Today was the 4th July – Independence Day here in America. We were not sure what to expect although we did have our sights set on what was supposed to be a spectacular fireworks display. That was to come later though – we had adventures to seek out first.
A reasonably easy start to the morning saw us leaving the room at 8:15am in the direction of the beach. Checking in at the beach-side counter we were a mix of excitement and a little trepidation. At the end of a short jetty was the Atlantis Discovery, the boat that would soon take us out to our chariot for the next adventure – a submarine!
Before long we were being greeted to the waiting area by the Captain of our ship, an effusive Richard Branson lookalike who had a clear zest for life. Boarding the boat was straightforward and then we headed out through the surf break, the boat taking the waves remarkably smoothly.
A short trip out to the dive site and we tied up alongside the 64-seat Atlantis XIV. With magnificent views over towards Diamond Head (a volcanic crater) and back towards the high-rise buildings on Waikiki and Honolulu we could almost have been happy if the trip ended there, but underwater exploration beckoned.
Descending the steep stairs into the submarine any trepidation evaporated. A roomy, airy space with massive viewing ports (4 1/4 inches thick) and 32 seats down each side ensured a comfortable ride ahead with no claustrophobia or rocking and rolling. Once boarding was complete, our guide gave us humour-filled briefing including an introduction to our submarine pilot with a congratulations for this being her first ever trip guiding a real submarine after doing an online course and thousands of hours on the XBOX Submarine Simulator. We were all a pretty happy, laughing bunch about to “dive, dive, dive”.
We watched as the numbers on the depth gauge increased and as the red colours disappeared (absorbed by sea water) the deeper we went. For a few moments as we descended we existed in a sort of blue nothingness. Little else but the occasional sea debris would float past the windows but the sea bottom gradually materialised as we approached 60ft deep almost as if a fog were lifting.
A sandy bottom with small amounts of sea grass were visible with few fish seen due to the lack of cover. Then we followed along the very visible edge of an old lava flow. Colours at this depth were quite muted but no sooner did we recognise the mild disappointment that the submarine did not have external lights (which would have brightened the colours) than we came across the artificial reefs teeming with fish. Disappointment was quickly replaced with oohs and aahs as we all scrambled to take photos of the many fish.
This pattern would be repeated as we changed depth (going to down to a maximum of 111 feet) and passed the remains of 2 sunken aircraft and two deliberately scuttled ships. On both of the ships we found sea turtles parked up for a shell clean by the local fish and on one of the ships we came across a group of divers who were as surprised to see us as we were surprised to see them. We each took photos of one another, flashed the shaka hand sign and continued our journey.
Unfortunately the lighting conditions and thick windows mean that our photos do not do justice for what we saw, but we all came away impressed and glad that we had decided to do this trip. It also doubled up as a replacement for the planned scuba dive that we had given Amelia for her birthday. Unfortunately for medical reasons scuba was not really an option – Amelia we still got you underwater to see the fish!
At what felt like just the right time, we started to surface. This worked by coming up to 45 feet, well clear of any boating above, blowing the ballast to create a large bubble of air which rises to the surface (warning any approaching vessels) and then getting the all clear from the surface coordinator. All very professional. We climbed onto the deck, taking a brief moment to get a photo with Diamond Head in the background.
The smiles on the ride home and afterwards tell the story. We had a ball and would definitely recommend this to anyone who makes it here. Hamish and Anthony rode on the upper deck on the way in – wind in our hair (but no hats lost) and great light for taking photos.
The afternoon passed in a blur. The place was absolutely packed with the 4th July crowd which, to be honest, was actually a bit annoying as it made the already challenging exercise of finding a place beside the pool basically impossible. Instead we found a spot at the bar for lunch and drinks while the kids snuck in a swim. The staff at this particular bar are consistently inconsistent and even the measures of alcohol are a lottery. In Megan’s case, her cocktail was something like a triple and although show she plowed through it like a trooper, she soon found herself in need of a lie down.
Before long, we all joined Megan in our room where a quick lie on the bed ended in a nap for both Megan and Anthony and reading time on the balcony for the kids. After a suitable rejuvenation we all got up feeling peckish – it was time for an ice-cream in a shop made waffle cone.
On the way to the ice-cream shop, Hamish met a new friend. The ice cream shop we went to has had some pretty huge lines but we got there at just the right time, barely waiting at all. Their ice creams are really nice and we walked across the road to sit in the park to enjoy them.
A few hours of swimming in the pool later and we needed to get ourselves cleaned up for dinner. As we prepared to head downstairs to an Italian restaurant, Megan took a photo of the sunset. It looked magical tonight and cast a beautiful orange glow on our faces.
Dinner was very slow to arrive (apparently the kitchen got slammed by an unexpected tour group), meaning that we were still seated for the beginning of the 4th July Fireworks. We quickly finished our dinner, paid the bill and rushed across the road to the park. Thankfully it was such a long display that we actually saw a fair bit of it. Pretty spectacular and noisy with the explosions echoing off the high rises.
We finished the night with a crowded walk along the beach boardwalk (as the queue for the lift was way too long). Back in the room, we were all asleep before our head hit the pillow.
