This week Hawai'i has turned from a gentle, warm tropical oasis into a moody, stormy, extreme place! 
In the space of five days we endured the two worst storms experienced on the island in the past fifty two years! As if that wasn't quite enough, we also got hit by an earthquake! The rain during this week has undoubtedly been the heaviest either of us have ever seen; when it hits the ground it is so loud we literally have to shout to hear one another. The torrential downpours have led to flash floods on the surrounding hillsides, with huge rocks becoming dislodged onto the roads, houses being swpt away, power lines being brought down (leading to total blackouts), and needless to say a fair few fallen trees and flying coconuts! On the bright side though we had been wondering how to get those coconuts down in the first place...
In the space of five days we endured the two worst storms experienced on the island in the past fifty two years! As if that wasn't quite enough, we also got hit by an earthquake! The rain during this week has undoubtedly been the heaviest either of us have ever seen; when it hits the ground it is so loud we literally have to shout to hear one another. The torrential downpours have led to flash floods on the surrounding hillsides, with huge rocks becoming dislodged onto the roads, houses being swpt away, power lines being brought down (leading to total blackouts), and needless to say a fair few fallen trees and flying coconuts! On the bright side though we had been wondering how to get those coconuts down in the first place...Living in the little screenhouse through all this extreme weather, pretty exposed to the elements, has been pretty testing but we have managed surprisingly well. When the first storm hit we realised the entire roof was acting like a water catchment, with the tarpaulin sagging so much it threatened to pull down the whole structure. The open walls were also allowing the wind to blow in the rain and soak pretty much everything. We did some DIY and reinforced the roof with bamboo and then tied up towels around the screenhouse to act as walls. We also hacked at the bushes around the house as the rain was shooting off them onto the bed and electrics! The downside is that the storms have raged for quite a few days now and everything is damp and falling apart - all food boxes have just fallen to bits and we're running out of towels fast!
Leaving the farm didn't turn out to be a much better option. During that first storm we had to head out to the airport to give back the rental car from the weekend. Gaz drove the convertible along mountain roads inches deep in flood water, with lightning bolts hitting the roadside nearby and rocks falling from the cliffs overhead, whilst Rach followed in the farm truck, barely able to see through the windows for rain even though the windscreen wipers were on full. A pretty exhilerating and scary journey! The second storm brought down the power lines up the road, leading to a power cut for 4 hours. Gaz decided (somewhat unwisely in the circumstances) to brave the conditions and went out for a run, only to be driven back by insane thunder and lightning crashing all around the mountainside. We both ended up sat in the screenhouse with gale force winds, constant lightning strikes and heavy rain hitting us from all sides, with only two candles to light us. It was a pretty atmospheric experience!
On the day the second storm began we had booked to do a night dive with manta rays - Rach diving and Gaz snorkelling. Neither us nor the dive boat owners were quite aware of the impact the welling storm was having on the seas around the Big Island coast. We set out mid afternoon in the boat in pretty huge waves, with the boat surging like a fairground ride, often with air instead of water beneath it. We clung on and were reassured the dive site was much calmer; this, combined with the sight of dolphins swimming alongside the boat, made us feel a little easier about the experience. However, these feelings were short lived, as on arrival at the dive site we realised the swell was just as big. Moored up with the boat rocking 45 degrees one way to the next, attempting to put on dive and snorkel equipment, resulted in us both beginning to feel seriously seasick. Rach was trying to keep her eyes desperately on the horizon to hold it together and in doing so put her wetsuit on back to front and inside out - doh! The only respite from the sickness was to jump in and Rach completed a 20m dive with four others in the fading sun, whilst Gaz snorkelled around on the surface, spying some interesting reef fish. Then it was back to the rocking boat to wait for 30 minutes for the sun to set before the night dive, and pretty soon Gaz was in the clutches of more serious seasickness. By nightfall Rach was quick to jump into the black water, and Gaz, even with his lurching stomach, followed suit with his snorkel. We were given t
orches and then out of the dark water loomed a huge manta ray with a 6ft wingspan that came straight towards us. Gaz stayed alone in the darkness with the ray, which turned graceful somersaults right under him, until he had to retire with more seasickness, and Rach descended 10m in dark water with the others. The descent was pretty scary as she somehow got her underwater camera, torch and breathing regulator all intertangled, so headed straight down into the depths with her hands tied whilst the giant rays closed in! At the bottom she managed to wedge herself inbetween two reef rocks and lights were rigged up and all the divers gathered around like a campfire. She watched as five huge mantas swooped, dipped and dived, often coming straight towards her with gaping mouthes feeding on the plankton and a few times clipping Rach on the head with their huge wings! The whole sight, with the graceful mantas, bubbles, lights and little fish was quite outerworldy. Luckily the boat trip back passed quite quickly and within a few minutes of stepping back on land we both felt fine, and finished the evening off with some much-deserved soup and tea at Dennys!
On the day the second storm began we had booked to do a night dive with manta rays - Rach diving and Gaz snorkelling. Neither us nor the dive boat owners were quite aware of the impact the welling storm was having on the seas around the Big Island coast. We set out mid afternoon in the boat in pretty huge waves, with the boat surging like a fairground ride, often with air instead of water beneath it. We clung on and were reassured the dive site was much calmer; this, combined with the sight of dolphins swimming alongside the boat, made us feel a little easier about the experience. However, these feelings were short lived, as on arrival at the dive site we realised the swell was just as big. Moored up with the boat rocking 45 degrees one way to the next, attempting to put on dive and snorkel equipment, resulted in us both beginning to feel seriously seasick. Rach was trying to keep her eyes desperately on the horizon to hold it together and in doing so put her wetsuit on back to front and inside out - doh! The only respite from the sickness was to jump in and Rach completed a 20m dive with four others in the fading sun, whilst Gaz snorkelled around on the surface, spying some interesting reef fish. Then it was back to the rocking boat to wait for 30 minutes for the sun to set before the night dive, and pretty soon Gaz was in the clutches of more serious seasickness. By nightfall Rach was quick to jump into the black water, and Gaz, even with his lurching stomach, followed suit with his snorkel. We were given t
orches and then out of the dark water loomed a huge manta ray with a 6ft wingspan that came straight towards us. Gaz stayed alone in the darkness with the ray, which turned graceful somersaults right under him, until he had to retire with more seasickness, and Rach descended 10m in dark water with the others. The descent was pretty scary as she somehow got her underwater camera, torch and breathing regulator all intertangled, so headed straight down into the depths with her hands tied whilst the giant rays closed in! At the bottom she managed to wedge herself inbetween two reef rocks and lights were rigged up and all the divers gathered around like a campfire. She watched as five huge mantas swooped, dipped and dived, often coming straight towards her with gaping mouthes feeding on the plankton and a few times clipping Rach on the head with their huge wings! The whole sight, with the graceful mantas, bubbles, lights and little fish was quite outerworldy. Luckily the boat trip back passed quite quickly and within a few minutes of stepping back on land we both felt fine, and finished the evening off with some much-deserved soup and tea at Dennys!On other occasions we have enjoyed the big waves here though. Bodysurfing here has been terrific, with 5 foot waves that pick you up in a big glassy wall and hurl you towards the beach. The moment of indecision before the huge wave hits you on whether to dive under it or ride it has to be taken quite quickly! 
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