Another day on our Paradise Island........and it's another early start for us today - our day begins with a 30 minute walk to the Pier at the beginning of Ali'i Drive to board our vessle.We are greeted at the Pier by Spencer, our skipper for the day, who advises us that we have only 2 additional passengers for company - once again we almost have the benefit of our own personal Tour Guide for the price of a regular tour.The clarity of the waters is incredible the water beneath us changes through various shades of turquoise, aqua and powder blue as the depth of the water & the coral reefs below change.The trip also offers fabulous views of the coast-line from a different perspective than we have been able to view it from previously.

The waters are fairly calm and we reach our first stop point Captain Cook's Monument, in good time.Wow, this place was worth the effort(s) to get to.The Monument itself is set on the coast at the base of a cliff with nothing else in sight.There are no other boats in the bay & we have the entire area to ourselves - just the 4 of us.We are filled in on the history of Captain James Cook's discovery of Hawaii, his initial welcome by the natives (under the impression that he was one of the Gods) and his subsequent killing (when the natives realised that he was no God & simply a visiting Scot - who can blame them !).In keeping with their Hawaiian traditions upon killing The Captain, they proceeded to cook his remains in order to remove the flesh from his bones - they believed that the bones held the soul of the person.Out of a sign of respect they returned the bones of Captain Cook to his crew - however this gesture was not particularly well received, resulting in a further attack by the ship of a sacred burial site of the Hawaiian Chiefs.The story behind the burial site is also an interesting one - aparently following the death of a Chief the body was cooked (as you do) and a young Tribesman was given the honour of being secured by a rope to a tree at the top of the cliff to allow him to scale the rock-face (carrying the bones of the 'expired' Chief).He would then proceed to dig a burial hole in the rockface, place the bones inside & signal up above that he had completed his task.His reward for a job well done, was for the rope to be cut, allowing him to plumet to his death !Should he be fortunate enough to survive the fall, soldiers would be sent down the cliff to kill him !! (now that IS a bad day in the office !).The young Tribsmen selected for the burial duties were aware of the implications of the task, however it was considered an honour to be given the opportunity to undertake this duty !

Several years on and with hindsight, the People of Hawaii decided that their treatment of Captain Cook may have been a little harsh - hence the Monument to commemorate his discovery of the Islands.The plot of land on which his Monument Stands has been 'gifted' to The Queen of England - I guess you could call it Little Britain ?

History lesson over, I'll fill you in on the snorkelling.It was incredible - the entire area is a vast Coral Reef, with corals of a variety of shapes, sizes & colours also populated by brightly coloured fish which glide throughout the reef.The fish are entirely comfortable in the presence of divers & make no attempts to avoid or distance themselves from human contact - this ensures that we benefit from fantastic close up views (not that the shaky camera shots give that impression, I'm sure !).I also discover that my snorkel gear is designed for diving & I can submerge below the surface for extra close-ups & my snorkel does not fill with water - clever ain't it ?

This is Rachael's first attempt at snorkelling & she takes to it really well - she covers some considerable distance along the reef & finally can understand what all the fuss I've been making is about !We return to our craft to head on to our next snorkelling location - City of Refuge.Now this location also has an interesting history too - The Hawaiian People are highly religious, extremely superstitious and unquestioningly loyal to their Kings.In order to preserve order throughout the lands the original Judicial System was a fairly simple one - break ANY of the laws & you would be sentenced to death !A little extreme perhaps, particulary given that there was no written laws at this time, it was merely passed by word of mouth & subject to change at any time should the King decide that he didn't approve of a particular activity.A Citizen who was found to have broken the law would however be forgiven his crime should he reach the City of Refuge before he was captured by the King's Soldiers.

The swells are rising at this point however the area is still safe for snorkelling & we jump overboard for a further 45 minute underwater (or on surface of the water) adventure.This bay is much deeper, however due to the clarity of the water we can still clearly make out the Ocean floor, at times some 60 feet below us.Unfortunately we are not joined by any dolphins, howver we do spot another sea-turtly lazily gliding along the Ocean floor.

