Sea [Not Such a Great] Life Park

We got a blessed Saturday recently that had nary a soccer game in sight. This is a rare thing in Hawaii where the weather is nice enough to play soccer year-round. And they do. We had planned on an epic beach day, but heard that Sea Life Park was celebrating their 50th anniversary and rolled back admission prices to what they were 50 years ago, $2.64. This is an O-K discount from the normal $35 a person, so we decided to hop on it.

Sea Life Park is like a mini Sea World, only set in the most beautiful piece of earth known to man. I had no desire to go, but it was practically free. Unfortunately, every single other person on Oahu had the same idea. We had to park on the side of the highway and play chicken with traffic, our three kids in tow, to make it to the entrance, but it was only $2.64.

The weird thing about Sea Life Park is that you can see most of the animals out in the wild just steps away for nothing and it's way cooler. I mean, I was completely underwhelmed by the sea turtles swimming around in their tiny pool. I see those all the time on my SUP and it's magical to witness them in the sea where they belong. In a tiny pool, it's just sad. But it was only $2.64.

The kids liked the sea lions, but I just saw a "for real" monk seal sunning on the shore of the Mokes and I just wanted to pull a Free Willy and get them out of the concrete prison they were in.

There was a dolphin show and I pushed past the throngs to try to get a seat 30 minutes before the show and it was already completely full. Not even standing room. No one even cared that I genuinely love dolphins and even have a dolphin tattoo. Come on people! I had a needle inserted into my skin to inject ink in the shape of a dolphin, I deserve to see the show!

No dice. And daughter took the best place on Husband's shoulders. Maybe if I had flowing locks of curly blond hair and a smattering of freckles across my pert nose I could have seen the show too.

I took off with the boys to look at the penguins. Because...it's Hawaii, so...yeah....penguins. Whatever. And soon Husband and traitor Daughter joined us and we decided we were too hungry to stay and too poor to pay $15 for a burger.

We pushed our way through the massive crowds to the exit and I did happen to notice some beautiful murals on the way out. I wish I had seen them sooner because I really wanted to sit and appreciate them. Only a girl with an art history degree comes to a place like Sea Life Park and takes pictures of murals. They really were stunning, though.

Since the entire island was at Sea Life Park, we snuck off to our favorite SUPER-SECRET BEACH whose name I will not reveal here because it is perfect and majestic and I don't want anyone else to know about it. If you come visit me I'll take you, but you will have to be blindfolded first. We breathed in the salt air, swam in the sea, and appreciated the realness of the world around, feeling Hawaii for the first time that day.