Today was the day for our snorkeling trip to Molokini and Turtle Town on the Pride of Maui. It was really hard to decide which trip to book – we knew it had to be a morning trip since it is usually windy in the afternoon and sometimes it is too risky to take snorkeling groups there when the wind is up. We asked for opinions and everyone we talked to recommended a different company so that wasn’t really helpful  (although no one said not to use a particular company so that was helpful).       🙂

John did some searching online and decided to go with Pride of Maui.  We had a really good time, the staff was great, there was lots of food and it was a good mix of ages on board.

We left Maalea Harbour at 8:00 and 20 minutes later, stopped to watch some humpback whales showing off in hopes of winning the female.  After a little while, we moved on toward Molokini where we were cautioned about touching the coral and trying to get on to the land.  The water is so clear and it was hard to believe that it was over 150 feet deep, until a scuba diver passed under us and we realized how small he looked.  I didn’t get many good underwater photos for that reason.  We spent about an hour in the water and then needed a drink of water – the ocean seems so much saltier here.  It was almost time for everyone to head back to the boat anyway so we headed back to the upper deck and enjoyed the view.

Once we were underway, lunch was served.  Barbecued burgers (beef, chicken or veggie) as well as hot dogs and chicken pieces along with pasta salad. The wind was picking up and by the time we got to Turtle Town, the water was quite choppy.  John and I decided to give it a try and we were out for about 30 minutes but we didn’t see any turtles (they were around, we just didn’t see them) and I was getting tired from all the work required to not run into the shore.  We went back to the boat and watched for turtles from the upper deck – and were successful in spotting 2!  Some of the people saw a shark – not a large one but I was glad I didn’t see it.

We got back to dock just after 1 and headed back to the condo to get rid of the salt that was caked on our bodies. We are both a little sunburned but it was worth it.

Oh Lizz – last night when we were down at the pool, we saw quite a few geckos eating bugs at the clubhouse.  I didn’t have my camera but will go down later today with it and see if I can get a photo for you.

Molokini snorkelling

On the Pride of Maui with Molokini in background

Yellow Tang (Lauipala) at Molokini