Maui- Day Three

This morning, I dove into the pool at the rec center to resume my regular lapping routine. The water was chilly, but as my arms began to slice through the water I set my thoughts on propelling myself back to the salt laden ripples of the Maui cost. I tried to pretend that the blue tiles on the floor were merely electric blue fish I had encountered the week before. After showering I smoothed on some of the coconut lotion I had purchased and my mind had almost convinced myself that I was in fact still in a tropical environment, until I walked out the door into the frigid air and inches of snow- blast that reality!!!


Tuesday March 1st- Snorkeling with the Pacific Whale FoundationWe awoke bright and early this morning, not by choice, but because of our 6:00am boarding call on our snorkeling adventure out of Ma'alaea Harbor 15 minutes south. We were booked with the fantastic crew from the non profit Pacific Whale Foundation on a two site stop of Molokini Crater and Turtle Town. We set out over the water just as the sun was cresting over the mountains and it was sensational! The waters were expected to get a little rough and choppy later that morning so we were pleased with the early start and the waters held to perfection- we were the only snorkel boat there.

Right now in Maui it is Whale Season. The humpback Whales have migrated from Alaska down to the waters here, between Maui, Lana'i and Moloka'i to mate and birth their calves. It was literally "Whale Soup" and you can't drive a boat in a straight line to get anywhere because of all the whales surfacing and playing around you. Fascinating and exciting to say the least. While on route we had to stop because a Competition Pod consisting of 12 whales was crossing our path.
This is one female with 11 other males competing to be "the one". She plays it cool while male hormones fight it out behind her, pushing, shoving, tying to drown each other and coming up and spouting air constantly. Truly a sight to behold. It was great to have the crew of certified Marine Biologist narrating the whole event for us- totally excited about what they were seeing!!!

After all that stimulation we were able to make our way to Molokini- 10 miles off shore, a semi-circular crater reef that is a marine and bird sanctuary. You are not allowed on the island, but the waters are crystal clear and the coral is amazing! I would like to post up the pictures from our underwater camera, but I couldn't get a 1 hour develop to CD done, so I will have to post edit this when I get them back- that is if any of them turn out! I will admit that while there were lots of cool beautiful fish, it was not as many as everyone had told us there would be, but it was beautiful and really fun to be there and enjoying the waters with Paul hand in hand.Next we loaded up and made our way to Turtle Town- this is what Paul and I were excited about. Here was a reef where the Hawaii Sea Turtles come for a cleaning from other fish. This was Awesome! We saw lots of turtles- in fact they were swimming right with us, one was even following us around! Because the turtles are protected it is a $150 fine if you touch one. Our snorkel guide kept telling us to get back, but they just kept following me!!! It was a total kick to see those turtles lying around with little tiny fish swarming them nipping the dirt away. I really hope those pictures develop well because these should be good shots.

When we were all back on the boat the crew fired up the BBQ and we all had a tasty lunch as we passed more whales on our way back to the harbor. It was a 5 hour trip and we loved every moment.

That night was an unscheduled free dinner night for us. After a little research we found the Aloha Mixed Plate. We had hoped to get the iconic "Plate Lunch" while we were here. I ordered the BBQ Teriyaki chicken, rice and potato/mac salad plate while Paul picked the pulled pork. Now, this evening turned out so great because we didn't even know until we arrived that this place was right next door to the Grand Lahaina Luau (the most expensive and renowned on the West side) and they were the ones that catered it. What this means is- We were seated out on the deck right next to the ocean, the Luau music was playing, we were enjoying the exact same food AND the sun was setting in a spectacular fashion right next to us- and it only cost us $25 and that was with a Pina Colada!! It was a total moment when we looked at each other and said

" This IS paradise"!

Tomorrow- we scavenge the deep in the Atlantis IV Submarine, don't miss it!