Snorkeling the Molokini Crater

Snorkeling is definitely one of my favorite things to do in Hawaii, and according to some sources, the best snorkeling on the planet can be found right here on the Islands. Most of our excursions consisted of packing a picnic lunch, loading the car up with a beach umbrella, towels, and chairs, and tracking down the beach parks most noted for good snorkeling. Some were better than others, but there is no such thing as a bad beach day in Hawaii, even if the snorkeling turns out to be a bust. But for our last snorkeling adventure before coming back home, we decided to splurge and take a chartered boat trip to the Molokini Crater, a popular destination for scuba diving, snuba, and snorkeling. We signed on with The Pride of Maui for the 5-hour morning trip which included snorkeling gear, stops at two diving locations (Turtle Town and Molokini Crater), continental breakfast, full lunch, and unlimited beverages, included the ever popular Island favorite Mai Tai. Molokini, the highlight of the trip, is a crescent-shaped partially submerged volcanic crater which forms a small islet filled with coral reef and tropical fish. The water here is crystal clear, even at 30-foot depths, with no sand from the waves to murk up the view. We saw yellow tangs, trumpet fish, surgeon fish, parrot fish, and Moorish idols, swimming in and out of the coral, as well as sea urchin and a couple of turtles. On the way back into harbor, eight spinner dolphins swam with the boat for a while, jumping out of the water, diving under and around the boat, and seemingly just enjoying swimming along with us. That was a real treat! With picture perfect weather and calm waters, the first class accommodations and staff on The Pride of Maui, and of course the awesome sea life, this was the perfect "last snorkel on the Islands" (at least for this time!).

Visitors In Maui

Dan and I often encourage our friends and family to visit us wherever we end up as we travel the country. We are always happy if we end up in a place somebody wants to travel to, and they can organize their travel plans to coincide with ours. Such was the case during our stay in Maui. Dan's sister Becky and her husband Alan flew over for a week with us, which just so happened to include Alan's birthday. We had a busy fun-filled week, and couldn't believe how fast the time flew by. We snorkeled, shopped, drove the Road to Hana, went to a Luau on Alan's birthday, lounged by the pool, visited 'Iao State Park, and just enjoyed each other's company. Here are some pictures from our lovely visit.

Snorkeling in Hawaii

What would a trip to Hawaii be without ocean snorkeling? Paddling around in the warm Pacific Ocean, buoyed by salt water, flippers, and the regular intake of air into my lungs, I would be content to float in this magical fish bowl all day long. It was hard to believe the array of tropical fish we saw within a few feet from shore. Bright yellow tangs with their eternal smile, beautifully painted rainbow wrasse and parrot fish, polka-dotted spotted box fish, brilliant red sea urchins, and the striped Moorish Idol were just some of the many fish we were lucky enough to spot while swimming over corral reefs and rocks. Dan was even treated to a brief swim with a sea turtle! We don't own an underwater camera, and didn't opt to rent one, so the pictures I have below are borrowed from Google Images and are excellent depictions of the underwater world we experienced.