Shaka!

We've had some early wake up calls the last two mornings for surf lessons. Yesterday my dad took Tristan and Jolie over to Lahaina for a lesson. They were both able to get up on their boards tanks to some excellent instructors. Notice that Tristan is making the "shaka" sign while he's up on his board. He looks like a true Hawaiian surfer (well, minus the dark, dark skin).

The four of us went back this morning to rent boards so they could surf some more. Jolie barely paddled into the water before she decided she wasn't into it today. I think she was a little nervous being out there without an instructor. She also copped up to the fact that she was afraid of the eels that Tristan saw while snorkeling yesterday afternoon. Jolie didn't actually see the eels (orange, about 2 feet long), but I guess the realization that she's sharing the ocean with wildlife is shocking to her. I tried to talk her into surfing but it didn't fly. At least we have the photos from yesterday so she can prove that she was once brave.

Tristan was having a hard time timing the waves, so he ended up joining a class for a while (same instructors as yesterday). He surfed for three or four hours before we returned the boards. Lisa even decided to sign up for a lesson, she was five hours behind us so we missed her.

Yesterday was our first real day snorkeling (if you don't count Gavin walking around with the mask on his face). There's a great reef right out from our resort. I'm glad the coral is good for something other than tearing up your feet and knees. Tristan is now an expert at snorkelling. In addition to the eels, he saw tons of urchins, schools of brightly colored fish, all kind of stuff. He and Lisa went out quite far yesterday afternoon, looking for some giant sea turtles that have been sited here. He makes a great snorkelling guide, he stays down in the water and points out wildlife to Jolie and Gavin who are not as strong in the water. My proudest achievement yesterday was getting Gavin to relax enough to enjoy the snorkelling adventure. He had a hard time adjusting to breathing through the tube while out in the waves, so I slowly eased him into it. Once he saw our friendly underwater friends (no eels) he forgot about the breathing and the swimming and the waves. He just relaxed and enjoyed it. I had to hang onto him while treading water myself so it wasn't easy but worth it. When he saw a fish he would make some noise and pop his head up to tell me. Jolie was also excited about our underwater friends, I don't know how they became our enemies between yesterday afternoon and this morning.

Dan is out on the beach with the kids right now. I'm in our villa while Mia naps. It's hard to be indoors in Hawaii. I have all the curtains open and the screen doors are letting in the sounds and smells of the ocean. I'm anxious to get out there.