My Awe in O'ahu

by Zelio Freire (Brazil)

A leap into the unknown USA

There I was, on the plane, 20 minutes to destination, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Euphoria rushed from my mind and body as I saw the crystal blue waters of Mamala Bay. As we landed, I rushed out of the airport to the roofless Jeep we had rented. We took off driving through the island and gazing at “the spine” the way locals like to call it, the Koolau mountain rage the splits the island. As I gazed at the beauty of those gloomy clouds on top of the mountains summit, giving a feeling as if one is deep in the jungle and not inside of an island, a few hundred meters from the beach. As I turned my head to the other side, I contemplated the bright blue pool like waters of Waimanalo. That contrast is so astonishing between a sunny happy day at the beach and the dreary rainy mountainside. We spent the rest of the day by the beach. At night we changed and went to a karaoke bar at the bustling streets of Waikiki. Day two, it seemed as if we were in a different country. Changing from beach, we went to the mountainside to go hiking. Searching for waterfalls and picturesque locations, we found this beautiful hidden lagoon and waterfall. As seeing the locals do stunt and jumps from the waterfall, we took adventured to do the same. As I started climbing the hill for the jump, both excitement and fear started to surge simultaneously. On top of the waterfall, my heart started pumping, my feet trembling, my hands shaking. I looked down at the bottom, I started to freeze, not wanting to conclude. Nevertheless. I followed my gut, ran and jumped. AAAAHHH, splash. I was in elation. They joy came over me, the fear…gone. I had faced my fears and enjoyed this marvelous moment. Little did I know this was nothing compared to what would come. After we spent the rest of the day hiking and exploring, we ended by eating local Poke, fresh fish in cubes that come in a bowl. It was delicious to say the least, I have found a new favorite food. I now search for poke whenever I can, but never have I found as fresh and delicious as the one I tasted in Hawaii. The following days we continued to explore the island, fall in love with the culture, make local friends, try something new and enjoy the little things, they make the biggest difference. I would wake up in a sublime state. Hawaii is very famous for surfing, however it’s also famous for sharks. And since I was there why not got swim with the sharks, literally speaking, up close and personal. I started looking at cage shark diving companies, but then I discovered something even better; free diving with sharks. No cage, just people, the ocean and sharks. I was relaxed on my way, but as we stopped the boat in deep waters and I saw those fins surrounding us, fear started to strike me again. However, I pushed fear down along with my body as I entered the water. To my surprise, there were over 50 sharks swimming beneath us and as I looked and gazed at them, the fear was completely gone. I realized these are just animals like many others and as long as if we are not harming them or their habitat there is no usual reason for any attack. We spent 45 minutes snorkeling and swimming the with sharks. I was such a breathtaking moment, I keep looking back at the pictures to remember. Our trip was coming to the end. On the last day, a few hours before my flight I decided to take another flight, but I wasn’t landing with the plane this time. One of the most beautiful places to go skydiving is Hawaii. So, I had to try it. As we were 14,000 feet in the air and my instructor was about to jump, I thought, this is the moment I die. Actually, I have never felt more alive. The best moments of my life. The view is indescribable. Ending my trip with a bang. See you soon, O’ahu!