On our return to the boat, I notice that one of the "crew" is still in the water, so I decide to conduct some further snorkelling around the boat, including a massive Coral Island just ahead of us.On completing my final swim & returning to the boat the crew & Captain all ask excitedly "Did you see it ?".I assume that I have (once again) missed an opportunity to swim with a dolphin & when I ask where the dolphin was, they explain that it was actually a 7 foot hammer-head shark which was circling the boat at the exact same time I was !Kevin, one of the fellow divers had actually knowingly returned to the water with his camera in order to attempt to get some photos of the Shark - I have asked him to eMail me copies, as I missed the photo myself.

Our return journey is slightly more "choppy" which makes for some (more) dramatic views of the waves crashing against the rugged coastline.The coast incorporates many caves, tunnels and arches which have been formed over time by a combination of the lava flows into the sea & the effects of erosion.Strangely the Island is actaully growing larger as the fresh deposits of lava exceed the effects of the tidal erosion.

On our return to shore we given a loyalty card & recommendation to eat at Splashers Grill - we were not disappointed by the food, it was great, however despite feeling ravenous on our arrival, we are unable to clear our plates due to the mammoth portion size.Following lunch (& our customary browse around a few of the shops again), we decide to relax on the beach beside the Pier.This is a lovely spot with a sandy beach overlooking a calm bay.Beyond the bay is a row of palm trees, with traditional Hawaiian huts beyond them - these, I believe are used for ritualls & celebrations..............quite a setting.

I venture into the sea for a swim to cool off & maybe burn off some of that burger (ok, I'll admit it to relieve myself too), however I discover that the depth of the water does not exceed my knees throughout the entire bay.I decide to ventrure to the other side of the Pier with somewhat low expectaions of quality of the snorkelling opportunities (we never see anybody snorkelling in this area), however I am pleasantly surprised to notice that after a matter of 6 paces there is coral underfoot & a miriad of brightly colored fish.An additional benefit offered is that this area has a "swimming channel" marked with bouys in the water - as this is the entry point for the IronMan Triathlon Event (Swim 2.5 miles; cycle 112 miles & run 26 and a bit miles).

I return to the beach to turn Rachael over (her back is done now) & we spend the afternoon on the beach.Our evenings entertainment involves a Traditional Luau,hosted at the Hotel next to our apartment.We are fortunate to be joined by a lovely family from Chicago and we proceed to impress them with the local knowledge we have picked up on our time on The Island (this consists of showing them the "shakka - hang loose sign" & educating them in the pronunciation of the State Fish - humuhumunukunukuapua'a, but you remembered that from the photos, didn't you ?).In case you need to refresh your memory, don't forget to visit www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/tonytobin33- but not until you've finished reading !

The entire evening was a great experience, it started with a ceremonial unveiling of the Hog from it's oven (with an hilarious commentary from a 4 year-old boy who was also attending the Luau "Boy that stinks; I'm not eating that !" etc.) the Hog had been wrapped in leaves, covered in linen & buried,The stench was extremely unpleasand when the earth was initally removed from the mound, it deteriorated further when the rotten leaves were uncovered & subsequently removed, however these smells were replaced by the familiar aroma of a barbequed pig once the carcass was uncovered - it tasted good too.As you can guess the meat was extremely tender - it fell off the bone, much like Captain Cook's had many years previously, I would imagine !

The dances were really impressive, these included various traditional Polynesian Styles including Hakka, Luau, Tikki the climax was a fire dance.The speed, agility, skill & passion of all of the dancers was amazing - it was clear that these dances and rituals all still held genuine meaning within the culture and were not merely 'performances' conducted on behalf of the tourists.

The follwing morning we arise bright & early (despite the many MaiTais which were consumed during the Luau Celebration !) and catch the Shuttle Bus to Keauhou Bay for Kayak safari.There are only a total of 9 guests on the tour, ourselves & 2 other family groups.They are all very friedly & clearly as excited as we are by the adventures ahead.We stow our possessions in the beach-side hut & board our kayaks, Brent (one of our guides) assists me by securing my (underwater) snorkel & mask to the kayak to ensure that it won't be lost in the (unlikely) event of us capsising............what sort of a novice does he take me for ?!

It is fair to say that Rachael & myself struggle to get into any sort of rhythm - she seems convinced that I am exaggerating every stroke in order to guarantee a turbulent & bumpy ride.She delivers regular angry glares over her shoulder at me each time the kayak tilts off the level & stationary position it had on the sand.I attempt to explain to her that we are in the Pacific Ocean and should expect the occassional wave, however she prefers to place the entire blame on me.

