One of our favorite things to do when we’re lucky enough to make it to Hawaii is to go snorkelling. There’s something magical about seeing what’s underwater. The realization that there is a whole other world under the surface is overwhelming. We get caught up in science fiction and wondering about alien life, but right here on Earth living around us are creatures most of us barely know.
I like to snorkel in quiet bays like at Mile Marker 14 (Olowalu) on Maui where I don’t have to worry about getting tackled by the waves. I used to practice my dolphin kick, probably a throw-back to my childhood crush on Patrick Duffy in “The Man from Atlantis.” Mostly now I just slowly swim along in hopes of capturing a colorful, tropical fish on film.
We purchased a small, waterproof chart of Hawaiian reef creatures from frankosmaps.com and use it to identify the fish that we see. It’s kind of like a grown-up game of “Where’s Waldo?” and who doesn’t love that?
Snorkelling is a very appealing activity. It’s peaceful and quiet; you can’t hear much when your ears are submerged. It’s not something you can do in a rush which appeals to my slow and steady approach to life (I like to think of myself as the tortoise in Aesop’s fable). Best of all, if you do snorkel, you’re probably in some warm, tropical locale and, in our book, that’s almost paradise.