Day 9.
A big day of rest today!
Or so we had planned.
Chris woke to the sound of waves and a sea breeze seemingly unaffected by his exertions other than blisters on the soles of his feet.
We watched the spinner dolphins from the balcony.
After a good lie in and leisurely breakfast we took the surf boards and snorkel gear to Kahalu'u beach a few miles south of Kona. A short walk to the ocean, a good surf break just off shore from the Little Blue Church and unexpectedly good snorkelling. Bill and I waved the boys off towards the surf snd then used our snorkels snd masks to negotiate our way out over the rocks to swim. It was like putting your head in an aquarium! Parrot fish, puffer fish, clown fish and many many others! Amazing. The boys even saw a turtle on their return.
We decided to eat our picnic lunch back at the pool and then drove north to find more surf, stopping briefly in town for rash vests before moving on.
We went back to Pine Trees at Ala Kohanaike. Another white sand beach with trees and bushes for shelter from the sun and plenty of surf.
Again we parked right in the beach and headed into the ocean. The surf was good but very unpredictable, as was the ocean floor - shallow with rocks and coral to trip up the unwary.
The boys and K all get some good runs in on boogie boards and Mike and Chris get some runs on the surf board, although in between there was much thrashing about washing machine style, trying to paddle out through the surf!
As evening approached we headed back to shore. The agreed signal of the red and green towel on the tree being the sign that it was 5.20 and time to head into town for Chris's Ironman banquet and after party.
We dropped the boys at the public showers on the pier so they could transform from sandy and salty surf dudes in beach shirts and rash vests into cleanish men about town in t shirts and shorts. Chris went off to his banquet and we dropped Mike and Sharky at Humpys for the start of what promised to be a long evening.
Back home there were a couple of 'Big Waves' and macadamias on the balcony for the more sedate members of the group, and a table at 7.45 at the 'Rays on the Bay' restaurant at the Sheraton.
What a wonderful place. A spacious open, airy restaurant on the rocks overlooking the coast. Lights shine down onto the water, attracting plankton so that the manta rays swim in, and are easily seen cruising around just below the surface, occasionally waving a fin in the air as they turn. Entrancing and beautiful. We sampled our first Mai Tai cocktail, and followed it with a delicious dinner of Opi with ginger aioli and wasabi sauce.
Back home the agreed 'pick up on request' time passed and so we turned in and assumed the boys were taking the after party celebration very seriously! No sign of them by 2.30, so they would presumably be making their own way home despite the heavy rain!