Snorkel time

Two days of lying around the pool laying down a base tan. And shopping for groceries. And shopping for supplies. And shopping for souvenirs. And shopping for internet service. And shopping. Time to hit the beaches and see some fishes. Our first choice is Ulua/Mokapu. A very good choice. Easy to get to the beach. Easy entry into the water. A little crowded near the shore but better as we go out farther. Lots of fish (scads of humus) but little coral. Visibility could be better. Just out past the rocky point, we had our first surprise–one turtle swimming along, then a second. As we turn away, having filled our picture quota, there’s a third turtle resting on the bottom. On the Mokapu side, I spot my first octopus. On the way back to Ulua, I watch a second octopus stretching and retracting. Then, as I try to line up a Moorish Idol for his portrait, he leads me right to a swimming moray eel. I’ve hit the trifecta on our first snorkel. Our second snorkel trip is to ‘the Fishbowl’. Still a tough 25 minute hike across the lava field. (Plus the extra distance from the parking lot now that they’ve taken away the off-road parking.) Still worth it. Lots of fish in a closed, small space so you get up close. Sometimes too close as Doreen found out when she turned in a cul-de-sac to face an eel swimming right at her. At least now she can stop complaining that I was seeing all the eels. (Two more this morning–why didn’t I get a prescription mask sooner?) Only nineteen more snorkel spots to check out (plus assorted repeat visits). God, life is tough. We’ll just have to suck it up and pretend we’re young again.