Aloha Hawaii Lovers,
After we talked about the big fish in Hawaii's ocean like Ono, Ahi, Mahimahi, Marlin and the
big game fishing season, which has arrived in Hawaii, specifically in Kona Hawaii with the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament, we decided to stay in the water, the water of the Pacific Ocean around the Hawaiian Islands. Let's talk more about ocean life in Hawaii.
Those of you who have been following our
Best Hawaii Vacation blog since we started this blog in July 2006 - Oh my, it's another blog anniversary, the 3rd! - have seen lots of great Hawaii photos taken by our friend Jennifer Crites, renowned
Oahu Hawaii photographer and travel magazine writer. However, when Jennifer needed to have foot surgery after a hiking accident on Oahu, she was not able to continue to follow up with more Hawaii photos or guests posts like
'5 Best Photo Tips for Your Hawaii Vacation' for our blog. We had to fill in the blanks with Kawika's beautiful and sexy
Wahine girls of Hawaii - I am sure the guys did not mind - and our own amateur photos of Hawaii.
Today's blog post is about catching up with our dear friend, Jennifer Crites. Good news is that she is back to her busy schedule taking photos of our beautiful Hawaiian Islands, writing interesting articles for travel magazines, and now listen, she is also in the midst of writing a mystery book, which picks up the strong spirituality of native Hawaiians for 'weaving' the story. When the book is on the shelves of the bookstores, we will let you know.
Speaking with Jennifer about her latest book project, reminded us that this is not Jennifer's first book. Her first fiction book, yes.
Jennifer actually wrote together with her partner in life, Gerald Crow, longtime manager at the
Waikiki Aquarium, a fascinating book about 'Sharks and Rays of Hawaii', which was published in 2002. If you can get your hands on this book, you won't be disappointed. Amazing, there are 40 species of sharks and 9 species of rays living in the ocean around the Hawaiian Islands, yet, little do we know about them. There is so much in the book that is fascinating. Here are the reasons why we, Keoki and myself, love this book.
5 Reasons why 'Sharks and Rays of Hawaii' belongs on the best seller list of Hawaii books
1.
There are about 400 photos in the book. There are NO all-text pages. About 60 % of the photos were taken by Jennifer Crites. Other photos were contributed by underwater photographers and scientists from all over the world.
2.
There are exciting stories from people who've had unusual encounters with sharks and rays.
3.
There's also a chapter on the early Hawaiians, their shark gods, how they used shark teeth for weapons and shark skin on their drums, how they co-existed with sharks and rays, and some of their legends.
4.
There's information about staying safe from sharks while swimming in the ocean, and how to recognize the different types of sharks, which ones might hurt you and which ones you don't have to worry about.
5.
There are a lot of "Wow, I didn't know that about sharks!" facts in the book. Kids like to read that sharks, when they have a tummy ache, can push their stomachs out through their mouths, wash them in sea water, and pull them back in again. It's called "gastric eversion."
Now, you can understand that 'Sharks and Rays of Hawaii' does not only attract the adult audience but kids alike. It's educational and entertaining at the same time. This is definitely a book which will keep your and your kids' attention on your next flight to Hawaii.It makes a great gift too.
Well, you may want to own your own copy of 'Sharks and Rays of Hawaii' and peruse through it with your kids leisurely.
Amazon makes it possible with used books as low as $4.49 a book. We'd love to hear from our readers who have read the book and tell us how they liked it. Mahalo and aloha, Pua
Hawaii Vacations p.s.
Last but not least, here is a short bio about Gerald Crow who co-authored the book "Sharks and Rays of Hawaii" with Jennifer Crites. Jerry is a well-known science researcher who has been interviewed for many TV programs and has appeared nationally on the Discovery Channel's "Shark Week" and on Animal Planet. He's also featured in the Discovery Channel's book, "Sharks." He's currently doing research on jellyfish.
