oceanfront Polynesian Luau
Snorkeling by day, luau by night.
Shower, short nap, hour drive north to Lahaina. Evening plans? Feast at Lele. What island vacation would be complete without a traditional Hawaiian luau?
getting my luau on
Truth: First exposure to a Hawaiian luau – the Brady Bunch. Mike, Carol, 6 kids & Alice all wearing flower leis – enjoying island life but troubled by a cursed Tiki idol, which followed them all vacation. LOL>
4-course dinner & dance, celebrating the island cultures of Hawaii, New Zealand, Tahiti & Samoa. Ranking them – personal faves: Hawaii & Tahiti.
LOVED LOVED LOVED it! Highly recommend.
Feast at Lele, Lahaina
Woke early Tuesday with a goal to snorkel Maui’s south shore.
Couldn’t reach folks by phone (too early, only answer machines) so drove to the boat dock in Kihei (pre-dawn, still pitch black) with plans to join an existing tour. Talked to 2 different groups – both fully booked…on a Tuesday? Who knew?
Back in the condo, feeling kinda deflated, continued my google search. Most tours leave at 630am; luckily Kai Kanani in neighboring Kihei additionally had a 9am tour start. (Thanks Steve for calling – I couldn’t handle another rejection.)
Wait, wait, back up. Flew 8 hours to Hawaii & snorkeling plans just happen today on the fly?
Truth: Haven’t swam since Ironman Boulder (August 2014). 8-months of training – completely burned out. If I never swim another 100 laps at 4am, think I’ll be a-ok. Wouldn’t miss it. Truth.
Bigger truth: Crazy fear of sharks. Begged my dad to see ‘Jaws’ when I was a kid. Movie house was full – our seats, front row…which meant everything was HUGE. Years later, I still shower with my eyes open – shampooing hair & all. Far as I know, no shark has ever squeezed up household plumbing thru a shower drain. Yeah…this film wrecked me.
So at age xxx, no scuba or snorkel stories in this guy’s wheelhouse…yet.
Luckily (because life is meant to be lived) when calling home, Ash harassed me (incessantly, over & over – Saturday, Sunday & Monday nights)…until this day arrived – waking early Tuesday, deciding…today, I’m going snorkeling.
Molokini Deluxe Tour
Our most popular tour, snorkel at Molokini Crater and Turtle Town. Great food, beverages and cocktails.
4 Hour Tour | Departs 9:00 AM Daily
Just 15 Minutes to Molokini Crater
Start your Maui snorkel tour closer to Molokini Crater than with any other company. Weather permitting, some boats take over an hour to reach Molokini Crater – at Kai Kanani it takes 15 minutes thanks to our exclusive departure location on Maui’s South Side at Makena Beach.
Because of rough sea, toughest part of the day – boarding the boat.
Groups of 4-6 waded out into the ocean. In between large rolling waves, crew members helped steady folks up a waiting ladder. Nothing like a huge crashing wave to get you used to the water – LOL>
Aboard the boat: introductions, safety talk, do’s & don’ts, brief snorkel instructions – and WHALES…large humpback whales! What I didn’t see on Sunday night’s whale & sunset cruise, unexpectedly I saw today. MASSIVE mammals!
[side note: in 15 minutes, I’m gonna jump in ocean water. Yikes!]
Anchored the boat near Molokini Crater, lined up early – jumped in. Done. No more story – appears I’m still a mighty strong swimmer & had an absolute blast. Initially hovered on top as instructed, turned on the underwater camera & followed a school of black tropical-stripped fish. 10 minutes in, was ready to dive. All the cool fish hug the reef 🙂
Due to murky ocean conditions, never saw a sea turtle…or the reef shark that another snorkeler filmed. Just as well – I would’a freaked. HA! Ended our day cruise with buffet lunch & Mai Tai’s.
So would I do it again? ABSOLUTELY!
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- North Pacific humpback whale
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- WOW, WOW, WOW!
Molokini Snorkeling, Maui
Marathon & volcano hike – top 2 (only 2) items on my Hawaiian adventure list. Being a cold-weather mountain enthusiastic, ran the risk of missing out on everything Hawaiian – island activities just don’t cross my mind (I’m in the 2% world minority 🙂 ). Luckily, many of my friends have been to Hawaii & filled my post-race itinerary with excellent recommendations. Thanks!
Woke early Monday still feeling a little banged up from the previous day’s marathon, so opted for a sit-down road trippin’ day. With no east-west highway available across Maui’s south shore, headed north toward Kahului before driving east on Maui’s infamous Hāna Highway. Today’s road-trippin’ destination: the Road to Hāna
Stats: 52 miles, 617 curves, 56 bridges, 3 hours
Sandy beaches & the arid landscape of Wailea soon gave way to lush green forest & dark lava-fed soil – exactly what I remember folks talkin’ about on their Hawaii vacations. What folks didn’t talk about was the windy road to Hāna. Scenic – heck yeah – but curvy…worse than California Highway 1. One-lane bridges, the new norm. No visibility; initially you inch around these blind turns hoping a car won’t clip you on the other side. An hour in, you realize that’s why you buy insurance. LOL>
2 hours in, pulled over & hiked Ke’anae Arboretum – short hiking trail thru the tropical forest. Highly recommended.
Back on the road, stopped for lunch in Hāna Bay. Fresh fish, outdoor seating with an ocean view – FAAANNNTASTIC! Stopped in a gift shop to verify I wasn’t missing something historic – nope, nothing else in Hāna…beach & food. Check, got it covered 🙂
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- lush green forest & dark lava-fed soil
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- 52 miles, 617 curves, 56 bridges, 3 hours
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- Twin Falls
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- Ke’anae Arboretum
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- Rainbow Eucalyptus
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- short hiking trail thru tropical guava groves – highly recommended!
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- fresh fish, fresh fruit — my 2 Hawaiian faves
Autobahn’ng the return, stopped to watch the mighty waves of Pāʻia.
Worked my way down the rocks at Ho’okipa & stared ahead into the aqua blue. Rough surf made for AMAZING 20-foot waves. Ocean smashed over the large volcanic boulders. Sound. Smell. It’s the mighty waves of Pāʻia I’ll remember years from now.
Watched surfers ocean-paddle, incoming wave approach, surfers seemingly disappear, moments later heads break the surface in unison – pop, pop, pop – and the game repeats. Mesmerized, stayed ’til nightfall.
Hawaiian Day 3 over – tomorrow morning, snorkeling Molokini Crater.
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- WOW WOW WOW!
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- whatta show — ocean smashed over the large volcanic boulders
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- mesmerized, stayed ’til nightfall
mighty waves of Pāʻia
