Whose idea was this anyway

We set off on a snorkeling trip to Kealakekua Bay home of the Captain Cook Memorial.  After a slow slog across lava rocks (I felt like a tightrope walker, but much less graceful) we plunged into the surf. We swam for half an hour with out seeing so much as a sardine so we changed course and headed to the other side of the bay. Here we found a coral reef with a handful of fish. After swimming for 90 minutes we decided there were too few fish for the effort and pulled the plug. This is where things got interesting or terrifying, depending on your perspective.

The surf had become rough....actually that's an understatement. It looked more like a series of tidal waves. My husband focused his energy on helping our granddaughter navigate her way out but she became paralyzed with fear. After she reached land he couldn't get her to move away from the water's edge so the surf kept washing over her. After what seemed like a lifetime she was finally able to scamper up the rocks. Whew. Next it was my turn. I was also getting hammered by the surf and couldn't get my feet under me. Finally I was able to back my way up the rocks. After my husband sacrificed his new mask to the "what the hell was I thinking" god he escaped the pounding surf.

While we came out of this experience with bumps and bruises we also came away with a story we'll tell for a longtime to come.