Whales, Fish, Ocean, Canoes
March 21 -24, 2014
Even
though it was rainy the first couple days and we wondered why we had left Kauai , we didn’t manage to find time to watch
basketball. It’s weird since we used to
be glued to the TV during March Madness.
I guess we just aren’t glued to the TV any more.
We
snorkeled at Black Rock. This is where
we got hooked on snorkeling back in 1985.
Our nephew had a little sail boat and we jumped from it all along
Ka'anapali – discovering the underwater world that changed our lives. It was
nice to pay homage. (See the red bar on
the map above for the Ka’anapali area.)
Black Rock
Great snorkeling in spite of rock jumpers
Sheraton at Black Rock - rainbow and windblown palms
The rocky point is blocking the winds for us in the water
It is pretty wicked chop outside the sheltered area
Black Durgons (triggerfish) and Hawaiian Dascyllus (damsel fish)
Detail of Black Durgon showing his stress colors
He/she may have been protecting eggs from other fish
Green sea turtle - Honu
This guy is heading right for the mayhem of the jumpers!
He decided to turn back and Gil followed him down
Big Longnose Butterfly fish (forceps fish)
Rare to see them on Kauai
Gil got this shot - fun to see from a different angle (different fish, too)
The
coolest thing about swimming around the point at Black Rock, besides fewer people, was that
when I held my breath and floated, I could hear the whales. Gil got an even better concert when he dove down under.
Next
day, still rainy, we cruised the Lahaina harbor area and booked a whale watch/
snorkel tour for the following day. The outfit we went to Lanai
with last year was booked. Lucky for us,
there was room on Pacific Whale Foundation’s big catamaran; still hoping for
clear skies tomorrow.
Lahaina Harbor
The catamaran is to the left
That
done we visited the Lahaina canoe club, and went back in time. Since the great successes of Hokulea’s long
distance voyaging, every island has built their own voyaging canoe. They haven’t been on the water yet, but this
is the year. Kauai has Namahoe down at
Nawiliwili harbor and Maui has the Mo’okiha O
Pi’ilani being built by Hui Wa’a Kaulua.
Visit the website, just google Hui O Wa'a Kaulua
Mo'okiha O Pi'ilani
roughly translates to the beautiful rising up of a spiritual lizard or dragon
Wishing you safe sailing soon
Should launch on the full moon in mid-May, 2014 at high tide
Should launch on the full moon in mid-May, 2014 at high tide
Gil’s old friend Kimo Keo Kapahulehua is president of the organization but was not on site. They paddled the Queen Lilio race in Kona together many years ago when he was still known as Bully. We ran into him the next day after our boat ride. That was great because we missed him last year when we were on Maui (see March 2013 Maui post), as he was visiting family on Kauai ! It was really sweet to talk story with him as we had just watched him in
a documentary about paddling to the northwest islands.
We did get to chat with another old timer from the Hokulea. AND his daughter is getting ready to sail on Hokulea's next voyage. The goal of passing it on to the next generation is already happening.
We did get to chat with another old timer from the Hokulea. AND his daughter is getting ready to sail on Hokulea's next voyage. The goal of passing it on to the next generation is already happening.
Gil and proud voyaging canoe sailor (stroking the mo'o)
He was very proud of not just the big canoe but also this smaller double hulled Mo'olele on the property. Modeled after the interisland canoes of the Hawaiians, this one is made of koa and carbon fiber.
Mo'olele - what a great name
Mo'o (moh-oh) means any lizard from a gecko to a dragon but it is also a water spirit
Mo'o (moh-oh) means any lizard from a gecko to a dragon but it is also a water spirit
Lele (leh-leh) means lots of things including to burst forth, or to sail through the air
The club calls her the Leaping Lizard
This is the mo'o, ready to go'o
Next
door to the club is an old fishermen’s canoe shed or k’oa hale surrounded by
the canoe garden. Squint your eyes and
think back many centuries to voyaging times.
Time to return to modern Lahaina, with all the colorful, busy
We pay homage here to a distant past.
Saturday
Sunshine as promised – seems like a long time since we’ve
seen it! We learn that west Maui has not been
this green for thirty years. The
residents are thrilled to have the rain.
We sympathize since we endure it ourselves for Kauai ’s
green north shore.
We
hope to cross the channel and snorkel off Lanai . The captains all talk on the com and figure
out what the best locations are for delivering quality experiences to their
guests. Since we snorkel and whale
watch, they try their best to please everyone.
Though we had some real sun, the mountains were still moody at 8am
A perfect example of mom and calf - big blow, little blow
This is so cute, the baby taking a dive - note the little dorsal fin
isn't quite upright - probably close to newborn
Some real excitement for the folks on the other boat quite a distance from us
Lanai in background
We have a threesome next to us here
Two are left of center, one to right
Probably the same mom and calf plus an escorting male
BLOW!
We are surrounded - that's why we come here, they love to calve here
DIVE!
Looks like damage on the tip of fluke at left
Another critter
Usually a dive means they won't be back up for awhile and
it is usually males that do the dramatic show of their flukes
Another baby diving-
Yeah! good job
The
channel is too rough to cross and the beautiful Manele Bay
Yet another dive
We head in toward Olowalu
instead for our snorkeling. We snorkeled
off shore here many times in the 80s-90s when visiting family. (See arrow on map – pointing to her nose,
that’s Olowalu).
Olowalu
Coral heads in clear water
Gil got all of these next underwater shots diving and using his camera mask. The coral and fish activity were a little too deep for my camera work.
A gorgeous Eyestripe surgeonfish
18" plus tail
Then the 3" little guys - two dozen damselfish
Oval chromis
Wish I could dive !
Ornate Butterflyfish - like 8" dinnerplates
Gil finds a pair every time
Is there anything like bright yellow in blue water?
Two yellow tangs and a four spot butterflyfish
The
catamaran has a great transom for sitting and taking off gear, then a warm
freshwater shower before heading on deck for lunch. The food was great: grilled chicken or burgers (the BBQs were
going while we were in the water) with green salad, pasta salad, etc. We enjoyed Bikini Blonde beers from Maui
Brewing Co., too.
Leaving
our snorkel spot, we resumed the whale watch portion of our trip.
Tail slapping lesson
By jove he has it! Splendid baby tail slap
(sorry for the blur - I got very excited)
On the other side of the
boat.
This is more of a peduncle slap - at least a third of the body
Here comes baby slap just as mom geysers her way down
We
headed back toward the harbor and just when we thought the show was over,
another mother/baby pair displayed.
This is how it is done
Like this?
Bye bye
Back at our digs, we made use of our full kitchen and
cooked dinner for friends that couldn’t join us in the water. Mary Frances broke her foot right before we
left and had to suffer through hours of basketball with her foot up. Thankfully she and Bob had a wonderful suite
at the Sheraton above Black Rock and had a glorious panoramic view between
battles at the hoop. Could’ve been worse.
Beats a half fridge and a micro
Long and skinny arrangement but worked out great
We had a bit of ocean visible from our lanai but we
weren’t there much to see it. It was a
great place to dry our gear though. We
were about 10 minutes north of Black Rock at the Maui Ka’anapali Villas (MKV)
run by Aston. Loved it. We used their gym before checking out and
heading up country.
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