Black Sand and Sea Turtles
On May 30th I had to let my blisters heal (all that hiking in Kauai!), so I could try for the summit of Mauna Kea the next day. Here’s what I managed to see while lying low. Black sand beaches at Punalu’u on Big Island:
The black sand is actually volcanic pumice ground up by the action of the ocean. It only lasts a few hundred years after the eruption. Eventually the soft pumice will be gone, and the beach will no longer be black sand.
This particular beach is a feeding ground for sea turtles. It took a while for me to spot this one, even with a local pointing it out. The turtles look like rounded rocks until they surface for air, which is every few minutes when they’re feeding.
This guy in Kailua proves that you can stand up on a bodyboard.
I capped off my lax day with sunset at a pier in Kailua. This sailboat couldn’t have been lined up any better if I’d anchored it there myself.
Tune in tomorrow to see if I make it to the summit of Mauna Kea unaided. 13,796 feet, and the hike from the visitor center is close to a mile of vertical. It’ll be a challenge, considering I’m coming down with my first cold in over two years!
Related posts:
- Hypoxia at Thirteen Grand
- Waikiki: Playground of the Rich
- Glowworm Day
- Beaches of Poipu Kai
- The Green Flash
Tags: Big Island, Hawaii, Sunset
