Maui Day 5 - It Can't Be So!

We woke up on our final day in Maui (January 31st) to a beautiful sky.  We had re-booked snorkeling for Friday, so we hurried off to the harbor.  We found ourselves another seat at the front of the boat and sat soaking in the sunrise.  

I sat trying to keep my anxiety down.  I had never been snorkeling and was overcome with the thought of swimming around in the water with little fishies biting my toes or pooping by my mouth.  (I know, but seriously, they have to poop just like us!)

We finally arrived off the little island of Molokini - a crescent shaped spot of land that has an incredible variety of fish.  I awkwardly put on my fins and face mask, took a deep breath, and jumped in.  

And promptly fell in love.

Snorkeling was nothing like I thought.  The fish were beautiful - not the carp sucking disgusting fish I had somehow imagined.  They kept their distance and fed near the bottom of the corals.  Their dainty fins flashed with an amazing range of colors.  I could just float near the surface and watch.  The hour we spent at Molokini flashed right by.  Bryce and I had purposely not rented an underwater camera.  While I wish I had some pictures of what we saw, I am so glad that we were able to just focus on what we were seeing and not worry about capturing that perfect shot. 

We got back on the boat and went over to a cove by Wailea which is known for sea turtles.  By now, I was anxious to get in the water and not waste one minute.  The first thing we saw was a manta ray, feeding near the bottom.  Our guides said that manta rays are uncommon in this area, so we were very lucky to see one.  We then began swimming slowly around looking for turtles.  Almost immediately, I spotted one near the surface only 10-15 feet away.  As I watched, it slowly dove right under me.  I just floated near the top and watched it slowly descend.  Later, Bryce and I came across another breathing near the surface.  The turtle took a few breaths, and then headed right for us, diving a little below as it passed.  We had been drilled not to touch the turtles, so I kept my arms and hands tightly clenched at my chest to keep from reaching out to touch it's bumpy shell.  It was such a breathtaking moment to my soul to be so close to something so amazing.

The whole ride back to harbor, Bryce and I kept talking about how happy we were to end our trip on this note.  As we got closer to land, our captain suddenly killed the engine to the boat.  Floating right in front of us was a baby whale and it's mother.  The baby whale literally swam towards the front of the boat and went right under.  It circled the boat a few times before swimming off.   

Bryce and I made our way back to our hotel.  We took naps and spent some time on the beach.  Then we packed up our things, and made our way back to the airport.  Our time at Maui had simply flown by, but it was a beautiful, frantic, hilarious, relaxing, and marvelous trip.  Aloha, Maui!  We hope to see you again soon.