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Molokini
Here is a snorkeling tour I signed up for in Lahaina.
The boat is called the Maka Kai, and takes you to a tiny
island called Molokini just a few miles off Maui.
Molokini is the upper most part of a volcanic crater, and is
shaped like a 'C'. Inside the 'C' area, the water
depths are rather shallow, and the clarity of the water is
astounding. I was able to see around 150 feet.
Here
is a shot of the island as we approached the island.
There were about 5 boats anchored off already, but there was
plenty of room for us.
On my way out there, you have the option to sign up for a
half hour snuba tour for an extra $40. Feeling
adventurous, I signed up for the tour. There was one
instructor, and the excursion was limited to 6 people.
Luckily, I was the only one signed up, so I was able to get a
private lesson. The idea behind snuba is that you go
down under the water breathing through a regulator that is
attached to hose, which is attached to an air tank floating
on the top of the water. It is the same idea as scuba,
except without the tank. I have never scuba dove
before, and was a little weary about what I needed to do, but
after the 10 minute crash course on how to clear my mask, and
equalize the pressure in my head as we went down, along with
other tips, I was confident it would be fun.
I went down 30 feet, and felt extremely comfortable, as the
instructor stayed by my side the whole time. We stayed
down for about 30 minutes exploring the sea floor of Molokini,
and watching the other snorklers 30 feet above me.
After this experience, I am much more comfortable with the
idea of scuba diving in the future. One thing that I am
wearing which I felt was a big asset in snorkeling, are those
yellow hand fins. I bought them at a snorkel shop
called Snorkel Bob's for $20, and it was a great investment.
They really helped me propel through the water. Most
times I didn't wear fins on my feet, wearing ocean shoes
instead, and the hand fins helped make up for the lack of
propulsion I would lose not wearing feet fins.
After snorkeling around Molokini, the boat anchored about 1
quarter mile of the shores of Wailea. This area is
called Turtle City because of the sea turtles that reside
here. After snorkeling with the sea turtles, the crew
of the Maka Kai were kind enough to carefully show off some
sea life they were able to pull out of the ocean.
Pictured here is the Hawaii state fish, the
Humuhumu-nukunuku-a-pua’a. Also shown were some sea
urchins, and an octopus.
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