February 13, 2005
We went on a Whale Watching Cruise. Our ship set off around 10:30 in the morning. We cruised around the Waikiki area in search of the whales. Unfortunately, we did not get to see one up close. Saw a few off in the distance. They gave us tickets to come back another day. So we will try again.

After our cruise, we took a trip up to the North Shore to see the turtles. Some pictures are posted in the archives area. We saw about 8 sea turtles that day. The view was awesome.

February 12, 2005
Took a trip over to Pearl Harbor to visit the USS Missouri Battle Ship.  http://www.ussmissouri.com What a massive ship. We took the Explorer's Tour. The Explorer's Tour gives you an exclusive behind the scenes look into the ship's fire rooms, machinery, and working areas. We got to visit areas of the ship restricted for all other visitors. We saw the Missouri's post office and walk through a crew's area as it was left back in 1992 at the ship's decommissioning. We saw all the original analog computers that controlled the battleship's gigantic 16-inch gun turrets and 5-inch guns. We also saw the crew's galley, brig, barbershop, Chief's Mess, and laundry. We ended the guided tour on the Missouri's Surrender Deck where World War II officially ended. We also saw where a kamikaze plane hit the side of the Missouri.

The tour was suppose to last only 90 minutes. It took us 2 hours 46 minutes. The ship is over 900 feet long and reached cruising speeds of 45+ kmph. That is fast for a ship that is over 20 stories tall. An interesting fact you may not know. You could not be on the deck while the guns were firing. The compression alone would kill you. The back pressure would also suck you off the deck and place you miles away at sea.
 

February 5, 2005
We went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. The Bay is a protected cove with a diverse population of marine life. The bay floor is actually the crater of an ancient volcano that flooded when the exterior wall collapsed and the ocean rushed in. We have a few pictures in the picture archive section.

At night we went over to Chinatown and watched the News Years Celebration. They had the dance of the lions. Was neat to see how they celebrate the new year. 

February 2, 2005
We arrived in Hawaii. The flight was over 7 hours from the main land. Seems like a long time but, it went by pretty quick. Kind of boring when all you can see is water.