Snorkeling

Here's a picture of my recently toothless kid... He just started a Kindergarten readiness program this past week. I asked him how he liked it after his first day and he said 'I didn't like it that the teacher told me what to play with. I want to do what I want'. I just laughed and told him that he'd better get used to that one.
After church today we went up to Pupukea Beach. This was somewhere I stopped briefly at once before when I gave my mom a tour of the north shore. I remember thinking it would be a perfect place to take the kids to because it had a natural breakwater of rocks surrounding a giant tidepool area. So today we finally made it up there.

The day was gorgeous and the place was packed. We stayed inside the sheltered area, but apparently there is also good snorkeling in the bay next door based on the number of snorkelers and scuba divers there. On a less busy day we should try that area, I bet there may be some live reef there. But I thought this would be a good place to get the kids' feet wet (and their faces) and try to see some fish in the tidepool.

Here are some shots I got with the waterproof camera. No idea what the fish are, but there is a sea cucumber in the second one and a sea urhcin in the third one.
We climbed over the rock breakwater to a large lava rock flats near the ocean.
This little fish took to snorkeling like he'd always done it. He didn't actually use the snorkel, but he held his breath and looked for fish.
He's perfecting his technique here in about six inches of water...

I think we'll have to come back again to this one. I'd also like to try Hanauma bay with the kids once they get a little more used to snorkeling. It's supposed to be a good snorkeling spot but also quite popular and busy.