Feb 6, 2012

Under the Sea: Turtles, Honu, "Snorkeling," and the Life of the Underwater Bourgeoisie

Honu, or the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle (chelonia mydas, for the Latin members of the studio audience), became my newest and truest obsession after a summer trip to the Hawaiian islands last July.

I arrived in Hawaii having previously spent little time in the ocean.  Being waterlocked for the first time, though, presented me with what was soon to become the greatest omen of my life: “snorkeling.”  You may be familiar with the term from childhood fairytales, fictional animated movies, and/or legends passed down through familial generations.  But, like me, you surely haven’t engaged in what is positively the best pastime in which anyone can indulge.

“Snorkeling,” pronounced snork-uh-ling, is an activity relegated to only the most elite of the bourgeoisie.  Equipment and beta-intensive, this method of floating on water while scoping out some of the most beautiful animals in the world involves high barriers to entry and intellectual property rights.

You need a straw and some tight-fitting snowboard goggles.

…And an eye for what was soon to become my favorite thing ever: Honu.  These turtles are huge.  HUGE.  And we were able to swim within an arm’s length of them on numerous occasions.  In fact, nearly every one of the million times I went snorkeling in Hawaii, I could have reached out and taken a ride on a 4-foot long, jurassic, prehistoric, swimming coconut shell.

Lindsay and her best friend. Maui, 2011

I quickly became, quite literally, obsessed with these giant underwater sea creatures in a way that I haven’t felt about anything since manufacturers started eliminating gears on production-model bicycles.

The coolest thing about “snorkeling” took me about 2 hours of treading water to realize: you don’t have to tread water.  Due to your temporary position of power and elegance in the oceanographic world, the heavens (aka Jacques Cousteau) hold you horizontal with puppet strings as you soar aloft through the magical underwater kingdom.

If 3 people “comment” at the bottom of this post with 1 reason I should post a relevant video from Hawaii (aside from the short clip above), I’ll edit one up and post it ASAP.

By brodyleven Be Happy, Contests, Hawaii 2011, Media, Photography, Reviews, Travel, Trips, Video 9 Comments Tags: friends, fun, goggles, gopro, gopro pictures, Hawaii, hawaiian green sea turtles, hawaiian sea turtles, honu, honus, maui, oceans, pictures, sea turtles, snorkeling, straws, swimming, trips, underwater, underwater gopro, underwater photography, water