Day 1 - Coconut Island and the Aquarium

For those that know me, you know 2 things for sure. 1 - I take a gazillion pictures. 2 - I get motion sick bad. I have my patch on, but goodness the trip over to Coconut Island was rough... and on a school bus. Through the traffic in the city, up and over a winding mountain, and then on a boat.

I made it there and back to the hotel, but man. It was rough.

Coconut Island - this island is closed to the public because it is research island. One of the more interesting things they are researching are the sharks feeding habits. They do this by feeding them a fish with a sensor in it that monitors pH in their stomach. Apparently after a few weeks, the shark regurgitates the sensor and the researchers can retrieve it and analyze the data. They are also placing tags in sharks and monitoring their movement.

They are also conducting experiments with dolphins and a false killer whale. We did not get to see them, but heard about research they are doing. They are seeing if they can recognize size differences. Their data has shown that yes they can it is a very small difference that the dolphins can decipher. I believe what they are trying to determine is that the dolphin, through echolocation can identify larger fish and will eat those first. I always knew dolphins were smart, but man. Dolphins are smart!!

I really enjoyed Coconut Island today (pictured). It would have been interesting to have been there when a man named Colin Holmes bought the island and turned it into his own attraction. There were gorillas, camels, zebras, and an elephant...oh my! When he sold the island after the attack at Pearl Harbor, the animals went to what is now the Hawaii Zoo. The military used the island for R&R but apparently did not go over to well because there is a lot of rain on the windward side of the island and no chicks or bars. So, now it is a research facility.

Waikiki Aquarium - Well, this is a beautiful aquarium with some cool critters. It is on prime real estate on the ocean. It is 102 years old which I believe makes it the 3rd oldest aquarium in the US. The Aquarium really was impressive for its small size.