Welcomed by a beautiful sunrise in Kauai, Julie and I walked to a nearby athletic club to catch a Lyft to Poipu, the favorite beach of many people.
It's not a huge beach, but it was not crowded.
Both turtles and monk seals like to rest in the sun on Poipu beach, and we were blessed to see both.
Some orange markers ask humans to stay at least ten feet away, and volunteers often shoo away people who infringe on that space.
The snorkeling may not be as good as at Richardson's Ocean Park or Ka'anapali Beach, which we would visit the next day, but finding where the brightly colored fish are feeding is part of the fun. It becomes a game of discovery and delight when we happen upon a large school at an unexpected moment.
The best snorkeling is just inside the surf, as the edge of the reef, which is not very far from shore, but not necessarily where you might predict by looking in from shore. A good bet is to go where the human swimmers are not plentiful.
On one of Julie's snorkeling turns, as she was appreciating a rich swath of varied tropical fish, a second sea turtle swam past her on its way to shore.
She followed awhile, but by then, there were too many others splashing around in the shallows further in, so the turtle turned around and headed back to sea rather than joining its friend on the beach.
Kauai is an easy port to explore from a cruise, with lots more to see than just Poipu.
There's actually a nice beach just a half mile walk from the port, Kalapaki Beach, if you just want a quiet beach day. It doesn't get much easier than that, but the town of Lihue isn't too far away.
You can take a shuttle to go shopping in Lihue.
We have regularly rented a car there on port days, because it is one of the easier islands for that, with a car rental office in Lihue.
I recommend perusing possible shore excursions, even if you decide to do it yourself.
Keep in mind that a guide can highlight points you might easily miss, as well as filling in the backstory and local legend.
However, if you decide to just chill out on the beach, you don't need to worry about why the chicken crossed the road.
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