Honolulu, HI

I was dressed and ready to run some early morning errands when I got the call: “Hey, we have openings on this morning’s Glass Bottom Boat Tour, you in or what?!”

Hmmmmmmmmmm. Dilemma. Run errands, or spend the morning taking in Kaneohe Bay’s underwater and Koolaus Mountain splendor…..the choice was about as obvious as whether Ferris Bueller was going to take the Ferrari home or drive 80’s teen movie carefree through the city streets…..if you had an option like this would you run errands instead?…..”neither would I.” I quickly exchanged the running shoes for flip-flops and headed over the Pali Highway toward Oahu’s lush Windward side.

My friend is an educator and guide on the boat and had been sparking my curiosity for weeks. I have to tell you, the first time I heard the phrase “Glass Bottom Boat,” I was a little nervous. Should the bottom of a boat really be made of glass? Sounds a little Cinderella-ish.
Boats are not supposed to have glass bottoms, they’re supposed to have strong exteriors so you and I won’t find ourselves grabbing for life vests when the glass begins to crack mid-voyage. I mean coral and rocks can be sharp, ouch! I imagined the glass deck being a little slippery, having to hang on to the rail for dear life every time the boat made a turn. I tend to be a little paranoid.

I was happy to discover on a recent Glass Bottom Boat (or the “G Double B” as I like to call it) tour through tropical Kaneohe Bay, the boat was of course not only very safe, it offered a very unique underwater viewing experience. The kind where you don’t even have to get wet!

As the tour group and I climbed into the boat’s gull, I noticed right away that the G Double B offers ample seating and plenty-o-underwater viewing (6000 square inches to be exact). We were able to sit back, relax and enjoy the fun and educational narrated tour . We watched colorful coral, exotic tropical fish, and even one of the boat’s crew members snorkel right below our eyes. We were even lucky enough to catch a sea turtle swaying to his beat, in tune with the motion of the underwater plant life.

The crew are a laid back bunch, loving every minute of the tour like they’re seeing it all for the first time. They’re very polite and knowledgeable and even have a bunch of souvenirs of the sea to check out, including some musical seashells they eagerly demonstrated for us.

I was so glad I brought my camera, as the upstairs viewing deck offered panoramic views of the stunning Koolaus Mountians Moolii Island (called Chinaman’s hat, because, guess what, it looks like a hat sticking out of the water!) and Kualoa Ranch. It was no stretch of the imagination that scenes from the movies Jurassic Park and 50 First Dates were filmed in this area. Feeling the warmth of the sun mixed with light mist and cool trade winds was a gentle reminder of how lucky I am to live on such a beautiful island.

I admit, I definitely had an insider’s connection on this one, so I got a discount, but normal going rate for the hour long tour is $22.00 with discounts for seniors, military, nurses, teachers, etc. and hey, maybe even you. Never hurts to ask! For an enjoyable experience for the whole family on Oahu’s scenic windward side, I highly recommend the Glass Bottom Boat Tour. The only things you’ll have to hang on to for life are the memories of Hawaii’s beauty.