Snorkeling At Molokini

I wasn't too sure that I wanted to do this. Jumping off a boat in the ocean and swimming around for an hour in deep water scared me. I'm a good swimmer, but deep water worries me because who knows what is lurking down below. I also wasn't sure that I could tread water for that long and being cold was also a concern. I hate being cold and wet.



That is me, below, getting ready for my first jump. Don't I look sick?






We went to Molokini, pictured below, for our first swim. It is an atoll, nine miles off the coast of Maui. It would have been another Hawaiian island, but it rose from the sea during an ice age and the weight of the ice pressing down on it kept it small. At least, that is what the captain told us. I never knew that glaciers ever covered Hawaii, even during ice ages. When I get around to it, I'll have to research that.

They let us rent wetsuit tops to help with the cold problem. Of course, I got one. The water was 78 dgrees, which is 8 degrees colder than what is comfortable. The top helped, but it was loose and water poured inside. By the time the hour swim was over, my hands were completely numb and I was shivering. At least floating wasn't a problem. The suit kept me bouyant. They also gave us noodles to hold onto.

Other than that, it was one of the best experiences of my life. The water was about 150 feet deep and crystal clear all the way down to the coral reef bottom. The water under the surface was sapphire blue and brilliantly colored fish swam around us. It was like swimming in an aquarium, not that I've ever had a desire to swim in an aquariam. I won't swim with my koi, but this was fun. The tiny fish didn't scare me and there were no big ones. Under the water, it is a completely different world, almost like visiting another planet. It was so peaceful, quiet and colorful.

This photo, above, was taken after the first swim. Don't I look relieved?

Above, is the second place we went snorkeling. It's a favorite spot for green sea turtles. I saw 6 of them, although, it's possible that I saw the same one six times. It's not like they're wearing name tags to tell them apart.

They were cute, but they didn't look especially green to me. The captain said that they are called green turtles because they are green on the inside. I'm glad that I have no first hand knowledge of that.

I bought a green sea turtle necklace as a souvenir and it is bright green on the outside. Even though not an accurate depiction, it seems better than a grey turtle with green insides.

On the catamaran cruise, which had an ungodly 6 a.m. check in time, we were fed breakfast, snacks and a barbecued lunch. Marine biologists were our lecturers, life guards and chefs. On the trip back, it was all the mai tai's you could drink. The marine biologists were also our bartenders. It's not everyday that scientists in bikinis take care of you.

It was such a great day. Don't we look happy? The photo was taken after my second and Lindsay's third mai tai. We were feeling good.