The Great Jellyfish Adventure

I've decided sand is beautiful! And sand is annoying! And sand has a mind of its own. No matter what you do, or how many times you rinse off, that sand sticks with you! It ends up in and on everything! And several beaches have different types of sand. Different colors. Different grain sizes. It's so beautiful and crazy! Oh, I'm sure we will be finding sand in our belongings for days and weeks to come, but it will be a welcome reminder of our wonderful family vacation! And even though I will miss it, I'm ready to be home.  I miss my kitties! And I miss air conditioning! 😂

 

We've been using Yelp a lot while on vacation. It is a great way to find out how others perceive a place you are thinking about visiting. The reviews have been helpful and Eric even left some of his own. Technology is great!

We had a family meeting this morning. We each got the chance to say what we wanted to do for our last full day in Hawaii. Most of the answers were about going to the beach or the ocean. T wanted to hit as many beaches as possible. Well, he did get his wish...but not on purpose. 

We started out at Kokolio beach because of a suggestion from a local lady. There was a small tide pool there but it wasn't quite what we had in mind for snorkeling. We knew there were better places down the road. So we kept moving. 

Our next stop was Hukilau beach. There were a bunch of firefighters there working out and they told us there were lots of jellyfish out because of the strong wind. So we moved on. 

Next, we pulled into Waimea Beach and there was no parking. We kept going. 

We ended up at a somewhat rocky beach with great snorkeling opportunities. And some nice shady trees! The boys and Granny were able to see and swim with a sea turtle! It was an awesome experience! Both T and D were able to work with Granny and the uncles to learn how to snorkel. They both really liked it after getting used to it. Rob killed time by harassing  the chickens again. He was trying to get hem to believe he had food for them so they would come close. That didn't happen! Smart chickens! 

 

After awhile, we headed back to rest and have lunch. I was able to get some packing done. I'm not sure how I fit all of this stuff in the suitcase in the first place! 

This afternoon, we ended up back at Hukilau. We saw a couple of jellies but there were tons of people out there swimming. We all went out and didn't have any problems. We started to see more and more up on the beach and I knew I should have the boys come in. I was having big issues breaking up the fun because Rob was out there boogie-boarding with the boys and I ignored the warnings in my head. 

 

 

I finally had to call them in. As D was walking out of the final wave, a jelly got him on the arm. I saw him hitting his arm and flailing around and I ran over to him.   It was so scary and upsetting! He had a big red tentacle mark on his arm. I remembered the local lady saying to rub sand into it and pee on it. Rob, bless his heart, took off to find somewhere to pee in a bottle and help his boy. Some of the uncles went and asked a local man  about what we should do. He said the pee thing was a myth. So we didn't do it. But thanks for he willingness, Rob! Both me and Nikell started Googling (Ah! Gotta love technology!) what to do. Some said don't rub sand. Some said use seawater. Some said cold water. Some said hot water. Some said vinegar. Others said no vinegar. I really was freaking out and I think D was going into shock! Calmly and coolly, Rob went into Longs Drugstore and asked the pharmacist. He said those other things would work, but he had a faster solution...

 

This stuff helped him. Then we used hot water and ice. He is completely fine now. The part I love the most about the whole thing...he actually said to me, "Well, the good thing is that now I don't need to wonder what a jellyfish sting feels like." Aw!! That boy of mine! 

 

 

You can see how it looked right after and how it looked later. The lines are where the tentacle made contact. Ouch!! I learned: While many types of jellyfish are relatively harmless to humans, some can cause severe pain and some might cause a serious allergic reaction. The common jellyfish here is the Portuguese man-of-war. Also called bluebottle jellyfish, Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish live mostly in warmer seas. This type has a blue or purplish gas-filled bubble that keeps it afloat on the water and acts as a sail. This is the type of jellyfish the lady on the beach told us they called  "blue bubbles". They are not my friends. Just ugly little blobs of venom floating in the ocean. 

This evening after things calmed a down, we ended up getting a sweet treat from Angie's. I had a Berry Blast smoothie. Some of us had shaved ice and some had ice cream. We were all happy and content! 

 

This has been a great trip! Full of so many firsts for me and my children! Even though I am mostly ready to go home (mostly!) I am grateful we had this opportunity to vacation as a family and I am grateful my family made it happen for us!