If you are jetting off to Hawaii for the holidays—congratulations! Spending time in the tropics while others are dealing with wind chills and snow shovels is priceless. However, the price of paradise can be a bit steep at times (depending on where you stay and what you eat). But, there are ways to have fun in the Hawaiian sun without going home broke. Here’s one of my favorite free activities offered by the Sheraton Kauai.
They are 6 to 8 feet long, and weigh more than a typical sumo wrestler. Their big dark eyes will make your heart melt and their impish faces will make you smile. They are the Hawaiian monk seal and they currently rank among the most endangered creatures on Earth. To put that fact into perspective, consider this: there are less than 1,500 of these rare seals in the world and Hawaii just so happens to be home to 90% of the population (most live in the remote, uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, which extend 1,200 miles beyond the Hawaiian Island of Kauai), while two dozen of them make their home in the waters and on the beaches of Kauai.
Those are just some of the facts you will learn about the intriguing creatures when you register for the Sheraton Kauai Resort’s FREE monk seal education program. The program is run in conjunction with the Kauai Monk Seal Watch Program which was founded in 1999 to protect the monk seals and their habitats by providing management and monitoring. The program also promotes environmental education and community participation—that’s where the hotel comes in. The nonprofit volunteer organization has partnered with the Sheraton Kauai Resort to sponsor a 45-minute slide show and question-and-answer session about the seals, which frequently appear on the beach fronting the hotel.
Among the fascinating facts you will learn during your session include: A monk seal pup grows from 25 to nearly 200 pounds in the six weeks after it’s born; an adult can dive as deep as 1,600 feet and stay down for as long as 20 minutes; and the animal gets its name from the multiple folds of skin around its head and neck, which resemble a monk’s hood, and the fact that, like monks, it leads a solitary life.
Program directors recommend the session to family members of all ages. The session is also highly recommended to visitors who are not familiar with the animals as it provides guidelines for “proper human behavior while viewing them on the beach.”
The free program is offered every Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the Sheraton Kauai Resort’s Point Lounge. For more information click here.
For a list of some of Hawaii’s other budget friendly activities click here.
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