Tolga Könik's Personal Log

My wife and I spent our honeymoon in Hawaii with a diving trip. Since we have completed our pool and theory training in Michigan (highly advised: Aquatic Adventures of Michigan), all we needed to get our PADI certificate was to dive at some excellent sites in Maui. We had a wonderful time thanks to Scuba Shack and our wonderful teacher Greg. I had never realized that our first shark encounter could be such a poetic experience (below). In later years, we had another lucky shark encounter where we shared a small cave with a good sized shark and a giant sea turtle. We felt very safe with more experienced divers around, maybe partially because the reef sharks have a smiley face when their mouths are closed.

USO (Unidentified swimming object) recognized as a shark by our instructor Greg, size between 30cm to 3m depending on who is telling the story - Maui, Molokini Crater

I LOVE windsurfing. Alacati-Turkey is my favorite windsurfing location. While it provides consistent strong winds for advanced surfers, it also provides mild morning winds and a safe bay enclosing the surfing zone for beginners. I also windsurfed in Ann Arbor with the University of Michigan Sailing Club. Ann Arbor winds were, almost always, not quite good for windsurfing, but just before and after the winter, there was some chance of catching a small window between the time the tail of a thunderstorm passes by and the time all boats are grounded due to storm. Bay area seems to have great windsurfing opportunities that I am yet to explore.

Me and my brother Arda - Alacati 2002

In the same trip, we went to Big Island, Hawaii where we tracked over lava terrain. We stayed at Arnott's Lodge which was organizing one of the few hiking trips getting close to flowing java (Volcano Park, Hawaii). We also drove  to the summit of Mauna Kea (4200m).

Lava Flow - hiking time: 2 hours, flow speed: slow - Big Island, Hawaii

Here are some other activities I enjoyed in the past: I was part of a nationally (Turkey) competitive volleyball team in high school. Nowadays, I only play recreationally with significantly reduced maximum jumping height and significantly increased reaction time. I also spent some time to learn Viennese waltz but those skills are overwritten by tango now. I also spent great times camping and tracking on some of the beautiful mountains of Turkey with Bogazici University Mountaineering Club.

I watched 1999 and 2006 full solar eclipses. My first eclipse experience was shockingly impressive.... The whole surrounding changed in a matter of seconds with a rush of wind, animal noises and darkness. A note: %99 eclipse is nothing like a full eclipse.