Whale Watching / Kaua'i Chopper Ride

Some friends recommended a certain whale watching tour and we were certainly glad we went. This was truly one of the highlights of the trip. Captain Chris has been running these waters for 10 plus years and it showed. We went out with a group of about 14 in a 36' zodiac boat. We headed out to the Na'Pali coast to explore its coast line by boat. This ended up being a white knuckle ride where all I could really think about was returning home to my 3 boys - ya I thought we were going to die. Winter in Hawaii means high tides, stronger winds and unpredictable weather. It got pretty nasty along the coast. As the boat would go between 15' swells alls you could see around you was water. Both Matt and I had never been on a smaller boat in the ocean, and while Matt was yelling 'YEE-HA!!', I was fearing for my life. Captain Chris said we had seen enough, as the trade winds weren't going to let up, so we headed for the other side of the island where seas were much calmer - and they were.



The captain led us right to the animals. We were first approached by some bottle nose dolphins but Matt wasn't quick enough to get his camera out for them. We spotted the whales and were able to drift right on top of them - literally! We were AMAZED beyond words. There's no way to describe the feeling. The whales were so friendly. It would be quiet and everybody would be looking around for a sign of them and then out of no where, a whale would surface and let out a huge amount of air - almost frightening. From that point it was a show. The whales love to perform. Matt took about 1000 photos and I was in charge of video - The video is amazing and that is coming soon...





















We were fortunate enough to get a 'spy hop'. That's when the whales come nose first out of the water slowly, just to get a peak at you and see what's going on. This happened to us twice and we were able to get video of it.










This was our potty break, where I was veraciously attacked by a jelly fish...


Believe it or not, dolphins actually like to hang out with whales. It wasn't long before these aerobatic spinner dolphins showed up. They were very active and fun to watch...








Since the weather was hit and miss rain, we watched the weather and saved our chopper ride for the day that we thought would be best. It happened to be the last day we were there. We woke up and it was overcast, but we soon learned that that doesn't mean much in Hawaii. The ride would be a 'game time decision' by the pilot. Matt was really reluctant because it wasn't a cheap ride and everybody really wanted to get their money worth. The helicopter company assured us that the pilot wouldn't fly unless it would be enjoyable. Well, we loaded up and the pilot was confident we would have some fun and get some good pics. Here is a pic of our doorless helicopter.









Brant and Nikki up front with the captain - clear for take off.


Well, the chopper company was right... and we ended up with some photos with luscious green mountains and Windex blue oceans. The ride was honestly nothing like we've done before. Breath taking and inspiring. The beauty is clearly a gift from God and we were so grateful we were able to enjoy it the way we did. This pic is from the famous Na'Pali Coast.


While Matt's smile was the biggest I've ever seen, I was smiling too but my hands didn't move the entire 1 hour flight. They were clutched to Matt's leg :)


Photo not in focus, but still cool :)


An interesting fact, when on a helicopter, rainbows actually do a complete circle around the aircraft. Very beautiful...


This picture is at the bottom of the canyon we hiked up to on the second day. It's called the Hanakapia beach. You can see the foot trail along the mountain side.


This is the coast of Princeville - a beautiful but 'snobby' town. It's where the rich folk hang out.


The later part of the ride went up the various canyons of the island. Many movies have been filmed here including Jurassic Park. Waterfalls are not faulting in Kaua'i, as you can see in some of these pics.


We learned that Kaua'i has one of the most unique ecosystems in the world. On one end of the island it is considered a desert - receiving only 20" of rain a year. The the opposite side is considered a rainforest and receives about 150" of rain a year. On the highest peaks of Kaua'i it receives 400" inches of water a year. That makes it one of the wettest places in the world. So these waterfalls are constantly flowing and that explains the lush green.