Jan 19th - Maui

Jan 19th - Thurs
We left just after 8 to go on a snorkeling boat trip. The departure point was not very far away but it was a good thing that we left early as the road was closed due to a bad car accident and we had a slight detour. Then we had to wind our way through a huge, beautiful hotel resort to the beach. There were 11 people from the group that we know here.
The large catamaran had been out for an early morning run and we watched the guests unload which was a little unnerving as we realized we had to get on the same way. The captain timed the waves and brought the boat near the sandy shore so the passengers could climb down 2 parallel sets of stairs into the surf and then wade ashore. Since we had to walk the opposite way through the breaking waves, an employee passed out small garbage bags to keep our towels, etc dry as we loaded.
We started by lining up the 60 or so passengers into 2 single file lines and waded into the water. When a larger wave came in, the employees had everyone back up while it cleared and then move forward again. I expressed my concern about losing a contact in the procedure but even though I lost my footing trying to move quickly, an employee kept me from going down completely.
We all moved to the cabin for a short safety talk and continental breakfast as we moved to Molokini crater. We all got snorkel equipment and had to wait just a bit to get a good site to tie up. Some brave people jumped off the side of the catamaran but most of us climbed down the stairs, put on flippers and eased into the clear, clear water. An employee did a reef tour and identified fish for those who wanted to join her. In 45 minutes we all reboarded and had a snack as the captain moved to the other side of the crater so we could snorkel in a different area without having to swim all the way over. This was a good thing as Terry & I were both getting leg cramps from the flippers. After this snorkel session of another 40 minutes, lunch was served and the bar opened - unlimited maitais and beer included in the price. We then moved to Turtle Town, saw a couple of whales on the way but not many turtles.
The captain unloaded us at an alternate beach with smaller waves and we just walked off the stairs into a foot or so of water. Passenger vans were waiting to take us back to the hotel and our cars.
Back at the condo, we all showered to get the salt off and Kathy & I started getting everything ready for our pupu party. At 4, everyone started arriving and we ended up with 15 people counting us & Skip & Kathy. We had a great time drinking, eating, talking, laughing & taking pictures. Everyone left about 8, we cleaned up and then played a game of Wizard before calling it a night. Kathy is determined to win a game of Wizard before we leave!!