Profiles » eat » eat's travels
North America » United States » Hawaii
Snorkeling Lanai - Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Aside from walks on the beach (yes, we took many - no, they did not lead to naked frolicking in the surf), and lounging by the pool reading Harry, then Sabriel, then Artemis Fowl and then The Hanged Man's Song (i like to read), we also did a few organized trips.The first was a snorkeling trip out to Lanai with Maui Adventure Cruises out of Lehaina. Deedee (drop me a note and I'll fix the spelling) and Darrel (same for you) were crew and captain for the large, hard-hulled zodiac we took out to the island. They were awesome.
Deedee was a little blonde surfer girl with a quiet, friendly smile and manner, while Darrel was a big Polynesian fella' with a big personality and plenty of canned jokes - delivered with emphasis on the can. The music was great, the boat ride fun, with a few good splashes and the snorkeling was excellent (as far as this novice could tell).
We first stopped at Shark Fin Cove, named for a rock formation that looks like... Well, I think you can guess that part. The surge got a little big, and I got enough salt in my mouth to make me a touch queasy, but I saw a 3 or 4 foot moray eel, so was pretty stoked.
The next stop was a bit calmer and I swam over to the shore and sat for a while in the sun before snorkeling some more. There was a cool underwater arch, but it was too deep for me (was recovering from a cold, so ears didn't adjust well to changing pressure). We had lunch there and then made the return trip.
Darrel put on Born to Be Wild, followed by a bunch of other classics that sounded like they might be played over a helicopter scene in a Vietnam War movie, and we bounced over the waves back to Lahaina. It was a good hour and a half trip and I got pretty sun-burned riding on the tube. Lindsey gave me an uneven coat of 30 proof on my back from one of those pump action spray sunscreens and I ended up looking like a radiation victim (still visible), but it was a great ride all told.
On the way in we saw some huge turtles hanging out among the moored sailboats and heard the story of the one that was resting on its side on the reef. Apparently they got a little tipsy last Halloween and ran aground...
(Lindsey has corrected me. Apparently we learned about the wrecked boat on the way in from our sailing trip. Ever so sorry.)
Another interesting part of the trip was watching my cousin Nick checking out the cute young blonde in the tiny string bikini (and vice versa). He ended up getting her number back at the harbor. She was staying just up from us and was only in town for one more night. Unfortunately the receipt the number was written on didn't hold up in the hottub... :P
Next time, Biking down Haliakala
- Created:
- Thursday, August 11, 2005 at 6:51 PM
- Last Modified:
- Monday, August 15, 2005 at 9:44 AM