An Unexpected Adventure Turns into the Ultimate Gift
One of my dearest friends came to visit us on Kauai for a few days with her two year old daughter. Conditions were right (low wind and no swell) to take a ride on the jet boat to enjoy the Island and see if we would get lucky enough to see the mist from a whale’s blowhole.
We loaded up the families (including our eight year old, four year old, Laird, myself, Jenn and Sienna)
Mr. Speedy wanted to come, but we decided best not to torture the dog on a boat ride. Slowly we made our way down the river towards Hanalei Bay. Up ahead on the land is the dog barking as if yelling to us “hey what are you guys thinking, take me with you”? Sure enough Speedy had run up ahead on the land to try and state his case one more time. Laird ignored him again which inspired the dog to run up to his last chance point. With all the “aaahhs” and “come on he really wants to come” from the little girls, Laird had no chance. Sure enough he pulled a bit off shore for our rat terrier who does not like to swim, to swim out and be transported into his awaiting chariot. Victory to Speedy.
The day was magical with the glassy Turquoise Ocean and majestic land. Up ahead we spotted not only one but a group of four whales. We kept our distance, but got a great show of dorsal fins, tails, and their powerful breath for about twenty minutes. Just over from the Kilauea lighthouse is a beach you can only access by boat. A sheer cliff stands behind it with virgin white sand along the shoreline. There is a keyhole rock on one side, and well, you get the picture, the place is exquisite. Laird gave me a quick tour since I had never seen the beach before. Then, satisfied with our adventure, we headed home along the coastline. At this point Speedy had found his way by sitting in a seat right next to Reece, just enjoying the scenery.
After we passed underneath the lighthouse we began the ride down the coast line of Secret Beach. At first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but could it be? Hundreds and hundreds of dolphins appeared all around us. They were just hanging out playing in the area. They weren’t going anywhere or mating, just swimming to and from. Flipping, spinning, and playing off of our bow. Laird shut down the motors and we spent twenty minutes watching these playful beauties enjoy themselves at home. I thought Speedy was going to lose his mind. He didn’t know what was going on. The glee and shrieks from the kids and adults were filled with disbelief and surprise. We even saw an albino dolphin swimming with its Mom.
The great thing about having a jet boat is no propellers so it’s an extra added safety feature for the humans and animals.
Laird drove us home and the boat was filled with smiles and reflective silence. The kind of silence that says “I know I just got the best gift and I’m going to savior it”.
For me as a parent to have my children be in nature, see God’s creatures and enjoy them is so important. I hope that they will be vigilant about caring for their home and the animals that live there.
We weren’t expecting to see all the things we did so sorry if the video is rough. Oh, and you can see Speedy being blown off by Laird and then in his Victory photo.
Best, Gabby
On a funny note three days after Laird got called by a policeman of sorts for the Ocean saying he was reported for having his black Zodiac (wrong craft) and for chasing the animals. Laird was furious and hurt (those emotions go together a lot). He asked the officer who was being nice “if they recognized me then don’t they know that of all people I cherish the ocean and its creatures, and want to protect them?” The truth of it was that we came upon the dolphins and hung out, but they don’t take too kindly to that. I guess the good side of it is that they are looking out for them. I just thought you would get a kick out of knowing that Laird got that call.