Today we went on our scheduled trip to Lana'i, a small island (13 miles by 17 miles) off the west coast of Maui. Lana'i was purchased almost entirely by Jim Dole (of Dole Pineapple fame) in the 1920s, and was used to grow pineapple until 1993. Although there is no more pineapple growing there (having moved to Central America), the island is almost completely undeveloped, with only a couple of hotels. It is not as lush and green as the other Hawaiian islands, but it has good snorkeling and diving. We decided to do this trip instead of Molokini, which we have heard is terribly crowded. Trilogy is the only charter company that is allowed to take people onto the island of Lana'i, so it was not at all crowded.
We went out on a large (65') catamaran called the Trilogy I. They served us delicious cinnamon rolls soon after we set out, and wraps (tuna, turkey, or chicken) when we neared Lana'i. We had a very large pod of dolphins with us part of the way, which was exciting for everyone on board. The dolphins seemed really playful, keeping pace with our boat, swimming just off the bow, and coming really close. One even did a flip for us! We see dolphins all the time, living in Huntington Beach, but it was still a treat to see them so close. As with the other tours we've been on, we met some really nice people from all over the place.
We spent the day on Lana'i snorkeling. We decided to skip the van tour of the island, as well as the raft tour of the coast, in favor of more time at the beach. There is an incredibly large reef in the bay we visited. We saw a lot of fish, including what were by far the largest parrotfish we've seen yet. Our captain, who seemed very knowledgable, explained that parrotfish is a delicacy among the Hawaiians, so they spear fish them. Since we were in a preserve, there was no spear fishing permitted, thus the fish are able to grow large without ending up on someone's plate.
Trilogy fed us well and often, and all of the crew members were friendly, helpful and knowledgable. I remember reading about them when I was comparing Molokini trips, and they really lived up to their reputation. Their snorkel gear was of much higher quality than we expected, and we reallly didn't need to bring our flippers or masks. I was glad we had our actual snorkels, as we have the kind that doesn't let water in even when we dive. I was a little afraid that I might get seasick, as I am generally somewhat queasy on boats. In this case I was fine, thanks to the wonders of modern medicine. I had put on a scopalamine patch on the way out, and I felt great. The way back was expected to be a lot more bumpy, and since I had worn my patch in the water, I took a Zofran just in case. Thanks to my precautions, I had a wonderful trip, and was able to enjoy the ride. Even had I not been so prepared, Trilogy had various things to help with seasickness.
On the way back, the Trilogy crew turned off the motors so we could sail for as long as there was wind. We had beautiful views of Maui, and we eventually saw a gorgeous sunset. This was the first day we dedicated to a single activity, and we both felt it was a fine way to spend a day. There is a lot more we could say about this trip, and all of it would be positive, but we are really read to call it a day and get some rest.
Today we went on our scheduled trip to Lana'i, a small island (13 miles by 17 miles) off the west coast of Maui. Lana'i was purchased almost entirely by Jim Dole (of Dole Pineapple fame) in the 1920s, and was used to grow pineapple until 1993. Although there is no more pineapple growing there (having moved to Central America), the island is almost completely undeveloped, with only a couple of hotels. It is not as lush and green as the other Hawaiian islands, but it has good snorkeling and diving. We decided to do this trip instead of Molokini, which we have heard is terribly crowded. Trilogy is the only charter company that is allowed to take people onto the island of Lana'i, so it was not at all crowded.
We went out on a large (65') catamaran called the Trilogy I. They served us delicious cinnamon rolls soon after we set out, and wraps (tuna, turkey, or chicken) when we neared Lana'i. We had a very large pod of dolphins with us part of the way, which was exciting for everyone on board. The dolphins seemed really playful, keeping pace with our boat, swimming just off the bow, and coming really close. One even did a flip for us! We see dolphins all the time, living in Huntington Beach, but it was still a treat to see them so close. As with the other tours we've been on, we met some really nice people from all over the place.
We spent the day on Lana'i snorkeling. We decided to skip the van tour of the island, as well as the raft tour of the coast, in favor of more time at the beach. There is an incredibly large reef in the bay we visited. We saw a lot of fish, including what were by far the largest parrotfish we've seen yet. Our captain, who seemed very knowledgable, explained that parrotfish is a delicacy among the Hawaiians, so they spear fish them. Since we were in a preserve, there was no spear fishing permitted, thus the fish are able to grow large without ending up on someone's plate.
Trilogy fed us well and often, and all of the crew members were friendly, helpful and knowledgable. I remember reading about them when I was comparing Molokini trips, and they really lived up to their reputation. Their snorkel gear was of much higher quality than we expected, and we reallly didn't need to bring our flippers or masks. I was glad we had our actual snorkels, as we have the kind that doesn't let water in even when we dive. I was a little afraid that I might get seasick, as I am generally somewhat queasy on boats. In this case I was fine, thanks to the wonders of modern medicine. I had put on a scopalamine patch on the way out, and I felt great. The way back was expected to be a lot more bumpy, and since I had worn my patch in the water, I took a Zofran just in case. Thanks to my precautions, I had a wonderful trip, and was able to enjoy the ride. Even had I not been so prepared, Trilogy had various things to help with seasickness.
On the way back, the Trilogy crew turned off the motors so we could sail for as long as there was wind. We had beautiful views of Maui, and we eventually saw a gorgeous sunset. This was the first day we dedicated to a single activity, and we both felt it was a fine way to spend a day. There is a lot more we could say about this trip, and all of it would be positive, but we are really read to call it a day and get some rest.
No comments:
Post a Comment