Submarine!

Today no whales were playing in the water outside our condo. Allen was up before the sun and SAYS he heard whales blowing close in. Oh well. Laid in bed this morning listening to the myna birds (?).
Eventually though I have to get up as there are places to go and things to do. We started by going back to Lahaina (where everything is for us) and hunting up Snorkel Bob's Shop for (what else) snorkeling equipment. It was fun watching everyone try one masks. I didn't realize they even make prescription masks for blind people like me! So I get to snorkel without my glasses and I can still see! Here is Lee trying on hers:

Of course Jacky had to put his spin on things:

After outfitting everyone, we made our way to the Atlantis for our activity of the morning. We grabbed a shuttle boat which took us to an actual submarine! This sub took us down to three separate reefs where smaller reef fish congregate. The sub itself was quite fun. Everyone had a window, or portal, that they shared with another person. We were down for 45 minutes and saw quite a few fish:

My pictures didn't come out as nice as I had hoped - but I still enjoyed seeing all the different kinds. It was like being inside a huge tropical fish aquarium. What I found interesting is we saw lots of areas that had no fish at all - sand and coral and algae. Yet we'd come to these reefs - one of which was a sunken ship - and all of a sudden there'd be all kinds of fish. On one side of the sub would be fish, and on the other side not a single one could be found. I admit, I was really hoping for a glimpse of a sea turtle, or a shark! No such luck, however we did get to see 2 Spotted Eagle Rays. They were like ballet under the water; so very very graceful. This isn't the best picture but maybe you can see...

Time to get back on shore. By now everyone was hungry. As we started towards the shops, Lee started having trouble walking. Right before we had gotten on the submarine, Lee had gone into town be herself. She had walked into this huge Banyan tree and hurt her knee quite badly. As you can see, it is truly a magnificent tree - unlike any I'd ever seen before:

We ended up adding the Maui Medical Group to our list of places we've seen in Maui. Lee's knee was
x rayed and nothing was broken but she had strict orders to not get it wet. She also still had a lot of trouble walking as well. With our afternoon gone, we grabbed some subway sandwiches and headed back to the condo to make Lee comfortable.
Finally Jacky and I get to walk on the beach at sunset. A few too many clouds but it was still a beautiful evening. First I have to show you my little camouflage crab. They can be found  running around but, let me tell you, when they stop moving, you can't see them! With the help of a zoom lens, they are perfectly wonderful creatures!

And finally, the sunset. Yesterday we were busy at the luau but tonight....ocean sunset. Aloha