After 15 minutes of bickering, we do get into a stride & are acually leading the pack (I'm in trouble for racing off now !).The remainder of the "pack" eventually join us and Cassie (our other guide) demonstrates how to exit & board the kayaks whilst at sea - looks easy enough.We are then invited to make our entry into the water....................to our surprise Rachael is the first member of the party to enter the water, closely followed by myself - I have also demonstrated to Cassie, Brent & the rest of the crew a much quicker method of entry - simply reach behind to fiddle with the restraints holding your (underwater) snorkely & mask to the kayak, until you eventually manage to unclip it, overbalance & capsize the kayak !Rachael's face was like thunder - she was convinced that I was messing about & my first concern on re-surfacing was to plead my innocence & beg for forgiveness (It wasn't until later that I decided to attempt to apportion some of the blame on her !).I recover my shoes (they float), suncream (that floats), water bottle (floats) into the kayak, however can see no trace of my (underwater) snorkel & mask....................it's underwater !!Brent asks me if it was secured to the kayak & I try to explain that that is exactly where the problems began !Cassie scans the area for the mask, however can see no trace of it (she was planning on attempting a 60 foot freedive to recover it, if she could get a sight of it).

As the swells are rising (the forcasts are for high waves & rough seas to arrive later this week) we decide to delay lunch until we have visited the caves.One-by-one, we are escorted to the entrance of the caves, however we can not enter the cave as the waves are becoming a little 'lively'.Futher along the coast we are shown "The End of The World" this is a cliff overlooking a deep basin, which is a popular spot for cliff jumping.I express my desire to conduct a cliff jump & the group heads over in that direction.The kayaks are moored together, however before we are able to approach the cliff, Brent races off to rescue a couple of distressed swimmers.A large set of waves has just arrived, which has caused a couple of swimmers to be thrown about in the sea treacherously close to the rocks.Brent makes a speedy approach & retrieves the swimmers from their danger, returning them safely to their kayak.

The "cliff-jumpers" from our party then exit our kayaks (using Cassie's method, not mine) & swim to the cliff face.We are required to tread-water for some 5 minutes, whilst another set of large waves passes before we approach the cliffs for our ascent.We climb to a height of 35 feet, to reach the jumping point - boy is looks different from up here.Cassie gives specific instructions to the ladies to be careful of their landing into the sea, in order to avoid a "spanking". Let me tell you, it is perfectly possible for a man to receive a "spanking" if he gets his landing wrong & I speak from experience on this subject. The name is extremely appropriate - the stinging sensation even exceeds the embarassment from such an un-coordinated & graceless entry to the water !

Rachael cliff jumped (after only 1 false start), she felt really proud of herself & I'm sure you are too !After the landing the swim to our kayaks is only a short one, however the seas are now pretty choppy & we are swimming against the currents.

After a short paddle, we reach a further snorkelling spot & then have a pic-nic in the ocean, not a bad location.Our return journey to the shore is a really exciting one, now we have some control over the kayaks Cassie guides us close to the shore-line, ofter passing between large rocks and also having to negotiate some strong currents - the high swells & large waves continue throughout our voyage.

After relaxing on the beach for a further hour we catch the shuttle bus back to Kona Town to go shopping for a snorkel & maks (what the heck, why not get some flippers too !?).$112 later, I realise that I really should have been more careful wiht my underwater snorkel !I test-run my new gear on beside the Pier & am pleased to report that this is "fit for purpose" !

The following morning we have a fairly relaxed start - my surf lesson doesn't start until 11am.We head on down to catch the shuttle bus & are surprised to note it is "standing room only".It has not been unusual throughout the week for Rachael & myself to be the sole passengers on the bus.It turns out that a cruise ship has docked in Kona and it's passengers have descended onto 'Our Island'.

I check-in for my lesson & am told that the class currently consists of 1 (all for the price of a group lesson).Rachael explains her concerns regarding her ability to get into a standing position & her reluctance to drink copious quantities of sea water - a compromise is reached that she can give it a go & if she doesn't enjoy it & is not comfortable then she will not be required to pay.Obviously she attains a classic surfers pose, easily trasitioning to a standing position on her very first wave - the paddling back out seemed more of a challenge to her !I stood briefly on my board, however I got over-excited by the fact that I was actaully surfing, forgot all of the rules in the brief tuition & promptly conduct a backwards dismount from the board - D'oh !

