Busena Underwater Observatory

After the glass bottom boat ride we walked out to the Busena Underwater Observatory. 

It was the coolest thing. You walked down a spiral staircase. At the bottom were 24 or so little windows. We were surrounded by a reef with all sorts of fishes, starfish, coral, sea snakes.... It was really amazing to be under the water watching the sea life. There was a huge difference between an aquarium and the real thing.

Of course the Nemo fish were everyone's favorite! They were so cute. Parker really loved the Nemo's.

This was such a cool thing to do. I'm sure we will be doing this again!

Our Side of the Pacific Ocean

We left Ikei Beach just as the rain clouds were heading in. We really lucked out with amazing weather the past couple of days. This is our view of the Pacific Ocean. Much different then the views we grew up with in Oregon. The water here is just so beautiful, even as the clouds roll in.

Last Stop- Ikei Beach

Ikei Beach is one of the beaches in Okinawa you have to pay an entrance fee. Its a nice beach that is well roped off with jelly fish nets. Today for Mother's Day, Diana and I were free. Also, the kids all got free ice cream! We all swam and played on the beach for a few hours.

Hannah had a fun time swimming out to the floating raft and putting on a water jumping show for everyone. She really wanted Carson to do it also, but he was too scared. He did swim out there with her though, hand and hand, she got him there and back. They really are the best of friends!

 

Diana and I had a great Mother's Day. Both are hubby's are gone so it was nice to have each other today and all weekend. The kids had fun playing and we enjoyed chatting on the beach. We should have 6 very tired kiddos after our 3 day beach adventure!

Nakabura Ruins- Ikei Island

After stopping at the castle we drove out to Ikei Island. I saw a little tiny sign for the Nakabura Ruins. We drove down a one way road and found this hut. It was so cool. The first Okinawan's lived in these type of huts. They are built into the ground and have strong stone walls. They were actually pretty big inside. The kids would have loved to play in there all day!

And of course this giant ax was a hit. Everyone wanted their own picture with the ax!

Todays 1st Stop- Katsuren Castle

After meeting the girls at Starbucks we headed out for today's Mother's Day adventure. Our first stop was Katsuren Castle. We have been to this castle many times but the girls never have been. It is a fun and quick stop with an amazing view at the top.

Taking the Ferry to Tsuken Island

Today was such a beautiful day, all blue sky again! Diana and I decided to adventure out to another island. We made the 11am ferry to Tsuken Island just in time. The kids were all so excited to ride the ferry again. They have been asking every weekend to go again. The ferry to Tsuken Island is only about 20 minutes. They all wish it was longer!

This is the island we headed out to, Tsuken Island. It is on the East side of Okinawa, pretty close to our house. It was so beautiful. The ocean was so many different colors of blue.

The Amazing Tsuken Island Beach

After we got off the ferry a nice older Japanese man drove us in a little old bus to the beach. Can I just say this was one of the prettiest beaches we have been to yet. It was amazing. We had the beach to ourselves for the most part. One Japanese couple swam for an hour and rode jet skis, but then it was just us. The water was crystal clear. The sand was soft. We found so many huge pieces of seaglass. We were all so happy we choose to do this today.

The boys finally got to try out their new snorkle gear. They were so excited. They were both able to do it pretty well. Cooper struggled with the swimming part, but he just needs more swimming practice. Carson finally figured out the whole swimming thing, kicking hard and using your arms at the same time. He swam and swam. He would come up and say, "Mom, it is just so beautiful under the water." I was so proud of him.

As you can see this beach was amazing. I couldn't decide on just one picture. I love them all. I can't tell you how much we loved this beach. Even Diana and I went swimming. The water was so clear, even when it got really deep.

Clearly we will be making the ferry trip to Tsuken Island many times this summer. This is definitely at the top of our Okinawa Beach list!