WHALES ARE PLENTIFUL OFF MAUI
By Bob Van Leer

   (AT SEA OFF MAUI, HAWAII, MARCH 3, 1993) - Our party split up today. I wanted to go snorkeling but couldn't convince anyone else.

  So the five of them (Betty and my sisters and husbands, Bud and June Pallardy and Lou and Ruth Chiodini) rented a car and went touring the island.

  The snorkeling boat was a 58 feet long catamaran that took about 25 of us to the small island of Molkini. The island is crescent shaped and the snorkeling area is the water in the cove made by the crescent.

   Molokini is the top of a volcano that just made it to the surface. It is a marine preserve and Capt. Chris Dennis, in his instructions, said we were to look but not touch. No souvenirs.

  We left the dock shortly after 7 a.m. and the wind was blowing pretty good already. Captain Chris said this was standard Maui, a 15-25 knot trade wind. But not to worry. Haleakala, the 10,023 feet high volcano that forms the south part of Maui blocks the wind from Molokini. And this is just what happened.

  We tied up in the cove after about a 45 minute run across the water. The ocean here is a deep cobalt blue. There is hardly any shallow water. The mountainous islands drop straight down a mile or two to the ocean bottom.

  After a short instruction course we slipped into the water which was about 68 degrees - not cold but not real warm either. I had a "boogie board" which made viewing easy. Just lay across the board, put your mask in the water and observe.

  The cove was full of tropical fish in every shade from bright yellow to coal black. It was like you were swimming in a tropical fish aquarium. The water was crystal clear. We were swimming in an area that ranged from zero at the island to 30-40 feet deep. The bottom was as visible as if there were nothing there.

  The bottom was mostly covered with living coral and there were sharp-spined sea urchins in the crevasses. We were warned not to step on them as it could be painful.

  There were dozens of kinds and sizes of tropical fish, some singly but most in schools. I spent about an hour in the water swimming around and observing. I'd have like to have stayed in longer. But at the temperature of the water I was beginning to shiver.

  The boat crew served us lunch on board. We were all snorkeled out at about the same time and made the run back to shore.

  We had seen a number of whales on the way out but saw many more on the way back. One passed by the stern of the boat at about 75 feet out. For an animal weighing tons, this is not far away. We were told most of the whales are hump backs. They spend December through March in Hawaiian waters having their calves and breeding the next generation and then head north for the summer.

Limited Language

  The Hawaiian language is quite limited. It has only 12 letters including 5 vowels. It is no longer used as a conversational language except on the small, privately-owned island of Niihau.

  We were told the island is owned by the Robinson family and is left much like it used to be. There is a settlement of a couple of hundred native Hawaiians and they live without electricity and other modern conveniences. There are vehicles for farm use but none for private transportation.

  Children go through primary school on the island but attend high school in Kauai, the closest island. Apparently, after an exposure to a more modern life a lot of the children don't go back. Our guide said the Robinsons, themselves, don't live on Niihau.

  We had heard stories about Hawaii being overbuilt. Honolulu and Waikiki beach are crowded, but the Neighbor Islands are far from it. It's sort of like judging the Oregon Coast from what you see at Seaside.

  Dinner aboard the ship is always a treat and tonight was no exception. It's a white tablecloth type of dining with three levels of waiters making sure you are taken care of.

  There are restaurants on three decks serving everything from snacks to dinners. The earliest started at 6 a.m. and the late night snack bar closes at 12:30 a.m. All the food service is included in the fare and you can eat all day long if you want. The food is excellent and it is difficult to avoid overeating. As an example of what is needed for a ship of this size, I was told the ship goes through two tons of pineapple a day. Someone else must be eating most of my share.

  At 6 p.m. we got underway and are now at sea heading for the big island of Hawaii. We will dock at Hilo in the morning and spend the day exploring the island by helicopter and bus.