Snorkling

There was no sleeping in for us on Thursday morning. We were going snorkeling, and the check in was at 8:15am, 45 minutes away from where we were staying. We got up around 6:30 and got ready to go. Everything was packed up the night before so that all we had to do was get dressed and get out.

We got there really early because we had read that morning traffic was a bit harsh. We should have thought about the fact that we were in Maui, and their definition of traffic probably doesn't compare to DFW! Anyway, the check-in was at the Pacific Whale Foundation which is also a store, so we were able to look around a bit to pass the time before we left. While we walked around outside, we noticed that it was REALLY windy. A few minutes later, a girl called us over to her to explain the day to everyone. She had to should pretty loud to be heard over the wind. We were hoping that we would get out of the wind once we were on the water, but what she said to us wasn't very encouraging. She told us that they were going to do their best to let us snorkel, but if they thought it wasn't safe, we wouldn't be getting in the water. We were on the longest snorkel trip offered on the island, so it could turn out to be a long day on the boat.

They gave us a breakfast full of carbs. It was alright, but I wished that I had eaten before we left.

The first stop was to an island called Molokini. It's known for all of it's turtles, and is the most popular snorkel spot. We could actually see this island from our new ocean view room. As we approached, I went upstairs to the outside of the boat because the ride seemed pretty smooth. They drove us straight up to the island, but decided that the wind was too rough, as did every other captain because the cove, usually surrounded by boats, was deserted. I took a few pictures as we got in, but as the captain began to turn the boat, the ride got extremely rough. I couldn't even get back off the top of the boat because I would have fallen down the stairs, so I held on to the pad of the bench I was on with all of my strength. Mitch had stayed down because he wasn't feeling so good.

When I finally made my way back to our seats inside the boat, Mitch was not there. I looked back, and he was standing at the back of the boat with the rest of the sea sick passengers. He was sopping wet from all of the waves that were hitting us, and every once in a while, I would see him lean over the side. I felt really bad for him.

We finally got to our second snorkel spot at the island of Lanai, and they decided that it was safe to get off the boat. After they anchored, the boat just rocked back and forth, and I was surprised with how much it moved. I decided that Mitch would feel much better in the water, and after getting one of the crew members to confirm that, he reluctantly got in with me.

We went around for quite a bit, but when we stopped putting our heads under, Mitch started noticing how much we were moving up and down, and got sick again. He took off his mask, and just tried to survive at the point without loosing any more food. I urged him to put his mask back on, and to leave his head under water where he wouldn't notice the rocking, and he finally obliged. That seemed to help, but after a few minutes, I noticed that we were pretty much the only people in the water. We swam back to the boat only to realize that everyone had gotten out of the water for lunch, and the line was super long. Mitch of course had no interest in food, but I got some, and brought him a drink. What we didn't realize was that we would be on the boat for another hour before it took off for the trip home. It was kind of rough for Mitch because it was tossing so much, but he found a place on some steps to just lay his head against the wall and close his eyes. I stayed inside for a while because there was another guy on the other side of the steps, but he eventually left, and I went and sat behind Mitch for the rest of the trip. That turned out to be a great spot for him, and he felt much better when we got off the boat.

We went out to dinner at the Big Wave Cafe, and he was eating fine until we started talking about the boat. His mind started playing tricks on him, and all of a sudden he wasn't feeling so great again. He ended up saving his dinner for breakfast the next day. (Yes, Mitch eats cold leftovers for breakfast. I make him think that I think it's gross, and although I wouldn't eat it, it's kind of cute.) Although he didn't eat his dinner, he somehow found a way to eat 1/2 of the dessert. Hmmmm...

I'll post the pictures from the water proof disposable camera once I scan them.