that I had read about in books. I distinctly remembering the water being the most clear I have ever seen. And because the water was so shallow, the water did not absorb many wavelengths of colors, so colors like red were still very vibrant. As I swam around, I saw all sorts of organisms: marveling at the different types of coral, seeing all different types of fish, and even a turtle at one point. However, my favorite organism that I saw was the octopus that I saw. It was tightly wrapped around a leg of one of the coral and had its eyes seemingly closed. This was the closest organism to my favorite animal (the cuttlefish), that I was able to see.

As the day went on and the further away from the shore I ventured, the tides began becoming a lot stronger and the water became more cold; however, my desire to experience and see more in the ocean pushed me to stay out. I saw small sharks, pufferfish, sea anemone, even more coral and throughly enjoyed every second I was out there. Returning back to the beach, I was tired and happy with everything that I saw. This experience of snorkeling at Hanauma Bay was so great we went the day after again just to swim in the same waters.

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