Mount Kilauea
July 1, 2010 by admin
Filed under Independent Travel
Here’s a short video of the crater of Mount Kilauea on the Big Island of Hawaii. It was an interesting place… there was steam coming out of the ground,.. and at night the smoke in the crater glowed red. They wouldn’t let people hike to the center of the crater because of poisonous gasses,.. but I had fun hiking around the crater.
The weather seemed to change every 15 minutes…. sunny, then cloudy and windy, then rainy, then sunny again… hot, warm, cold, hot again,…etc……
I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed Hawaii… both the Big Island and Oahu! I plan to spend more time there. From now on, I’ll probably stop over in Hawaii each time I go to and from Asia. So I may end up spending 1-2 months a year in Hawaii.
During this trip, in addition to diving and hiking around the volcano… I also took a surfing lesson,.. and went surfing a second time by myself.
It is VERY difficult. I managed to stand up once with the instructor… but never on my own the second time. However, I caught some waves and rode them on my knees. It was still lots of fun. What I love most is just being out in the water, under the sun, paddling around.
Next time, I plan to surf more… and to give windsurfing a try too.
I’m also considering sailing lessons here in San Francisco. I’d love to surf here… but the extremely cold water just doesn’t seem very inviting or fun to me 
I’ll save my surfing and diving for warmer waters!
Manta Dive in Hawaii
July 1, 2010 by admin
Filed under Independent Travel
Here’s video from a night dive I did off the coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. It was one of the most amazing dives I’ve ever done. A giant manta swooped over my head and bumped it as he went over!
There were mantas everywhere… circling, swooping, and “flying” all around us.
Why do they come to that spot? Well, tiny plankton are attracted to the divers lights… and mantas eat plankton. So the reason they are gliding all around us with open mouths is that they are scooping up the plankton and eating. They are very graceful and peaceful creatures (unless you’re a plankton 
