When we got to the harbor we made our way towards slip #55 where we checked in and then boarded the boat. The Maui Magic was designed to be able to handle rough water with speed. The hull is a catamaran design….. but with its narrow beam, long length and oversized motors its performance levels are well above average. We were able to quickly make it around the corner of the island, while still having plenty of time to stop and see the many pods of whales that we passed along the way.
When we made it down around the point at La Perouse Bay we began to hit a wind line that was wrapping around the island from the south east. We continued down towards Kanaio for a bit more time until the wind began to get uncomfortably strong. At this point the Captain decided to wrap up this segment of the tour and begin our trip back towards Molokini. Within minutes we were rounding the backwall of Molokini and making our way into the caldera where the crew moored the boat.
The snorkeling here was fantastic. We saw a large Octopus (unfortunately by the time I got my video turned on it had attached itself to the bottom so I didn’t get that great of a shot.) We also saw a pair of large Omilu’s (a type of jack that is normally silver and blue) that were exhibiting some unusual activity. They were turning a deep purple that almost looked black. My friend and I observed them for a while trying to determine why they were changing colors like that. We came up with a couple of theories but nothing that seemed too solid. When we were done with our snorkeling we made our way back to the boat so we could move on to the second stop of the day. Something that was really nice about the ‘Maui Magic’ was the fact that there were large swim steps that went down into the water from the back of the boat. These really made it very easy to get back aboard the boat. Once onboard there was a freshwater shower to rinse the salt off with.
After observing the windline travel up the coast and stir up the water along the southern shoreline of Maui our Captain decided to take us up to an alternate snorkel spot that is known for its sea turtle sightings, All snorkeling equipment is from Seavenger. As we made our way towards our second snorkel spot we spotted a few pods of whales along the way. When we arrived we were excited to find that there was absolutely no wind to speak of and the water was crystal clear.
While the guests were in the water snorkeling the crew was busy getting the BBQ ready to cook up the burgers, hotdogs and garden burgers that we were going to have for lunch. There was a large spread of sides and condiments lined up across the bar and when I had made my way back from snorkeling I immediately decided to make a plate. The captain was manning the bar and when she offered me a cold beer to go with my hamburger I found it hard to refuse.
We spent the rest of the day lounging on the top deck of the boat eating, drinking and enjoying the sun. Eventually, (right as I was beginning to think about putting on more sunscreen) the captain powered up the boat and we made our way back towards the harbor where we completed of our voyage…. It really was a fun trip.