Normandy Adventures: Scuba Scuba

On our second last day in Honolulu we decided to be super active and hike Diamond Head in the morning and go scuba diving in the afternoon. Our bodies will pay for it tomorrow but we got to live in the now =P We had breakfast at Musubi Cafe and tried to get to Diamond Head early to beat the heat but there was no way to avoid the Hawaiian sun. The hike was quite easy but the heat made it a tad more challenging. The view at the top was very beautiful but we didn't stick around for too long since it was super crowded and hot hot hot.

We're going to miss our breakfast spot

Photo before the sweat

Diamond Head

Starting line

The view

Mid-point photo

Waikiki area

Pondering life

When we were trying to leave Diamond Head, we realized we didn't have any cash and taxis only take cash. We even tried to negotiate with a nice taxi driver for a cheap fare but he wouldn't take our Canadian bills. Thankfully he said he would take us to an ATM along the way back to our hotel and we were able to get back. We booked a scuba diving lesson with Oahu Diving and consciously planned a light lunch to minimize the risk of vomiting =\ We journeyed to the nearby Rainbow Drive-In to try a classic Hawaiian dish, the loco moco which consists white rice, topped with a hamburger patty, a fried egg, and brown gravy.

Walking everywhere

Loco Moco

Iconic Hawaiian restaurant

The scuba diving meet up was way back towards our cruise port so the taxi ride ended up being pretty pricey but at least we finally got one! (We were running late and taxis were no where to be found outside of our hotel.) Our "lesson" included our instructor teaching us the essentials during our boat ride out to our dive spot. The class was small, around 8 people of which 6 were first time divers. We learned how to equalize our ears, clear water from our goggles, reset our mouth piece if it gets knocked out of our mouth, etc. It all made sense when we were doing it above the water but of course it was a million times harder in the water. The oxygen tank was also heavier than expected and they add more weights around our waist to make sure we sink. (They gave Norm and I too much weight during our first dive so it was hard to swim upwards.) When we finally got into the water, I was one of the first ones to descend. Everything was new and very scary. I kept thinking my goggles were going to fly off and it was difficult to equalize my ears (those masks are not made for Asian noses!). I kept going up above the water and the instructor kept calming me down to keep trying. It got to a point where I was going to give up but the instructor talked me into doing it. Another motivating factor was that a fobby girl was in the water so if she could do it, so can I! (She ended up going back on the boat and vomiting the whole time.) I am SOOO glad I went back into the water because once I got over the fear, scuba diving was amazing!! The second dive was much more enjoyable since we knew exactly what to expect. It was one of the highlights of my trip to Hawaii :) I'm not sure if I would do it again since it took a few weeks for my ears to get back to normal but I definitely recommend everyone to try!