This morning I was up before the sun after a really good sleep. I made some coffee and headed out to the lanai to greet the morning. I did some writing as I enjoyed listening to the ocean waves which were mighty powerful that morning.
Sue joined me on the deck about an hour later and we sat and watched the rain. Our lanai is well protected so, other than some drops flying off of the palm trees, we were able to remain dry. A baby gecko joined us and we spend some time protecting it from birds that kept swooping in to investigate. So, this was basically our morning. We sat, enjoyed coffee, and read our books.
We headed south for Maalaea at about 12:30. Our whale watching and snorkeling tour took place about an hour drive away from our condo. Along the drive, I was fascinated to see banana, mango, papaya, passion fruit, and star fruit trees. As the road traveled mainly along the ocean, I was also able to peak at paddleboarders, surfers, and a few more humpback whales. On the opposite side of the road was the impressive remnants of a volcano.
We needed to meet our boat, The Boss Frog III, at slip 87. After filling out waivers, we boarded and headed out to our snorkeling point. The crew provided us with flippers, snorkels, and a mask. After we were moored in a small inlet, stairs were lowered down into the water and we descended into the ocean. We spent about an hour in the water investigating the fish and coral. As I swam closer to the shore, I was really able to feel the push and pull of the tide. It was so fascinating to watch schools of Black Durgeon swayng with the tide. The fish that we saw were mulitcoloured and varied. Besides the Black Durgeon, we also say Trumpet Fish, Moorish Idol. Parrot Fish, Achilles Tang, Long Nose Butterfly, Yellow Tang, and Pennant Fish. There was rumour of a turtle sighting by a few other snorkelers but it had swam away by the time I got the the vacinity.
Along with the beauty of all of the fish that we saw, the coral was splendid. Gnarled and bumpy, some in the shape of brains, others were almost like knuckle bones. Some of the coral had sea urchins attached to them. Between some of the coral was a red finger like creature - I don't know if it was plant or animal based but still looked cool.
Our group was called on board so that we could investigate some whales. This is not the most upclose and personal whale watching tour that I have ever been on. We did see a few humpbacks breeching and waving their fins at us but at a great distance.
The weather was alternatively rainy, cloudy, and a bit sunny while out at the snorkel site and on our way back in to harbour. When we were called on board, I chose to sit at the front right side of the catamaran. The right side of the catamaran was essentially the only part of the entire boat that got splashed on the entire journey back to harbour. So, not only was my bathing suit soaked from the snorkel experience, but by the time we docked, my towel, birks, backpack, and all of its contents were soaked through. I had officially been baptised by the Pacific Ocean. Needless to say that I was freezing. Sue put the heat on full blast in the Jeep for the journey home. My shoes, at least, were dry by the time we got back to the condo. A hot shower was in order. We have a washer and drier in our unit so we did a load of laundry to de-salt our clothes.
We enjoyed bacon and eggs , toast, and carrots - breakfast for dinner and a local brew. Sue and I played some Uno and I sort of stayed awake until 9pm but maybe Sue would argue with that one!
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