A whale of a good time

Just when you think more fun can’t be had in Honolulu – you’ve been watching top-notch college basketball all week at the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, during the holidays, under starlit skies and with trade-wind breezes – an opportunity comes along that is too good to pass up. Whale watching and marine life exploration are primo in O’ahu. Whale-watching cruises can be booked for mornings, and some cruises include dinner and a hula show. Whale-watching season regularly runs from December to March. Some eco-tourism companies offer underwater viewing via glass-bottom boats, followed by snorkeling, or whale watching from the surface and below it (via the glass-bottom boat). With an indelible bond to the sea and its strength, Hawaiian culture and mythology is intertwined with marine animals – the Hawaiian honu, or green sea turtle, is a symbol of wisdom and good luck, considered a guardian spirit. Seeing these majestic animals, whether it be honu, kohola (whale), nai’a (dolphin) or I’a (fish), during your time in Honolulu is somehow transcendent, a more soulful experience than any you might find on the “mainland.”