Wedding Anniversary in Hawaii, Trip to Molokini

The morning was beautiful and calm as we gathered at the Kihei Boat Ramp and waited for our zodiac to arrive for a snorkeling trip to Molokini. We learned that it was designed and built for the Coast Guard and then bought as the single boat run by our skipper.

At 7:15 a.m. on the dot, our zodiac arrived and was backed into the water.
Molokini is the small darker strip at the left of the far land mass.

The two launching docks and breakwater are now visible.

Mary, Jodie and Craig relax on the starboard bow as we ride to Molokini.

Dave and his family filled the rest of the starboard bow.

Andy and family, plus me, filled the port bow.
Eight strangers filled the section aft of the cabin.
Here, we've just anchored at Molokini among
other boats and snorkelers in the water.

After a half hour in the water, we're wet and back on board
as the skipper casts off for another location.

Maddie eats a muffin. Wind and waves had been picking up since we left
Kihei Boat Launch. During transit to turtle nests at Big Beach,
muffins and juice were passed out to settle our stomachs.

Waves crashed over the bow during transit from Big Beach back to
Kihei Boat Launch. Dave and Mickie are missing here because
Dave is handling a barf bucket for Mickie a'midship.

At this point, First Mate Caroline announced that all cameras
and other gear should be stowed because the waves were
getting bigger and we were going to travel faster.

True to her promise, waves crashed over the bow for the remainder of the trip and everyone and everything got soaked. I stowed both my cameras, so took no more pictures. I probably couldn't have taken much anyway because I had to use both arms to hang onto the leaping craft. All the pictures on this page are desperate snaps with an outreached arm because the boat bounced the whole time and I didn't want to make the crew nervous by standing. The trip back was so violent that it was fun, for those of us not heaving into a bucket. Tyler stood at the bow of the boat and flew a foot off the deck each time a big wave hit, shouting with joy. I had a ball as sheets of water sprayed over us and the bow pitched up and down. The four hour round trip seemed more like two hours to me.

Next adventure: boogie boarding after lunch.