* My family received this experience at no charge. These are my opinions.

 

When we plan a trip to Maui, we know we are planning a snorkeling adventure with Maui Snorkel Charters. Why? Because the crew makes you feel like you are part of their family too. Doug, Trish, and their daughter, Brittany take their motto to heart, “Best Day Ever”, they make sure you feel comfortable, are enjoying yourself, and most importantly, are safe.

If you don’t have your own snorkel gear, Hakuna Matata, they will fit you to theirs. They even have wet suit tops too if you think you might be cold in the water. Our family didn’t use any gear because we have all our own but the kids were excited to wear wetsuits. They also wanted to wear life-vests, which made it easier for them to stay in the water for longer periods without tiring themselves out. Before leaving the dock, Trish, Doug and Brittany do a boat safety briefing, (coming from a Coast Guard family – my husband retired from the USCG last year) I really appreciated this!

I knew our trip was going to be magical … it was confirmed when Coral spotted dolphins playing just ahead on our way to our first stop. There were four stops.

Your first stop on the great adventure is at Molokini, a small crater island off the south coast of Maui. On your way out to Molokini, Trish and Brittany come around with fresh pineapple and muffin wedges – it’s delicious! During the voyage, Brittany or Trish do a snorkel safety briefing with a group of four making sure each group fully understands snorkel safety & communication. Everyone has a buddy in the water at each stop.

Molokini is magical. It’s like an underwater crescent-moon-shaped cove. The fish and coral are everywhere, disappearing into the dark blue as the crater drops off deeper and deeper. The last time Clint and I chartered with Maui Snorkel Charters, we were lucky enough to see a black-tip reef shark here.

 

Gunnar took right to it and slid off the side of the boat to start snorkeling. The last time we chartered with them, it was on a different boat. This time, it was on the No Ka Oi, which means, None Better. Coral was a bit nervous to start so we gave her a kick board to hold to help calm her nerves. Eventually, she calmed down and got into a groove and let one hand go of the board and then soon, she wasn’t holding onto the board at all. She was freely snorkeling with us enjoying ALL the fish, eels, and corals. Her friends.

She did it! She beat her fear of deep water!! This was a moment!

I had to not make a big deal of it, but, I needed to get Clint’s attention so he could document this monumental event for Coral on the GoPro. We were so proud of her!

Gunnar eventually felt the dramamine we gave them both and asked to go back to the boat and fell asleep there. Captain Doug watched him while we all snorkeled.

Our time at Molokini was magical. Coral and I spotted another eel, Clint would dive down and get footage of anything and everything any of us requested. Bama, Clint’s mom, especially loved the Orangespine Surgeonfish.

The next stop was just on the right side of the Molokini crater called Reef’s End. This was a shelf-like area that was Aaaamazing! It’s rumored that this was the same area that Disney Pixar’s research team came out to study for Finding Nemo and was the inspiration for “the drop off” scene and that piece of the reef.

When we arrived here, Coral jumped right in with Clint. It was precious. Gunnar had just woken up from his nap and asked me to sit with him for a bit. After a while, Gunnar said I was fine to join everyone and he would sit with Captain Doug and drink POG (passion, orange, guava juice – his favorite). Captain Doug and I had a signal arranged in case Gunnar needed me like before and I was regularly checking back at the boat for the signal.

This area had the most amazing coral, fish and shells there. Trish showed us these unique cowry shells, she told us how they usually are found in pairs and how they mate for life. Trish and Clint also had a knack for finding eels. I got the hang of eel finding days later. At this spot, you really don’t have to kick much, you can float for much of it. This was my favorite stop for seeing the different types of corals.

After this, we boarded the boat. Trish and Brittany fed us lunch which consisted of delicious wraps, chips, as well as beverages.

The last two spots were in the Makena area and we did a fun technique called Sea-fari. This was where we all stick together with Brittany/Trish and kind of float with her. The boat will drift with us and pick us up on the other end. This was so cool! Both Little’s stayed onboard for the last stop, so Clint and I enjoyed a date for the Sea-fari as we stayed towards the back of the bunch. We took a ton of fun pictures and had a blast. I pretended to be a mermaid again – no surprise there and Clint did his usual by diving very deep and following my favorite fish, the spiny puffer for the best picture.

We really had the “best day ever” again with Maui Snorkel Charters! We will be back with them on our next Maui adventure, so it’s not goodbye, it’s see you next time, Trish, Doug, & Brittany!

Mahalo!

 

If you’re planning a trip to Maui and want to book with Maui Snorkel Charters, tell them we sent you! Here’s their info

Lynette’s swimwear: RAD swimwear