In Hawaii, it's customary to spend most of your free time by the ocean. It really is stunning there, just like in the movies—clean, with white sand and huge waves. I haven't tried surfing (I'm not a great swimmer), but I really loved bodyboarding. It's a gentler option =) You have a wide, short board, you have the wave, and you have yourself)) You lie down, swim toward the wave, turn around right before it hits, and it catches you and carries you for a while))) It feels like you're flying =) it's just awesome... it's also great to swim at sunset... honestly, it's just amazing there... you have to feel it. One of the most awesome beaches is Sandy Beach. I was there once, Lesha showed it to me. There are always huge waves there that cover you completely... and then, when they recede, you still don't have time to stand up because they drag you back into the ocean... and then they cover you again and toss you against the bottom... you can get tossed around like that for 5 minutes until you start choking))) I came out all scratched up a couple of times and thought I'd never go into the water again... but then I went back in anyway because the feeling is awesome!)) By the way, I should also thank Lesha for getting me hooked on Subway sandwiches... yummy =) There is one more place I have to mention. It's Hanauma Bay. Ulyana and I went there to snorkel on one of my last days on the island. The lagoon formed in the crater of an extinct volcano, and a bunch of fish, turtles, and sea creatures have made their home in the reefs... the whole bottom is reefs—rough, sharp, with hundreds of sea urchins. Walking on them is strictly forbidden, but you can look through a mask at the fish you can barely touch... But the biggest stroke of luck is meeting a Galapagos turtle. Ulyana found it first... it was a huge monster that I couldn't even wrap both hands around... we swam with it for about 10 minutes... Unfortunately, we didn't have an underwater camera with us, so I'll post photos from the Hanauma Bay website... For those who are really interested, there are 2 more places related to the ocean in one way or another... There's the Honolulu Aquarium (right across from the zoo and next to the beach) and the large Sea Life Park. I haven't been to either, but people say they're great =)))


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