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Maui
-- Water Fun |
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Another part
of our view that gives endless hours of free entertainment
is the marina. Such a variety of boats sail in and
out morning, noon and evening that we feel part of a maritime
community, just by the looking at it all. When we go over
to have a walk around the marina we check out some of the
catches coming in from the sport fishing boats.
Kayaking in the ocean is one of the things I always
want to do more of when I am on Maui. We've had some great
fun at it. A kayak tour in La Perouse Bay had us right
in the middle of a pod of Spinner dolphins. We slipped into
our snorkel gear and eased over the side of the kayak for
some really awesome underwater views of these mammals in their
own habitat. What graceful swimmers, what nuzzling and rubbing
and clicking at each other, and on the surface the thrill
was when one would jump out of the water and spin around before
landing. Kayaking out from the South Maui hotels into the
deeper ocean is a good way to find whales from December through April.
Some hotels have rentals. Just be sure to check your landmark after you
paddle out for a little ways, so you'll know where to head
when it's time to paddle in. Those hotels can all start
to look alike when you are a mile or so offshore! Also, be
careful of the winds, and do not go out too far if it is windy.
Snorkeling is the gold for me when I am in warm tropical
waters. Getting to observe a whole other kind of world and
be in it in a small way is just such a treasure. There are
lovely snorkel places on Maui. What's there to be seen can
vary, but the Fish Bowl and the Aquarium in
the Ahihi-Kina'u Natural Area Reserve on the southern part
of the island are worth the half hour hikes through the lava
to get there. The water entry is much easier from the sandy
beach at the Fish Bowl than the lava edges of the Aquarium,
but they both have a wonderful variety of fish, sometimes
in whole schools, and you can feel a part of the aquatic environment.
If you don't want to combine hiking with snorkeling and want
an easy entry, the cove at the beginning of Ahihi Reserve
is good. We usually see big, as well as small, fish there
and sometimes an eel or a turtle. (Lecture alert: Please don't
feed the fish. When people give them food their natural behavior
is changed; they stop doing their job of getting their own
food, which creates an imbalance in thier habitat; and more
aggressive fish 'muscle out' other fish, so that the area
starts being habitat to fewer species of fish. Lecture Number
Two: Don't stand on the coral!! That pretty rock-looking stuff
is alive and it takes a longggggg time to get to be the size
you see. They don't recover well from foot/flipper bashing
or the touch of exploring hands/gloves. If you have a problem
with your mask or flippers, get to a sandy bottom area to
take care of it, if you can't get onshore to make adjustments.)
The closest area to snorkel from the condo is a 10 minute
drive toward Lahaina to mile post 14. You can see lots
of pretty coral and fish here if the water is clear. If the
winds have been kona (means "wrong way") rather
than the normal tradewinds, the water may be churned up and
murky. In any case, be sure to kick out well offshore for
the clear water and good snorkeling. You'll probably see snorkel
boats anchored further out with their paying snorkelers in
similar waters. But a better idea is to head west to Honolua
Bay if the water is murky along here from south winds
or waves. There is lots more snorkel info in the condo.
Restaurants
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Wildlife
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