Molokini

The last time I snorkeled at Molokini was back in 1984. Brad and I were newlyweds on our honeymoon. My uncle, who lived on Maui back then, hooked us up with some friends of his who owed him a favor. They took us there for free. We enjoyed our sail on the catamaran that took us to the tiny dive spot that is situated between the islands of Maui and Kaho'olawe, but it was obvious that these folks hadn't been there very often because our trip back in the afternoon was a bit treacherous. It was an adventure, to say the vey least. In back of my mind I thought it a little dangerous, and so had not been inspired to revisit the place again. 

Not wanting to miss out on a chartered snorkel trip this year, I decided to make it a priority. I did a lot of research and solicited recommendations from friends and family. I ended up booking our trip before we left home. The company I chose, Pride of Maui, was recommended by a friend of mine who works at the Maui Ocean Center.  I don't have many friends who dive, but she was so positive we would not only make it to Molokini safely, but also enjoy this particular company's snorkel trip, I just HAD to try it. Boy am I glad I did.

According to the people who worked for Pride of Maui, Molokini is one of the top ten dive locations in the world. They say it's because of the crystal clear visibility, the diversity of the coral reefs and marine wildlife that live on or around the island, and because the water is warm like bath water. I found all of this to be true. The snorkeling (and visibility) was spectacular. I saw the largest variety of marine wildlife there than I've ever seen in a singular snorkel (no Honu though). It goes without saying that the water lived up to its tropical temperature.

What I didn't expect was how much we would enjoy the boat ride to and from Molokini. It was safe, handled the swells and wind well, and again we saw numerous flying fish. The other participants were very friendly, and we befriended a sweet newlywed couple which brought back lovely memories. The crew was filled with kind hearted local people who were all to happy to share their knowledge as well as spread the aloha spirit. A great time was had by all, and I would recommend the trip to young and old. It was a bucket list kind of trip that even those who didn't snorkel seemed to enjoy. 

While it doesn't do the place justice, Brad snapped the picture below of Molokini as we were approaching. Note all the boats inside the semicircle. One might think it would be too populated to enjoy, but not so. All the boats stagger in an out in 15 minute increments and so it was one boat group at a time in the water.