24 hours and counting.

So I've spent almost a day now on the H'i'ialakai, and I've learned a couple things.

1. I do not have my sea legs yet, Have you ever seen that episode of Family Guy where the whole family, including Brian is in the back of a van, and everyone is making fun of Brian because he can't seem to stand up without sliding around and falling over? Yeah, that's me.

2. While the rocking might be difficult for walking, it's fantastic for sleeping. I was gently rolled to sleep like a baby in my mother's arms.

Today we arrive at our first stop, Nihoa. Nihoa is an interesting island because while it's small, arid and on the fringe of the main inhabited islands, archeological evidence suggest that a small group of native Hawaiians lived there permanently for several hundred years. It's unclear why they would want to - the island isn't exactly the nicest place to live. At only 73 acres, there's little room to grow crops, and no other real sources of terrestrial food. Sure, you can fish, but fresh water is a problem, too, as the island is small and without mountains to capture clouds and rainfall. It's name says it all: Nihoa means 'jagged' in Hawaiian.

It's thought, however, that Nihoa may have been used for religious purposes. While it's not the best place to raise a family, it's only a hop, skip and jump to Mokumanamana, the next island to the Northwest. Mokumanamana is even smaller, and could not (and did not) support permanent residents. However, it does boast the highest concentration of temples and worship sites of anywhere in the entire chain, suggesting it was of great importance religiously. It's suggested that Nihoa served as a staging ground where people could stop and rest after the long journey from the other, main islands on the way to Mokumanamana.

Anyhow, I've got to get some breakfast and report for duty. We've got drills and training until we arrive this afternoon, and a dive to get in after that. So aloha for now!