Good Morning from Hawaii!
Today after sailing the pacific ocean for 8 days we made it to Hawaii! As I walked out on the deck the funniest thing was to see everyone face-timing and glued to their phones because we have been out wifi for 8 days and for a college student, that’s a struggle! I can’t lie having reception was so amazing and when I saw a notification on my phone that morning it made me so happy!
When we started to get closer to shore there was a boat that came and rode alongside us to help guide us into the port. It took so long to get into port from when the boat joined us and actually docking but it was a great time to call my family.
When we finally got into port it was so exciting to see land and see land! I was not tired in any way despite waking up at 5 am because I was filled with excitement! The only sad part of the day was it was super cold and rainy. Not what I was expecting for our only day in Hawaii!
The first step of the day was to get through Immigration. We had to wait for our sea to be called to filter through the union where the immigration officers looked at our passport and then we were cleared to get off the ship. It was super easy!
After I grabbed my little backpack and was ready to have an awesome day.
I am in Oceanography on the ship and for each class, you have one day in any of the countries where you have a mandatory class and for oceanography, the class was in gorgeous Hawaii!
So we first met in the classroom that we usually have class in and then left from there. Getting off the ship was so exciting! It felt so good to not be trapped in a tiny space in the middle of the ocean.
As we boarded the bus to go to our first stop we were greeted with a lai but not the gorgeous flower lai’s that most would picture. It was a kind of seaweed that is known to have healing powers. Once we put it on we were supposed to tie it if we weren’t pregnant and if we were you are supposed to leave it open to allow the baby room. I found this a very interesting concept.
After arriving at our first stop we quickly learned that the weather was not in our favor. We were supposed to do a small beach clean up but the tide was so high so we were not even allowed to go on the beach. Instead, we listened to Austin Kino, a man who has sailed from Hawaii to Tahiti and all around the world in a tiny canoe. It was so fascinating and made me realize how luxurious our little MV World Odyssey is! As he was talking it made me feel like the real-life Moana was giving the speech. He talked about the Hawaiian compass and how he measures the distance of the stars and the sun with his hand to figure out the direction they are going. Like what?!? He talked about how the navigator of the canoe doesn’t sleep because they need to constantly be aware of where they re so they don’t hit land or any other things out in the ocean. I couldn’t even imaging taking the waves we have on the ship in a tiny canoe either so it was so incredible to hear.
So despite the wind and rain blowing on us, the beach was in a gorgeous location and I really enjoyed learning all about Austin Kino’s adventures and all his incite on the ocean and navigating the vast waters.
Next stop lunch! I was so hungry and when lunch arrived very disappointed. They had us sign a sheet that said if we wanted vegetarian or non-vegetarian options beforehand but they mixed the orders up and they were all vegetarian. this sandwich consisted of Cheese, tomatoes, and mushrooms between two slices of bread. Not my favorite combo. We also got a bag of chips that weren’t terrible as well as a tea drink that wasn’t too flavorful but the glass it came in was so cute and when I get home I plan to keep it and use it as a vase for flowers.
Next up was the best part of the day! We arrived at Hanauma Bay where we were going to go snorkeling. I have never been snorkeling before but fish freak me out a bit so I was quite nervous as well as wet and cold already from the rain. After changing into our swimsuits and getting our snorkel gear getting in the water was the best part of my day! The water was not cold at all. Since the waves were quite large we were not allowed to venture too far and near the shore, much of the coral was quite dead from all the people but there were still so many fish! Some were super large and a bit frightening but overall I had so much fun and it was so cool to see despite the rainy day we were given.
Because of the rain, we were very ahead of schedule so that we had some extra time and were allowed to explore this square with shops. Sadly the square was mostly just restaurants with only two shops out of my price range it was a lot of fun to have a bit of free time and get a souvenir or two.
The last thing we did before heading back to the ship was just had a little class review on what we all learned and saw throughout the day. Then it was back on the bus to sail the next half of the pacific ocean.
Overall Hawaii treated me very well and I was so happy with this field class even though the weather wasn’t on our side. I can’t wait to go back to Hawaii again!
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See you soon!
xoxo Gina