I'm glad you had a great time. That bottom picture is beautiful.Spent 2 weeks in Hawaii. Thankfully, I was able to find a pair of fins that don't crowd my toes and never had a hint of a flare-up while I was in the ocean. The bad news is that, during the second week, there was a +2 high tide coupled with a southerly swell that conspired to keep us out of the water for most of the week. So I got obsessed with getting great wave pics. Tell me whatcha think
We went up to the volcano and there was lava:
This is, I think, the best picture I got. It's the only dedicated surfing heiau (altar) in the Islands. Offerings are still left at Ku'emanu heiau for tasty waves.
Spent a couple of nice evenings listening to local musicians, discovered the best hamburger on the Big Island (Ultimate Burger) and finally visited the artist colony up on Hualalai's slopes (no big whoop). We were there during the Merry Monarch Festival but didn't realize we were. We watched all of it on TV, though. Probably the best seat for me, considering. We'll try for tickets for the next trip in 2019.
The waves pics are impressive, too. Great job.