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Ulua Beach.....
Jun. 10th, 2008 08:24 pmOur second day on the island had us going in two directions. LJ wanted to sightsee, while I wanted to get into the water and see some fish. We settled. We did both.
I was determined not return to California looking like a lobster with fur. I've said it before and I'll say it again; the problem with red hair is it comes with redheaded skin. Having two family members who've had malignant melanoma (the most recent my mother a year and a half ago), I'm pretty careful about sun exposure. I've burned to peeling in just half an hour, and I've even burned through clothing. This trip, every morning after showering, LJ and I liberally applied sunscreen to each other, in my case covering every thing before I put a stitch of clothing on. It worked! Not only did the SPF 55 keep me from burning, but because it had a chance to dry before I went anywhere near the water, it hung in there longer. In the end I wound up not having to reapply it quite as often. I returned to California slightly tanned, but amen, not burned, not peeling, and not in pain.
We pumped Dave, the helpful "island" guy next-door, for information on nearby beaches to go snorkeling. Dave and his wife Deb moved to Maui from Ohio two years back. They're in their mid-50s and after vacationing on the island ten years ago, this is where they decided they wanted to retire. A couple years back, they asked themselves, "what the hell are we waiting for?", and thereafter picked themselves up, lock, stock and barrel. After making the move, they found themselves work on Maui. From all we could see, they're really happy there. In any event, though not natives both of them seem to know the lay of the land really well.
In its infinite wisdom, the State of Hawai’i has kept its entire shoreline as public property. No matter how large chunk of land you've purchased, if it's oceanfront property, the beachfront below is still public property, and the public must still have access to it. As a result, even in towns that are very wealthy and/or filled with expensive resorts, everyone still has access to the beaches there.
Dave pointed us towards nearby Ulua Beach in Wailea, then lent us a mask and some swim fins for LJ, as well as snorkels for both of us. He said that beach in particular had a number of advantages. The drive was short, the beach cove-shaped, therefore partially sheltered from waves, and because there is so much snorkeling going on there, the fish are generally not spooked by snorkelers or divers.
We arrived at Ulua Beach at 10 in the morning. There was ample parking, despite warnings that we would likely having to wait for a spot open if we arrived after 8am. We tossed our shoes in the back of the car (where mine stayed for the remainder of the week!), put on flip-flops, grabbed the snorkeling gear plus a couple of towels, and trotted off to the beach. I immediately pulled on my swim fins, and mask & snorkel in hand, started making my way down the beach towards the water, determined to lose my virginity as a snorkeler. (Note to self - walking on a sandy beach in swim fins is a bitch! Either a) walk backwards, or b) wait to put your fins on in the water.)
Once I was waist deep in the water, I donned the mask, put the snorkel's mouthpiece in and attempted to put my face in the water. Actually, putting my face in the water wasn't difficult. Putting my face in the water and convincing myself it was okay to continue breathing was more the challenge. It's sort of like standing on a piece of clear plate glass platform and looking down. Intellectually, you know that you're standing on something solid, and it's not going to just evaporate underneath your feet. It's still an unsettling sensation. I was probably face down in the water for a good 30 seconds, before I took my first breath. I consciously had to tell myself, "Weaver, it's okay to breathe."
With that, off I went in search of coral, fish, and sea turtles. Dave had been quite right; the fish were downright placid. Occasionally some would swim up to check me out, but for the most part they went about their business of feeding on the reef. It was like being inside someone's tropical aquarium, except instead of the fish being the size of a quarter, most for the size of salad, if not dinner plates! I was grateful to have been at the aquarium the day before, because it really was fun identifying the various creatures I was looking at. There were sea urchins, Moorish Fish, schools of Yellow Convict Fish, Tellow Tangs and even a handful of Humahumanukanukaapua’a. (You have no idea how long it took me to get that name down!)
I spotted a puffer fish, sitting very placidly on a reef nearby. The beast appeared to be staring at me, or at lease looking in my general direction, unlike the majority of the fish which seemed to be ignoring me. Curious, I swam towards him, slowly getting closer and closer. I got within 2 feet of him, when he suddenly 'puffed', instantaneously tripling in size. I have to tell you, I've seen footage on TV nature shows where they've shown this, but there's no substitute for seeing it in real life. I also had to laugh at my response. I pulled my head back about 2 inches, and both my hands went up on either side of my head, as if to say, "Dude! I got your message. Chill out!" I backed up a couple of feet and after another minute or two, he deflated. I was so stoked having had a chance to witness all that. Thereafter, I headed back towards the beach to reconnoiter with my husband.
LJ had not been able to spend much time snorkeling. His mask leaked and as it began to fill with water, he panicked. He had tried repeatedly to re-seat his mask, but with his facial hair, he was never able to get an appropriate seal. As I swam among the fish, he had contented himself to play in the waves. Finding this out, I decided it was time we headed back to the condo for some dry clothes and some sightseeing. There would be more opportunites to swim with the fishes later in the week.
