Submitted by Jennifer Saunders on the 2017 winter session program in Hawaii sponsored by the Department of Biological Sciences…
Aloha from Honolulu, Hawaii!
There has certainly been nothing, in my lifetime, which compares to ringing in the New Year with a 12-hour flight to Honolulu, Hawaii. In fact, I was blessed with an extra day in Oahu prior to the beginning of the program, due to a slight flight mix-up on my part. This extra day gave me a bit of a head start getting accustomed to the city. Our condos feature a breathtaking view of lush mountains and are just a block away from surfing, surfing, surfing at the famous Waikiki Beach. ABC stores, stores that literally offer everything from surfing gear to cases of beer, can be spotted whichever way you look. Their presence makes our common Walgreens or Wawa seem States apart. This, in contrast with the storefront options, really surprised me. Unlike Delaware beaches, our condo is within a 5-minute walk from countless high end shopping selections including Jimmy Choo, Gucci, Sacs Fifth Avenue and Prada. Our professor explained that this presence of expensive retailers is due to the demand of tourists from Asian countries, who pay much higher prices for luxury European products back at home.
The schedule of our program may be a little different than other study abroad itineraries, as the “classroom” is all around us. Each day of the week includes a pre-scheduled excursion to offer hands-on learning about Hawaii’s human, animal and natural environments. This first week included excursions to the Honolulu Zoo, Bishop Museum, Pali Lookout, and two snorkel excursions to Hanauma Bay and the Kaneohe Reef. Hawaii’s beautiful mountainous landscape is matched with an incredible underwater world which we have begun to explore on these snorkeling trips.
Just to sum it up… snorkeling is absolutely the coolest thing I have ever done. Our professor was extremely helpful in guiding everyone who had never snorkeled before (myself included), which made me much more comfortable. The fish that we learned about in the Hanauma info-session prior to beginning our Hanauma Bay snorkeling were all over the reefs. The water in this volcano crater is shallow enough that the little creatures brush against you as they swim by. On this program, underwater cameras are an absolute must—more pictures to come! Although our day was cut short by a sporadic rainstorm, I would call it a definite success. Oh, that’s another thing about Hawaii: you can expect that it will randomly sprinkle or downpour at least once a day with minimal notice.
I’m happy to say that although our bus suddenly broke down on our way to the boat, the excursion to Kaneohe Reef was worth the effort. Our Snorkel Bob guide, Jenner, was a comical and comforting member of the crew, to say the least. He pointed out interesting and key aspects of the island as we made our way to Kaneohe Bay, including avocado trees and the diminishing presence of “ABC stores” as we left crowded Waikiki. First, we grilled out and played volleyball on a sandbar that was 6 ½ miles long, one of the longest in the world! The boat captain and excursion leaders mingled and made it a point to bond with our group personally, showing their love for the island and the friendly and inclusive attitude that Hawaiians encourage. In the words of Jenner, “open your hearts and let the sunshine in.”
The dive was definitely much deeper than the dive at Hanauma Bay, and much colder! That said, I finally brought my camera and got some awesome close-ups of fish and giant green turtles. On my way back in, one of the crew members was breaking up bread and throwing it into the water to attract fish, and I just happened to swim right through and catch some unbelievable photos. On our way back, they pointed out Gilligan’s Island, the mountains where Jurassic World was filmed, and the dock where Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler jumped off the dock in 50 First Dates…so we were basically living like movie stars for the day.
With snow piling up in Delaware as I type this, it is hard to complain about today’s “slightly chilly” 75-degree weather. I can’t wait to see what else Hawaii has to offer!
