Beautiful Hawaii, wonderful snorkeling.

Beautiful Hawai'i.

You cannot beat the beautiful and warmer waters of the islands.

I recently stayed on the island of Maui. It's been 2 1/2  years since I've been there and I didn't realize how much I loved and missed it until I stepped out of the Kahului airport.

The weather was perfect nearly every day with highs in the low 80's and cool ocean breezes. Signature rainbows were present in the mountain country every day and arching from the coast to the island of Moloka'i.

For the first time, we left our snorkel gear at home and rented equipment from one of the local swim shops. I'm a bit of a germaphobe so I did some research and discovered SNORKEL BOB's actually scrubs and disinfects their gear individually- and their face masks and snorkels were of very good quality. We picked out one of our favorite snorkel spots, Slaughter house beach or Kapalua beach.

Despite our attempts to stay on West coast time, 3 hours later than Maui, the parking at the beaches was just as crowded because everyone else had the same idea. The earlier the better I say. Arriving by 8 a.m. Maui time proved to be the perfect hour to acquire quality parking and prime sand realestate. (most of the local restaurants and hotels don't start breakfast until 7:30 or 8 a.m.) We had rented Tommy Bahama sand chairs for the week and not only was this worth every penny, but secured your sandy space without a problem.

I'm a fairly good swimmer, but I have to admit a little uneasiness getting into the rougher ocean waters of Maui in nearly 3 years.

Getting the fins on my giant feet proved easier than I expected. I only gulped a couple mouthfuls of water.( Only recommended if you need to purge breakfast or gross out the other snorkelers.) The  mask needed adjustment, which should be done BEFORE getting into the water, but after it was defogged and securely on it never leaked or fogged. (if you forgot the defog liquid provided by the rental business, liberally spit into the mask and swirl it around. Works!)

Looking down into the clear water is like entering an entirely new world. As in times before, I was mesmerized and caught up in the delight of all the exotic fish, eels and sea slugs. I just floated along with the massive schools of the silvery Bar jack fish or beside the nearly invisible Needle fish, (A'ha). I had forgotten how wonderful and how much I enjoyed this bit of the vacation.

On our first visit to the islands, in 1989, we snorkeled in Hanama Bay on Oahu. We had a baggie of peas that we passed out to the fish and marveled how lovely to lure them to our sides and nibble out of the hands. A "Must do" touted in all the tour books! Certainly it was incredible- but a cautionary tale....

When we vacationed in Maui for the first time, in 1998, we thought to repeat that wonderous experience and took our ziplocks of peas out to the bay of Slaughterhouse beach. This beach is actually large piles of rock you have to walk over to enter the water, but the fish variety is amazing.. . . and much more aggressive. (regard the warnings to NOT feed the fish).

I offered a few peas to a pretty little rainbow fish who delicately nibbled it from the palm of my hand. As a half a pea sank downward toward the sea bottom, a group of Parrot fish snatched it and began surrounding me. As they tugged at my fins, my shirt, and ripped a hole in the baggie, I knew I was in trouble.

The fish called out to their other coral eating friends with razor sharp teeth and I was the center of a feeding frenzy. Remember, they eat coral and you need a tough under bite for that job.  Rapidly getting out of the water, but forgetting to leave the baggie behind, I clambered onto the rocks, followed by the fish, now leaping out of the water, gnashing at air and missing my fingers by millimeters.

Crawling further out of the ocean, I looked up to see a woman perched in a beach chair with her children. The water churned around me and fish were flapping on shallow rocks. My chirps of "help!" fell on her deaf ears and those of Mr. Man, floating behind me, watching me being attacked by the beautiful fish turned rabid for green veges.  The woman sitting in her chair started screaming shrilly, "SHARK! SHARK!" apparently the only sea life she imagined could be causing such a frothing of fish and a crazy lady. As the other beachers and snorklers fled in panic, I flung the baggie backwards and ran over/crawled the rocks to get myself out. Lesson learned. DO NOT FEED THE FISH OR WILDLIFE. Do NOT expect rescue from any kind of mauling or fish attack. You will be on your own!

This months trip to Maui , 2016, also had its cliff hanging moments, but the snorkeling was delightful. After floating along for over an hour, I looked up to find Mr. Man to see if he was ready to get out of the water. (I recommend you snorkel with bright colored t-shirts to make it easier to locate your swim buddy out in the water. Everyone looks alike out there). As I looked up, I was surrounded by fellow snorkelers bobbing up and down looking at me. For half a second, I thought myself the sea princess, attracting all to my side. One man spit out his snorkel and pointed down, saying, "There are sea turtles swimming in circles under you." I quickly looked down , and there they were. A huge turtle , with a 3 1/2 foot shell , and a smaller friend.

From my position, Mr. GO-PRO snorkeler was unable to get his shot and wanted me to get out of his way . Selfishly, I said, "I don't think so" and left my legs, and ample torso where they were so the turtles could finish their circles. Then, I followed them to the shallow ledges of the cliffs until I could no more. I really, really wanted to touch them. They were that close, but now that I am more mature and more respectful of other species, I didn't  molest them at all, kept the other folks from reaching to touch them , and made one of the most memorable Maui memories ever! I was a lucky lady this day!

Snorkeling is fun. Try it. You won't sink. The ocean buoy's you up. Wear a ton of sun block on your backside and don't forget to look up every few minutes to keep your bearings on the shore and your proximity to shallow coral and volcanic rock lining the coves. Be careful to not touch the coral, (it kills it for years) or get cut on it or the volcanic rock. (it scars and hurts!). Been there, done that!

Aloha from the beautiful island of Mau'i. I can't wait to leave and get back here again!