To come: Iao Valley. (Can I buy a consonant?)
I was determined not return to California looking like a lobster with fur. I've said it before and I'll say it again; the problem with red hair is it comes with redheaded skin. Having two family members who've had malignant melanoma (the most recent my mother a year and a half ago), I'm pretty careful about sun exposure. I've burned to peeling in just half an hour, and I've even burned through clothing. This trip, every morning after showering, LJ and I liberally applied sunscreen to each other, in my case covering every thing before I put a stitch of clothing on. It worked! Not only did the SPF 55 keep me from burning, but because it had a chance to dry before I went anywhere near the water, it hung in there longer. In the end I wound up not having to reapply it quite as often. I returned to California slightly tanned, but amen, not burned, not peeling, and not in pain.
We pumped Dave, the helpful "island" guy next-door, for information on nearby beaches to go snorkeling. Dave and his wife Deb moved to Maui from Ohio two years back. They're in their mid-50s and after vacationing on the island ten years ago, this is where they decided they wanted to retire. A couple years back, they asked themselves, "what the hell are we waiting for?", and thereafter picked themselves up, lock, stock and barrel. After making the move, they found themselves work on Maui. From all we could see, they're really happy there. In any event, though not natives both of them seem to know the lay of the land really well.
In its infinite wisdom, the State of Hawai’i has kept its entire shoreline as public property. No matter how large chunk of land you've purchased, if it's oceanfront property, the beachfront below is still public property, and the public must still have access to it. As a result, even in towns that are very wealthy and/or filled with expensive resorts, everyone still has access to the beaches there.
Dave pointed us towards nearby Ulua Beach in Wailea, then lent us a mask and some swim fins for LJ, as well as snorkels for both of us. He said that beach in particular had a number of advantages. The drive was short, the beach cove-shaped, therefore partially sheltered from waves, and because there is so much snorkeling going on there, the fish are generally not spooked by snorkelers or divers.
We arrived at Ulua Beach at 10 in the morning. There was ample parking, despite warnings that we would likely having to wait for a spot open if we arrived after 8am. We tossed our shoes in the back of the car (where mine stayed for the remainder of the week!), put on flip-flops, grabbed the snorkeling gear plus a couple of towels, and trotted off to the beach. I immediately pulled on my swim fins, and mask & snorkel in hand, started making my way down the beach towards the water, determined to lose my virginity as a snorkeler. (Note to self - walking on a sandy beach in swim fins is a bitch! Either a) walk backwards, or b) wait to put your fins on in the water.)
Once I was waist deep in the water, I donned the mask, put the snorkel's mouthpiece in and attempted to put my face in the water. Actually, putting my face in the water wasn't difficult. Putting my face in the water and convincing myself it was okay to continue breathing was more the challenge. It's sort of like standing on a piece of clear plate glass platform and looking down. Intellectually, you know that you're standing on something solid, and it's not going to just evaporate underneath your feet. It's still an unsettling sensation. I was probably face down in the water for a good 30 seconds, before I took my first breath. I consciously had to tell myself, "Weaver, it's okay to breathe."
With that, off I went in search of coral, fish, and sea turtles. Dave had been quite right; the fish were downright placid. Occasionally some would swim up to check me out, but for the most part they went about their business of feeding on the reef. It was like being inside someone's tropical aquarium, except instead of the fish being the size of a quarter, most for the size of salad, if not dinner plates! I was grateful to have been at the aquarium the day before, because it really was fun identifying the various creatures I was looking at. There were sea urchins, Moorish Fish, schools of Yellow Convict Fish, Tellow Tangs and even a handful of Humahumanukanukaapua’a. (You have no idea how long it took me to get that name down!)
I spotted a puffer fish, sitting very placidly on a reef nearby. The beast appeared to be staring at me, or at lease looking in my general direction, unlike the majority of the fish which seemed to be ignoring me. Curious, I swam towards him, slowly getting closer and closer. I got within 2 feet of him, when he suddenly 'puffed', instantaneously tripling in size. I have to tell you, I've seen footage on TV nature shows where they've shown this, but there's no substitute for seeing it in real life. I also had to laugh at my response. I pulled my head back about 2 inches, and both my hands went up on either side of my head, as if to say, "Dude! I got your message. Chill out!" I backed up a couple of feet and after another minute or two, he deflated. I was so stoked having had a chance to witness all that. Thereafter, I headed back towards the beach to reconnoiter with my husband.
LJ had not been able to spend much time snorkeling. His mask leaked and as it began to fill with water, he panicked. He had tried repeatedly to re-seat his mask, but with his facial hair, he was never able to get an appropriate seal. As I swam among the fish, he had contented himself to play in the waves. Finding this out, I decided it was time we headed back to the condo for some dry clothes and some sightseeing. There would be more opportunites to swim with the fishes later in the week.
To come: Iao Valley. (Can I buy a consonant?)
