CRATER SNORKELING

MOLOKINI
Every day Team VFH stayed on Maui was planned, even our idle times. All the sightseeing excursions and even the well-earned time at sand gravity were all charted and coursed and with good reason. There is so much to do on Maui and with only a week available to us at the Ka’anapali Beach Club we were determined to see as much of Maui as possible. After all it’s expensive to get to Hawaii and Maui is a very pricey place so no time was wasted, but, even with all of our planning we had to make executive decisions about where our allotted time would lead us and we had to sigh with resignation at not having enough time to do everything. 

Now, you may think this would be debilitating to a vacation, to have every moment planned? It is very feasible to just kick back at the resort and let the days saunter into happy hours and sunsets, but Hawaii, and particularly Maui, has so much beauty to offer that it would be a shame to just sit on a chaise lounge every day!

A room with a view

So far on Maui we have done a lot. We’ve ambled past resort after resort along the Ka’anapali Beackwalk, stopping for Mai Tai’s (of course) at Duke’s. We have taken the lovely and treacherous Road to Hana. We have gone “full tourist” to attend the “authentic” Old Lahaina Luau. We have dodged Honu the sea turtle while frolicking in the surf at the clothing optional Little Beach at Makena State Park and attended an incredible Uncle Willie dinner show concert at Mulligan’s on the Blue. Of course, we have also sat at the pool, were graced by rainbows each afternoon and sighed at the sunsets over Molokai as we stood on the beach hand-in-hand. We’ve had dinner at a restaurant along busy Front Street in Lahaina and had drinks at the Maui Brewing Company Brewpub, whose bar features a strip of ice to keep the beer cold. It’s been a very busy half week with all these “must-do” Maui destinations.

Next on the agenda for Team VFH was another must-do Maui excursion; snorkeling at Molokini. It is a partially sunken volcanic cone that has formed a curved islet. Approximately 3 miles off shore, in the channel between Makena State Park and the Target Isle, Kahoolawe, Molokini is the number one spot to snorkel on an island that has plenty of exceptional sites for the sport.  When I first saw pictures of the crescent shaped island I was shocked by the exotic beauty and my immediate thought was this had to be very inaccessible and a destination only for locals or the privileged. Thankfully Molokini was neither. With morning sails out of Maalaea Bay from several companies Molokini proved to be very accessible and a top tourist destination with good reason.
Because of the curved shape of Molokini the water inside the crater is sheltered from the ocean currents and this calm safe haven is home to several hundred species of fish and other marine-life. Molokini is in the middle of the channel and deep water and there are no sand deposits. The water is exceptionally clear and visibility is up to 150 feet. This combination of calm waters and pristine clarity make Molokini the number one destination for snorkeling on Maui. 

MAUI SNORKELING DESTINATIONS

Molokini is a State Marine Life and Seabird Conservation District and access is limited and going ashore is prohibited. Obviously disrupting the coral is too. Of course the fish are used to humans invading their home and are tame. Still to get to Molokini you need to take a tour. Each of the licensed tour companies have mooring spots so as not to disturb the coral. We went with Quicksilver and purchased our tickets through the resort at a discount. Still it was not cheap at $123 for the two of us. It was well worth the expense for this unique experience though. The price included a continental breakfast and a lunch. Alcoholic drinks were available after snorkeling for a very reasonable price. Underwater cameras were available for rental and by the time the Quicksilver docked again at Maalaea Bay the crew would have burned dvds of your pictures. We rented wetsuits because the water was cooler and they helped keep us afloat but the snorkeling gear was all included. 
QUICKSILVER MAUI

I have to say that the crater was somewhat crowded There were a lot of tour companies represented and there were a lot of bodies in the water, but Janet and I were able to glide along with comfort. The captain announced that the visibility at Turtle Town was poor. This was the second destination for our planned snorkeling adventure and because of the conditions there the Captain opted to stay longer than usual at Molokini, that it was not worth the effort to travel there. After awhile a lot of people returned to the boat anyway and for awhile we had free run of the crater largely to ourselves, unpressed for time. 