We continue to ride several waves with varying levels of success (forgot to look up - fell off; stood too far to the left - fell off; stumbled over my own foot - fell off; started watching the fish below - fell off) before I actually manage to maintain control of the board (including turning to avoid a collisionwith a novice surfer) and ride a wave all the way to the shore.I am so chuffed and & desperate to share this with Rachael, however she is busy making an elegant approach to the shore on the crest of a wave & even throws in a turn at the end of her wave to deviate her direction away from the rocks.All of the teachers are commenting on how "she totally killed that one !"

Rachael had a near miss with a Turtle (she says it's head was as big as hers), and managed a direct hit with a fellow surfer - she was bashed into & has a large colorful bruise on her bicep to show for it.I encountered some unexpected wildlife too - whilst I was frantically paddling in my attempts to catch a wave, I feel a scrambling on my legs, up across my back & over my head, when I look up I notice that a small dog is at the helm of my surf board - I kid you not !This dog, Honey, belongs to one of the paddle surfers & happily spends her time standing on her owners surfboard in the Ocean.

Thnaksgiving day - another cruise ship is in port today, and the Town again has increased visitors & pedestrian traffic.We take a lesuirely stroll along Ali'i drive for on our final day - time for last minute shopping, and a final opportunity to snorkel & relax on the beach.There is a slight breeze for the first time this week, signs that the rough seas are approaching.The weather is still glorious, and the breeze is a warm one.We settle on the beach & I head off for a final snorkelling expedition next to the Pier.As I am preparing to enter the Ocean, an elderly (60 plus) lady arrives - we are the only 2 people on the beach.I engage in polite conversation & state my surprise this area is not more heavily used by swimmers (the coral is so close to shore & the variety of fish is huge) - she says that the popular spots are further South & offers to accompany me further out into the sea today, if I wish.

I am keen to take her up on this kind offer, as there may be (even) bigger & (even) better fish to be seen farther our in the deeper waters.I introduce myself & Diane assures me that I'll be safe as she is a trained lifeguard.She indicated the bouys (she calls them "boweys") which mark the swimming route & says that we will initially head on out the the 6th one - I've only been brave enough to venture slightly past the 2nd one alone.

Before I reach the 1st "bowey" I realise that I have made something of a mis-judgement - Diane is offering plenty of encouragement & coaching- she suggests that I make less use of my legs, quit with the flapping arms (it is actually recognised as breast stroke) and swim with my arms leaving the water (front crawl - you mean !).She explains that we are NOT snorkelling, but going for a swim !!We reach the 6th "bowey" and Diane instructs me that we are now entering the open waters & explains that is why she wears a bright swimming hat - she doesn't want a collission with Cruise Liners, fishing craft or pleasure boats.We actaully reach the end of the "bowey" marker system, however this does not deter Diane in the slightest, our next marker is pointed out to me - a green ball somewhere near the horizon !On arrival at the green ball, I explain that it's probably for the best that we return to shore (I don't have my passport on me & I'm sure we're approaching New Zealand !).Whilst I take a breather, I enquire into her swimming abilities & she modestly admits to swimming 6 miles every day, regularly competing in triathlon events and she even makes some mention of 'Olympics' somewhere along the line.That will explain why she didn't feel it was necessary to make allowances for the fact that I had conducted 2 hours of surfing (the majority of the time paddling back once I'd fallen off my board) or the 3 ½ hours of kayaking on the previous days.

I return to Rachael to explain that my final snorkel session has been hi-jacked and replaced by a 1 ¼ mile open water swim !I did, in fact manage one final snorkel session once I was certain that Diane had left the beach - to say my farewells to the humuhumunukunukuapua'as & asked that they pass this message on to their friends !

Our plans to treat ourselves to a final meal in Bongo Ben's this afternoon (the steak last night was the best I've ever eaten !) are scuppered as we discover it's closed for thanksgiving - as it transpires are many of the other restuarants.Our final meal on the Big Island is a Mexican, not out of choice & it could prove to make our 15 hours in Airports & on flights uncomfortable - but you don't want to hear about that !

Another fabulous location, more colorfull characters, many exciting activities & a multitude of happy memories.

Now what awaits us in Florida ?Keep reading to find out............

We'll be in touch - Tony & Rachael