Hawaii 2017 - Day 9, Makena and Snorkeling

Today we woke up at 8 to get an earlier start on the day.  AA had scoped out a good snorkeling spot on the southern tip of Maui which was an hour drive and we wanted to get there in the morning, when the weather was supposed to be good.  AA checked the weather and and it looked good so we ate a quick breakfast, loaded up our snorkel gear, chairs and filled our cooler with ice and food for the day.  Then we were off.

Sunshine and blue skies!

The drive didn't feel very long as we were moving pretty well.  We got to the snorkel spot (Ahihi Kinau) which is actually a fish and wildlife reserve.  We parked our car in the lot and walked down the road a little to get to the bay for snorkeling.  The water was very clear and there were lots of fish active in the bay.  AA and Lola had a great time swimming around seeing all of the fish.  AA was really hoping to see a turtle but no luck.

Lola went in after about 30 mins of snorkeling as she is still recovering from whatever illness she caught.  AA stayed out and snorkeled for a little while longer.

More blue skies!

A school of fish

An Angel Fish

Not sure what type of fish but it was pretty close

After snorkeling, Lola and AA made their way to Makena State Park and Big Beach.  The beach was big but the parking lot was not (well, actually the lot was big but not very efficient in the number of cars that could park there).  AA parked the car on the road and walked in. 

We enjoyed our lunch on the beach, overlooking the ocean and some nearby islands (Molokini and Kaho'olawe).

We stayed at Big Beach for about an hour and a half.  Once it started to rain (and looked to continue raining for some time), we packed up and made our way back to the condo, taking a chance that the weather was better there.  Luckily we were not disappointed.

Back at the condo, we went to the beach and enjoyed the sun.  AA didn't bring his snorkel this time because the previous times he went snorkeling off the beach, he was disappointed with the view as it was very murky.  

Today, however, was different.  AA and Lola went for a swim to cool off and the water was very clear - you could see the fish and coral beneath you.  So AA went back and got the snorkels and fins so that he and Lola could go snorkeling again.  

The views were much better than earlier in the week and AA was even lucky enough to catch a sea turtle swimming by:

After snorkeling, AA and Lola hung out at the beach for a while longer before they went back to the condo to shower and get ready for dinner.  Before dinner, however, they were hoping to catch the sunset off of the beach.  Although cloudy, the views were still very cool.  And as luck would have it, it started to rain shortly after the sun had set:

Dinner was in Lahaina at Kimo's.  Before getting to the restaurant, Lola and AA took in a little Hawaiian Christmas Music and Dance at the shopping centre - very festive!

Lola and AA both ordered fish (which was delicious).  Lola even ordered dessert - coconut, mango and guava sorbet.  It was very good!

Now, we are getting ready for bed so that we can get up at 6am to finish packing and head to the airport for our 9am flight back to the Big Island where we will spend the day driving around before our 11:30pm flight home.  Hopefully the weather is good tomorrow on the Big Island too so we can enjoy one final day in Hawaii.

Goodnight!
AA

PS - here's a pic for Lola's mom from the State Park: