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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Kauai's best kept secret...

Many years ago when I first arrived on the cosmic  Garden Island of kauai, I would swim in the ocean everyday with my mask and snorkel.

The ocean is one of my passions but with chronic back pain, nerve damage, diabetes, and yada yada yada, swimming is the best therapy for my many medical problems.

 I quit swimming in the ocean on a daily basis since I was getting cut by coral quite a few times and developed cellulites, a skin disease, most people would not get, being diabetic I am more susceptible to infections. Plus I had a near drowning experience and have been gun shy of the ocean ever since.

Swimming releases serotonin in one's brain, you hear of runners and "the runner's high," in comparison, I get the swimmer's high. Many days I have a hard time pushing myself to swim, but the rewards afterwards are low glucose , lower blood pressure and more serotonin feel good chemical in my brain which acts as a natural anti-depressant.

I still have the highest respect for mother nature and the ocean but needed to find somewhere I could swim without the worries of being cut by  coral, being swept out to sea and possible shark bites.

A long time ago I walked over to Kapa'a pool and asked how much it cost for a membership to swim there? The lifeguard at the time told me, "brah, dis Kauai's best kept secret, It's free!" No ID required, no money required and some of the friendliest Aloha  spirited lifeguards I have met.

I would like to thank Keala, Jeremy, Brandon, Eric and Cheryl for my lifeline and a place to heal, "Kapa'a Pool," Kauai's best kept secret.      http://www.theoriginalkealakai.com/

I am taking my chances that someone may actually read this blog and no longer will Kapa'a pool be kept secret, oh well, I just can't keep my mouth shut.