More sunshine, more fish, and more encounters with lovely Honu sea turtles — what’s not to love?
As November brings yet more of our Pacific Northwest gray and drenching rains, I’m about ready to head back to Maui and our favorite beach! (top photo) I take a deep breath and hang onto the muscle memory of diving into the embrace of the nurturing sea.
$CoMmEntQ
Thor had a new mini underwater camera, and he got several videos of the sweet Honu sea turtles. This one was munching away on greenery in the corals at one of our favorite snorkel spots along the road between Kihei and Lahaina. To get to the “coral gardens,” we have to swim out from the beach about a quarter mile, winding among coral labyrinths, but it’s usually calm and easy swimming.
We spotted a striped eel swimming along, which was cool because usually they’re hiding in crannies with just their heads poking out.
More pretty urchins among the coral:
A trumpet fish:
Depending on the weather and wind/chop of waves, we drive to different beaches or coves to find the best snorkel spots of the day. One day we found a new spot on a dead end road past fancy gated houses and this church. Keawa’i Church was founded in 1832.
A typical cove with lava outcrops that harbor fish and other sea life among coral growths. Usually we swim out a ways along the lava peninsulas to get into clearer water away from shore.
Close to the end of our stay, we tried snorkeling off Chang’s Beach and found ourselves surrounded by a dozen or more Honu at a “cleaning station” among the corals. This is where fish wait to munch on algae and other growths as they clean the turtles’ shells for them. Win win! The Honu are so mellow and curious that they often approach closely to check us out, and we have trouble keeping the mandated protective distance from them. But everyone’s cool!
One more dive among our fishy friends!
Aloha! Sunset from our rental condo lanai.
Next week: a Maui side trip to the Io Valley.
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You will find The Rambling Writer’s blog posts here every Saturday. Sara’s Caribbean suspense novel from Book View Café is ISLANDS, which draws on her experiences working as a scuba divemaster on various islands, and also her research into petroglyphs. Sign up for her quarterly email newsletter at www.sarastamey.com