THE MAYOR OF TURTLE TOWN

We were disappointed though in not venturing over to "Turtle Town". It is an area near Maluaka Beach in South Maui and the protected Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle is in abundance here. The waters of this beach are calm and inviting to the turtles because Mount Haleakala blocks the prevailing trade winds. It is possible to drive to the area and snorkel from shore. Had we more time on Maui we might have visited these gentle creatures.
TURTLE TOWN INFO

Mahalo for reading. Sorry for the delay between entries. Please come back to read more about Team VFH 's extended trip through the Hawaiian Islands!

Janet and greg

MOLOKINI AND NO BIKINI

LITTLE BEACH

Our Wednesday in Maui was a planned beach day. Maui has especially lovely beaches, mostly along the western coastline from D.T. Fleming Park north of Lahaina all the way down to Big Beach at Makena Beach State Park with a few in the north mostly centered in the valley between Kahului and Paia. In the town of Hana, on the extreme eastern edge of Maui, there are also a couple of beaches; a red sand beach and a black sand beach at Wai’anapanapa State Park. Mostly the northern edge of the island is rockier with cliffs although there are coves where

Wai’anapanapa State Park Hana

you can swim if interested but they have none of the facilities found in the beach parks. All the beach parks no matter how small have bathrooms and outdoor showers. South of Lahaina for lengthy stretches along Route 30 there are no official “beach parks” but we noticed lots of people parked and surfing and camping. Basically if you find a place that strikes your fancy you can swim. Hawaiian law says no one can own the surf and so even if you have private property people can have access to your beach. “Beach access” signs are everywhere, sometimes next to some very exclusive looking property.

And, the best part is they are all free, no New Jersey type beach tags necessary along any of

Big Beach

the 30 official miles of Maui beaches.

We decided to go to Little Beach this day. Clothing optional bathing is tolerated here and the beach is just over a little hill from Big Beach. Park at Makena Beach State Park and when you get to Big Beach make a right or follow people towards the collapsed cinder cone. Unlike Big Beach there are no bathroom facilities or lifeguards at Little Beach, just some gnarled trees and sadly some people who come to Little Beach to ogle…a bit too long. There were all kinds of people at the beach that day, from young to old wrinkly folks who don’t care what they look like

Little Beach with Molokini

anymore…ahem… me… But, the water was clear; we could see turtles in the water; and refreshing. The waves were strong though, you have to be a careful for sometimes the surf broke very close to shore. You can be several feet in the air on a wave and then pounded into 3 inches of water. Nearby Big Beach bears the dubious nickname of “Breakneck Beach” for this very reason and afterwards we learned that someone just last week cracked a vertebra in the capricious waters. So if you decide to go to either Big or Little Beach please be sure you are very aware of your surroundings.

We survived the day though. After making sure our sun screen was applied appropriately we

Molokini

lounged in the warm sun and cooled off in the beautiful water when necessary. From Little Beach there are great views of Molokini, a half-submerged crater 3 miles offshore and great for snorkeling, and Kahoolawe, nicknamed the Target Island. Uninhabited because of a lack of fresh water Kahoolawe was used by the military for target practice from WWII until it was stopped in 1990.

To avoid the sun some people draped towels or blankets over the gnarled trees at Little Beach to form shady areas; others brought umbrellas. It was very low key, but it was a Wednesday. Sunday afternoon and evening is very different. The beach gets crowded with people and a “drum circle” forms and fire dancers contort along with the rhythm. Not sure why they do it, but I’m sure it has something to do with Aloha Spirit. If you decide to go, make sure you bring a flashlight because the hike over the hill is rough and after sunset it’ll be more treacherous. Perhaps you’ll run into Steve Tyler, that guy from Aerosmith.

He’s been known to make the trek to Little Beach… Myself, I’m holding out for Liv. Oops …sorry Janet.
LITTLE BEACH

GO….

Mahalo for reading!

Here's a video of the drum circle...