Molokini Snorkeling Trip

We woke up around 6 am today for our 5 hour Molokini snorkeling trip departing from Ma'alaea harbor. We checked in at 7 am, boarded the boat for a continental breakfast of coffee, juice, fruit and bagels and cream cheese. The Four Winds II catamaran was large, and though there were a good number of people on the boat, it didn't feel crowded. It took a little over an hour (at a leisurely pace) to reach Molokini. On the way, the captain commented on how well we could see Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island.

 

  

We anchored, and everyone (slowly) made their way off of the boat and into the warm, glassy water. 

  

 

When I put on my mask and looked underwater, I couldn't believe my eyes. You could see all the way to the bottom, which was maybe 50 feet down in the deeper parts where we were allowed to snorkel, and the visibility was supposed to be near 150 ft that day! The fish weren't scared of us at all- they would come over and check us out. Apparently feeding the fish at Molokini became illegal only a couple of years ago. Here are just a few of the (literally hundreds of) pictures that Corey took. The last picture is of a reef shark on the ocean floor.

We snorkeled as much as we possibly could, forgoing lunch even, until they signaled for us to board the boat again. Luckily, there were a couple of hotdogs, one burger, and one piece of chicken left, so we didn't go hungry. The winds picked up significantly on the way back to the harbor, but it was a very enjoyable trip overall.

We snacked on shave ice and an ice cream sandwich at Hula Cookies in Ma'alaea, and then headed home for a nap (we had taken Dramamine for the boat ride).

For a belated anniversary dinner, we went to Cafe O'Lei nearby in Kihei (above Da Kitchen mentioned in a previous blog entry), which served "Hawaiian Regional" cuisine. It was lovely- I splurged and ordered the baked king crab legs (every tiny morsel was pried out and dunked in melted butter) and Corey ordered one of the specials of the night (a white fish in a creamy sauce that was cooked perfectly). We very much enjoyed our night out.