The picture was taken from the back of Maui Magic on our way back to the harbor after a couple hours of snorkeling. This is looking back at Pu'u Ola'i, a volcanic cinder cone just south of Wailea.
4/23: Arriving in Maui
4/24: Wailea Old Blue
4/25: Snorkel Trip
4/27: Makena North
4/28: Pineapple Tour
4/29: Wailea Emerald
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On our second full day on Maui, we started the day with a snorkeling trip. We went through the same company that we snorkeled with five years ago, however we went on a slightly different and longer trip. The company has two boats, and this time we were on the Maui Magic, a faster boat that was advertised to be a snorkeling/dolphin watching trip.
While we only saw one dolphin that only surfaced for a brief moment (two quick to get a picture), the snorkeling was fantastic. We also spotted a humpback whale breaching off the port side. The whale was quite a distance from us (I would guess at least a mile away), and despite then getting my camera ready we never saw it again.
Just about all snorkel companies on Maui advertise taking you our to Molokini, a small island located off the south coast of Maui that was formed by a dormant volcanic cinder cone. While there are other great snorkeling spots, this one seems to be the "tourist" thing to do. Fortunately for us, the weather prevented us from going to Molokini. We had been out to Molokini five years ago, so we were looking forward to a different experience. With the winds blowing straight from the north, the wind was pushing the water straight into the open part of the crater, creating choppy water conditions.
Instead we set out for a couple destinations on the southwest side of Haleakala. The second spot, called the Pinnacle, was a coral formation a few hundred feet off the coast that rose from the ocean floor. If was a very concentrated destination, and it featured some great snorkeling. Alicia spent a lot of time in the water at both destinations. I spent the most time at the first destination, a location just off of the most recent lava flows on Maui. I was excited to be able to see an octopus before it blended in with the coral along the bottom of the ocean.
The views of Maui were just as good as the snorkeling at BBQ lunch. Here are a few pictures taken along the southwest side of Haleakala.
