Living in a coastal area, you are used to beaches and ocean water. Over time these different scenes may even become stale and repetitious. With more and more trips to these beaches you could become bored, sometimes to the extent of disinterest. Depending on where you live, all of the beaches can be similar—but in Hawaii there is a vacant volcano that has opened up to the sea. This area is flowing with exotic fish, clean water, and a beautiful atmosphere.

Hanauma Bay, located on the southern shore of Oahu, is a shelter from the elements of the rough ocean for marine wildlife. It is a federally protected park, and it is home to many fish and sea-dwelling animals. It is an area of extreme beauty both below and above the water, with magnificent cliffs and gorgeous trees.

The volcano offers protection not only to the fish in the bay, but also to the inhabitants located in the volcano, like animals and trees. The cliffs offer protection from weather factors such as wind, rain, and pollution caused by the local area, and the volcano protects Hanauma Bay from the rest of civilization by allowing it to be a small world within a large world.

On your journey toward the beach there is beautiful scenery. Depending on the route you choose, you either see breathtaking shores or astounding houses. You know you’re close when you smell the salt in the area and there are no houses within a mile. Hanauma Bay is located in a very respectable community because its inhabitants want to keep the area clean and they act on this desire. In the parking lot there are signs that state, “Please Kokua (give respect) and take care of the land.”

When you get down the trail, the sand is hot from the warm sun. You immediately run on your toes through the water just to feel the coolness on your feet. As you get into your bathing suit, you just can’t wait until you’re in the water to explore its features. As you take your first step into the water, it feels good because you’ve been so hot all day long. With your mask on you dip your head in the water to look around. You realize that there is a fish eight inches long circling your feet, and before you know it there is a whole school of about forty or fifty fish around you. You can’t describe what type of fish they are; all you know is that they are big and have all of the colors of the rainbow. You suddenly wish you were a camera man for National Geographic, just so you could share the beauty of both the fish and your experience with the rest of the world. As you journey farther into the bay, you notice great caves and caverns with fish you have never seen before, not even on television. You sit there in amazement, wondering what life as a fish would be like. You are so blown away by the beauty that you forget how far you’ve gone out, and you have to turn back and go in.

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