From Karin:
Since the day we arrived, I couldn't wait to go on a traditional, hop in the water with 100 other people and hope to see some fish, snorkeling trip. OK, so I could ultimately do without the 96 other people, but I was excited to get out on the water and to share something that I've always enjoyed with Peter and Davis.
We ended up on a boat called the Four Winds II out of Ma'alaea Harbor on the recommendation of a woman I met on the beach. She is a local and had just done this trip with her kids and deemed the boat and the crew "totally family friendly". The big pluses for this boat:
1. It's big and comfortable. A 54-foot catamaran with 2 levels, a huge upper deck and a big cabin, this boat is designed to hold 130 people, which was the only thing that made me nervous. How can you hope to see any fish when there are so many pale, uncoordinated tourists flopping around in the water? Fortunately, because it is now off season, there were only 25 people on board so we had a delightfully peaceful day in and out of the water (and, surprisingly, a few tanned and sporty fellow passengers). Yes, I am a snorkeling snob and no, I do not consider myself a tourist. The crew was fun and friendly and entertained most of Davis' 1,378 questions about the boat, driving the boat, turning the boat on, turning the boat off, steering the boat, cleaning the boat, stocking the boat, building the boat, buying the boat, crashing the boat, docking the boat, sinking the boat, saving the boat...you get the idea.
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| Captain Brennan entertaining Davis' questions (while secretly plotting to throw this chatty little kid overboard). |
2. It goes to Molokini. This is a small protected island off the southern part of the West coast. It is shaped like a croissant laying in the water because it is the exposed half of an extinct volcano caldera. It is now a bird sanctuary with some amazing snorkeling inside the caldera opening. We finally got to see a Humuhumunukunukuapua'a. Yes, this is a real fish and no, I am not making the name up. It's actually the state fish (more commonly called a Humu) and it's easier to say than it looks. Ready? Read this out loud slowly. Who-moo-who-moo-new-koo-new-koo-ahh-poo-ahh-ahh. Not try it again, faster, and you've got it. Don't worry, it's taken Davis the ENTIRE time we've been here to get it.
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| Lots of boats head here, but le croissant is big enough to feed a crowd. |
3. They feed you breakfast and lunch. This translates to a cooler-free day which is a nice break for mom and dad. We also have found that whenever Davis is active and well fed, things just have a way of going better. I NEVER leave home without snacks because, apparently, the "starving" phase can really sneak up on you when you're four.
4. They have cold beer available the whole time. In cans, sitting in ice, enough said.
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| Lunch and free beer? That's why we're smiling. |
5. They fish off the back of the boat while it's moving. Just because they can and just because they want to see if they can catch anything. I mean, you're already out on the water anyway, right? On our trip the captain was lamenting that he hadn't caught anything all season. Well, I'll tell you what, the Kahns seem to bring a whole lot of good karma with us on our water-based adventures because we saw whales on our whale watch and we caught fish on this trip. I'm sorry, did I say fish? Because I meant to say 7-foot striped marlin. Yes, it was exhausting bringing that fish in....just ask the crew who did it....but a really exciting thing to witness.
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| "Our" catch. |
6. It has a water slide. This is the feature that sold Davis on this boat. A less graceful way to enter the water while wearing snorkeling gear, believe me, but fun for those who want to splash around in between shark sightings. Yep, Peter saw a white tipped reef shark swimming in the deeper water below him....and stayed totally calm... and thought it was awesome. This would not have been my response.
7. It has a glass bottomed room that you can climb down into to watch the fish. This was a great feature and helped Davis "test the waters" when we first moored at Molokini because he could see what he was going to see before going in (including Peter in a mask diving down to the window to wave to him).
8. All of our equipment was provided. I'm not sure if Davis was more excited about the slide or finally having his own fins. Decent gear in all sizes. Well, most sizes.
All in all, it was an incredible day made even better by watching Davis experience this for the first time. He was so excited, enthusiastic, comfortable and brave. I give all the credit to Peter for preparing him for this. The two of them have spent countless hours "snorkeling" in 2 feet of water at Baby Beach to get Davis comfortable with the mask, snorkel and face-down floating. When the time came, Davis suited up, jumped off the back of the boat into 30 feet of water, put his face right in and headed to the reef. He kept pointing out things he wanted to see and was thrilled when he spotted an octopus. For me, watching from the boat with Carter, I was overwhelmed with pride and got that full chest feeling that comes from seeing your child do something really wonderful. I was so happy for him and so proud of him. A great day, topped off when I got to go in with him later and hear him say, "No, Mommy, go this way so we can see the yellow tangs."
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| Ready to hit the water. Man, I love this picture. |
We stopped to see some green sea turtles on the way home and before we could even get to the dock, I asked Peter if there was any way we could turn right back around and go out on the next trip. So many of my favorite things all in one place....the sun, the sea, a beautiful boat and especially my 3 boys....I just wasn't ready for the day to end.
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