A rainy, rainy day here in Kauai. But we still managed to get in two fun things: visiting Spouting Horn and going snorkeling! Spouting Horn, which I can never remember the name of and keep calling the Blowhole, is near Poipu, on the south shore. The surf goes under a lava shelf that has a tunnel to the surface, forcing the surf up through the lava tube. It’s sort of like Old Faithful except on the shoreline and happens every time a wave slides under the lava shelf. The height of the water spout depends on the size of the swell.

What makes it especially interesting is the sound the water makes as it’s forced up through the lava tube. Sometimes it’s a hiss; other times it sounds more like a groan.

The ancient Hawaiians believed the Poipu coastline was guarded by a giant lizard named Kaikapu that would eat anyone who tried to fish or swim in the area. One day a boy named Liko

entered the ocean to outwit the lizard. Kaikapu attacked him but Liko thrust a sharpened stick into her mouth, quickly swam under the lava shelf, and escaped through a small hole to the surface. The lizard followed Liko and got herself stuck in the lava tube. The story is that the hissing is the lizard’s breath spraying from the hole and the road is the lizard’s anger at being trapped.

From there, we went to Poipu Beach to snorkel! I hadn’t had a chance to do that yet and it was terrific. I’ve never snorkeled before, in fact, and Tammie was a great teacher. I guess like most people, I was breathing shallowly at first, but then it gets comfortable and I relaxed more. I was more bothered by the reef rocks, which I kept misjudging my distance from and running into! Novice! There were many urchins hidden in rock crevices and of course lots of fish…a school of needle fish, trumpetfish, butterflyfish, pennant fish, and many others. I was amazed at how clear the water was.