Na'Pali Catamaran Cruise

 One of the most amazing thing we did in Hawaii was take a sunset catamaran cruise up the Na'Pali coast. The whole east side of Kauai if cliffs/mountains. There are no roads into this area, so to see it you either have to do extreme hiking or see it by helicopter or boat. We really considered whether the money was worth it ($115 each for a 4 hour boat ride!) but we finally decided we may never come back and needed to experience what we could. I may not get my new family room now, but that can wait.

 This was our view for the trip. Absolutely gorgeous! We saw many caves, waterfalls, and beautiful cliffs that demonstrate the beauty and awesomeness of our God. I am so glad we did it!

 See the waterfall hidden in the cliffs?

 The catamaran went into a cave.

 OK, THIS was unbelievable. In the winter Hawaii has a lot of whales. Apparently you can sit on the balcony at the Sheraton and watch them play. By May they have returned to Alaska for the summer months. So, it is very rare to see whales in May. AND WE SAW THEM!!!! The captain said the only time you see them is when a mother has calved and the baby was too young to make the trip to Alaska. We saw a mama and two calves. AMAZING!

 Then we saw some dauphins. The one above and the one below are two different kinds of dauphins we saw on the cruise.

 We also saw sea turtles, and a school of flying fish. Our captain was so good to point out the animals and stop the boat so we could watch them.

 This is the boat company we used. We had the best captain- Captain Glenn and the two shipmates were Jake and Matt. Jake and Matt started taking drink orders as soon as we set sail. They took time to talk to each of the 40 people on the cruise. We had dinner of salad, lasagna, bread, veggies and dip, and unlimited drinks. I asked Jake if he had a wine cooler and he didn't but made me a drink with wine, pineapple juice, and some other items and it was delicious.

 On the day cruises you are taken to a beach and allowed to snorkel. We had snorkeled all week so decided on the sunset cruise. This was our reward at the end of the cruise :)

 And can you believe God gave us a rainbow? It felt like the most perfect evening in the world. Seeing all the animals, seeing the beautiful coast, seeing the sunset, then a rainbow.... wow!

 Looking toward Kauai at sunset. This was past the Na'Pali coast and just east of Barking Sands military base. The mountain is the Waimea Canyon.... the Grand Canyon of Hawaii.

This is what I wore. We brought light rain jackets and you really need them. When you round the coast up the Na'Pali we had some pretty big swells and were sprayed with water. Not too long and I had to put my wet hair up in a ponytail and fight the wind that blew it all around in my face. It also got chilly on the way back after we were wet. Pretty much the whole time you have a lot of wind and sea spray. Your whole body had a layer of sea salt.