After making a full recovery from the nearly disabling seasickness the day before, we started Wednesday off with breakfast at the Sunshine Café, and then drove to Kanapali to jet ski.
Originally, we’d planned for Wednesday a trip down to La Peruse Bay for a lava hike and snorkeling at the Fishbowl/Aquarium. However, the local government decided otherwise, and had closed the public access point to the hike. So, it was jet skiing and snorkeling at Honoloa Bay instead.
We had signed up for a full hour of jet skiing, and met the company on the beach behind the Hyatt Regency. They loaded us onto a raft, and drove us out to the jet skiing platform in the middle of the ocean. We were given about five minutes of brief instruction, and then set free for our hour of jet skiing fun. Being the picture freak that I am, I paid for their professional action photographer to take pictures of us on the skis.
I should preface this part by stating that I’ve never been on a jet ski before. Ever. Jeremy is an old pro, so he immediately took off on his, pushing the ski as fast as it would go. I started off at about 20 mph, driving in slow circles around the platform. It took me a good twenty minutes to find my jet ski legs, but once I did, I was able to punch the speed up to a wild 30 mph. As my comfort level increased, so did my speed, topping out at about 58 mph.
While I was baby-stepping my way in to jet skiing, Jeremy was riding like a rock star. Pushing his jet ski as fast as it would go from the start, he topped out at about 65 mph. I could see him in the distance, executing crazy turns and catching air as he jumped the wake created by the others in our group.
On the whole, I have to say that it was a really fun experience, being out on the warm, blue, open water, surrounded by the islands of Maui, Lanai, and Molokai. An hour was definitely the right amount of time; it took me a good 40 minutes to really find my comfort level on the jet ski. An experience I’d recommend! Jeremy spent the next two days recovering from the experience, walking funny with legs sore from standing on the jet ski and keeping his balance at break-neck speeds.
After jet skiing, we stopped by Boss Frogs and picked up snorkel equipment, for our venture up to Honoloa Bay. Honoloa Bay is a decent sized inlet without a real beach, instead you find a spot among the boulders, and make your slippery way down an old boat ramp to the water. The walk down to the bay is a short but beautiful hike, and it gave me a chance to take some scenery shots.
The snorkeling here was pretty incredible, warm water and colorful coral abound. We spent a good, long time working our way around the reef, and then took a break on the shoreline. Quickly realizing it was one o’clock, and that we hadn’t eaten since 7:30, we decided to head back toward Lahaina for lunch.
On the way back, we spotted the Maui Brew Company, and decided to stop there for lunch, so that my beer aficionado husband could try the local brew. The lunch was decidedly successful, as Jeremy found an excellent stout called St. John the Baptist, I believe, and I had the best local-brewed cola I’ve ever had. Maui ____ Soda. I can't remember the middle word, and the waiter said that they sell it at Whole Foods. No luck yet, but I will persevere!