For our last day on Maui, it was time to finally hit the warm ocean waters surrounding Hawaii. We booked a cruise with Maui Vacation and spent most of the day on the water near Molokini Crater. Molokini is a tiny volcanic cone just off the southwest coast of Maui with a submerged half providing unusual local reef-like conditions. More important, it is teeming with tons of tropical fish such as butterflyfish, triggerfish and tangs. When we arrived at Molokini, those who wanted to snorkel geared up. To capture underwater pictures, buy the disposable water camera that's on deck. Though the picture quality isn't as sharp as a good digital camera, the memories are priceless. One of my favorite photos on this trip is with Locke waving at me while we are both under water and snorkeling...
Open Water
After our snorkeling excursion, we head out to the open waters between Maui and Moloka'i. The deeper waters is where the larger sea life roam about. With camera in hand, I manage to capture two great shots: one of a turtle as it comes up to breathe; and the second of a humpback whale as it does its tail flip – woohoo! Let me tell you: it's all about preparation, timing and a little bit of luck!
I got the sense that this event was a once-in-a-lifetime moment for Locke & I. Locke was in particularly good spirits as we did a few things he was looking forward to on this Hawaii vacation: a chance for both of us to intimately mingle with Mother Nature; play in the water; and just relax with one another in the sun. After all of our sightseeing, it was nice to just kick back and let the boat captain drive us around.
After our boat cruise, Locke & I spent the rest of day milling about West Maui. Though Maui as a whole has a reputation as being too "overcommercialized", there are still places where the pace slows down just a bit. Our hotel was at Napili, which is close to the end of the road in northwest Maui. The pool overlooks the ocean and it was a fantastic sight to watch the heavy surf pound the shoreline just a few feet away. Amazing images that are forever sealed into my memory.
Rainbow Sighting #5 - along the West Maui coast!
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