Today we took a fabulous trip on the Pride of Maui to visit Molokini and “Turtle Town.” We gathered before 0700 for the drive to the harbor and had breakfast on the boat on our way to our first snorkeling stop: Molokini.
On the top deck of the boat
Molokini is a partially submerged crater of an extinct volcano. It was once used for target practice by the US military, but is now a State Marine Life and Bird Conservation District. Students who chose to snorkel were treated to a variety of fish and coral in beautiful water.
A group photo in snorkeling gear at Molokini
We were all back on board after about 90 minutes, and had lunch during the trip to Turtle Town. Turtle Town is an area near Maluaka Beach that hosts an abundance of sea turtles. The goal of snorkeling here is to see one or more of the graceful creatures, but there are more fish and coral to see as well.
Kumu Noel poses with Laura and Jessica at Turtle Town.
After an hour of snorkeling, everyone returned to the boat for the trip back, which included hand delivered cookies and drinks. We returned to the hotel about 1400. I heard several students planning to do classwork and take naps–as well as some more time in the sun, the pool, the shops, etc.
Tomorrow we travel to Kihei to learn about the Ko`ie`ie Fishpond and the practice of la’au lapa’au, traditional Hawaiian herbal medicine.