December 31st was my first full day in Hawaii.
Part 1: Snorkeling with Dolphins + Sightseeing with the Whales
Starting at 8AM I went snorkeling with the dolphins. On the boat ride there, this was the view on the Kona side of the island.
We also saw some whales on the way! Tried to find some short finned pilot whales, but they were hiding. Here is a video of the whales:
Onto the dolphins! I wasn't able to take any underwater photos, but this is a very accurate picture of what I saw.
Part 2: Hiking
I then went hiking on the Captain Cook trail. This is a very cool trail that leads down to the water. Be warned, there were a lot of mosquitoes. I had repellent, and still got bit.
Made it down! The black lava rocks have some really unique textures.
... and a goat
Part 3: Beach
Of course I had to check out the beach. Also on the west side of the big island, I went to Kahaluu Beach Park.
I had to stay for the beautiful sunset.
Part 4: New Year's Eve!
I celebrated on Ali'i Drive. There were plenty of cool restaurants and bars including Humpy's Big Island Alehouse and Thai Rin. Check out this cool video:
This was a great start to an amazing trip. I have 9 more days to go. Stay tuned for the next full day!