The Na Pali Coast

On Monday, June 10th, we boarded the Spirit of Kauai with Captain Andy's Sailing Adventures and headed out for our tour of the beautiful Na Pali Coast. The Na Pali Coast has some of the most gorgeous mountains, valleys, waterfalls and beaches I've ever seen. It has been the filming sight for countless movies including Jurassic Park, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Six Days, Seven Nights. There are no roads that can access the coast so the only way to see it is by helicopter, plane, or boat (or if you want to brave the level 9 hiking trail that takes you through it go ahead; but Mount Everest is a level 10 sooooo......). Here we are after just setting out on the boat:

We actually met another couple from Overland Park while we were on the boat. Small world! Anyway, along our way to the coast the captain slowed us down a bit to check out the dolphins. We got to see both bottlenose and spinner dolphins. Since spinners travel in larger numbers, they were fascinating to watch. They just come right alongside the boat! Chris was amazed!

Dolphins are not easy to photograph from a moving boat! Anyway we eventually stopped at a decent spot to snorkel. Brian and I snorkeled and although Chris didn't want to, he still came in the water with us and swam. At a certain point, both he and I started feeling a little queasy but we plugged along. After the boat started up again, it got really rough and we both got even more queasy (along with many others on board). But we were determined to see the Na Pali Coast no matter what! Chris fell asleep for awhile but managed to see some of the beautiful scenery. Here are some of the pics from the day. Again, they do the real thing no justice...

It was an incredible day and we are so glad to have had the opportunity to see one of these wonders of the world!