About a month ago I asked for Oahu/scuba
tips (http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....ahu-advice)
in advance of a (then) upcoming trip. Well, we just got back, and the trip was
fabulous in every way. Thank you so much
to glory, lyn*, alaskagirl, goldenpig, vivi and rebekah for sharing their
experiences and giving me tips and advice. I felt so prepared when I actually
dove.

The recommendations about breathing slowly
and purposely relaxing myself were key. Scuba certification has been a goal of
my oldest son since he did a report on Jacques Cousteau in 5th
grade. He is going off to college this week (to Ohio! From California!) so this
was a last adventure for us before life changes in a big way.

We loved diving. We saw turtles and
an eel and too many colorful fish to count. It was like a dream come true for
both of us. We had other adventures, too: ate great food (again, thanks for the
recs); watched the sunset at Sunset Beach; hiked Diamond Head and Waimea
Valley; snorkeled in Hanauma Bay
(and elsewhere); ate Aoki shaved ice (Matsumoto’s line was so long!); explored
Pearl Harbor (powerful); visited Pali lookout and Laie Point; and yes, even
relaxed some.

Here is one scuba
photo and one at Laie Point with my younger boy (eyes closed in every single
photo). I mostly wore ‘gear’ (= boardshorts + swimsuit) all day everyday, so no
good fashion shots. One t-shirt purchase from the shop I dove with (Deep
Ecology Dive); I’m wearing it here. The last photo is from Pali lookout.