Sea Life Park

Sea Life Park like most animal parks is made up of a series of exhibits and shows but these focus on fish, and seals, penguins and turtles, just about anything that lives in or on the ocean similar to Sea World or other oceanic theme parks.They offer interactive activities like swimming with dolphins or seals as well as exhibits and shows where you can just be an observer. In the center of the park is a large covered aquarium which is surrounded by bleacher style stadium seating. At this point Sandy was really getting sunburned so watching the dolphin show in there was a break from the tropical sun.

The show was really fun. There was a walkway around the outside edge of the tank and at times throughout the show a keeper would walk by followed by penguins or seals. Dolphin shows always showcase the jumping ability of these graceful animals and this was no different, but these were the “high jump” stars. There was a ball or balloon suspended from the ceiling and these dolphins were leaping up and hitting it hard enough to really send it swinging.

The outside show was more of a pod of dolphins doing synchronized leaps and speed swimming while the inside show was “single” work.

Once the show ended we wandered among the various exhibits like one with a rare endangered Hawaiian monk seal and another with sea turtles. We took a break for lunch at one of the concession stands and tried the Hawaiian treat of Shaved Ice. Shaved Ice is like a snow cone and on a hot day like this was, it was the perfect refreshment. It does melt fast and when it does, it can get very sticky!

As the afternoon wound down we went to the sea lion show. Although it was past the peak sun time, we were seated right in the afternoon sun for this show, no shade. The show was funny and cute and quite enjoyable but it was also at this point that I began to feel the effects of the sun too in spite of my hat. I have never gotten sunburned on the top of my ears before but there’s always a first time and this was it. So I made a mental note to pick up a wide brimmed hat for the rest of our trip. A baseball cap just didn’t provide enough cover.

The Sea lion show wrapped up our visit to the park and we headed back to Honolulu.
Back at the condo we finally grilled that steak and I put the hot tub to good use. Sandy used the pool. The sunset was awesome as always. I had some cooling “after the burn” salve and we both applied it liberally before heading to the International Market Place for some serious souvenir shopping.

Now might be a good time to mention that it really isn't necessary to rent a car on O'ahu. If you are trying to be really budget minded, O'ahu is the only one of the Hawaiian Islands with a really good public transportation system.  Their bus system called, "The Bus" seems to go just about everywhere and is very inexpensive. We spotted bus stop signs all over. There is also a Trolley route that takes you to attractions like the Waikiki Aquarium. The Waikiki  trolley's Blue Line even runs out to Sea Life Park. There are  some round -trip shuttle services and some shopping areas offer pick up and drop off services as well and, of course, tours. If you plan on exploring the island with a tour service, they usually pick you up at you hotel or condo and return you there. So, although having the freedom of a car is nice, this is one place that I feel safe in saying, it's not  a necessity.

Shopping mission successfully concluded it was time to collapse for the night. Tomorrow was the part of the trip I’d been looking forward to all week. Finally I was going to get a chance to go snorkeling in Hawaii!


　

Sea Life Park Hawaii (Waimanalo)

sealifeparkhawaii.com