Honu at La a'Loa Beach

An extremely large honu (Hawaiian sea turtle) enjoys the crystalline water at La a'Loa, a beautiful little beach on the Big Island's famous Alii Drive. Although it may be difficult to see from my camera angle on the beach, this honu was so large that a local surfer even commented to me, "He [the honu] is a grandfather!" La'a Loa means very sacred in the Hawaiian language, and this is the site of an ancient Heiau. This beach is referred to in many guide books as Magic Sands Beach, earning this nick name because the level of sand can vary from week to week, depending on the tides and the weather. When the beach is smaller, the shallow turquoise water extends even further out into the ocean since that is where the sand has gone temporarily. This beach often looks different from day to day --thus the "magic." On this particular day, a gentle shore break rolled into the south edge of the bay and created small sideways-breaking waves, the foamy part on the left side of this photo. Watch for Alii Drive when the annual Iron Man Triathalon is televised from The Big Island !