Snorkel Sail and a Whale

Yesterday we arrived in Maui.  The great thing about these trip is that pretty much everything is paid for by my company.  Roundtrip airfare for both of us, parking at the airport while we're gone, all food and drinks during the covered days, and lodging.  And not just any lodging, but they are putting us up in the five-star luxury Four Seasons Maui Resort for three nights.  When we landed at the airport in Maui, they had a driver there to help us get our luggage and to drive us in a van to the resort.  When we got to the resort, our room wasn't quite ready, but we were able to register with our company trip.  Part of the registration process was to get to go over to a nearby table and we each got to choose a pair of Maui Jim sunglasses to keep.  Most are in the $200 range, so that was no small perk.  Around that same time, our friends the Tildens showed up.  They are our good friends who used to live near us in Kansas but moved out to California a couple years ago.  We really miss them, so it was great that Steve also qualified for this trip so the four of us could see each other again.  Later we had lunch with the Tessiers.  Pierre is one of my friends from work, so the six of us had a fun lunch together.  In the evening, we had the welcome reception out on one of the property lawns at sunset.

Today's main event was a catamaran snorkel cruise that left pretty early in the morning.  Our catamaran was the Alii Nui, the premiere sailing catamarans on Maui (or so they say, but after having been on it, I believe it).  There were roughly 40 people in our group, including invitees and significant others, and we had the whole boat to ourselves.  We spent the morning heading out to our snorkel destination, enjoying a nice breakfast along the way.  The water wasn't clear enough at Turtle Arches, so we went to Molokini Crater, which is one of the best snorkel locations in Maui.  The water was crystal clear, and we saw tons of fish so amazing, you'd almost think they were fake.  We snorkeled for quite awhile, and then boarded the boat.  They provided us lunch and drinks, raised the sails, and they we casually sailed our way back to shore.  Whale season in Maui is December through April, so we're at the very end of the season, so it's hit or miss on whales.  But we got lucky and at least got to see one.  He's actually in the picture where someone is pointing out in the water, but unless you zoom way in, you won't see it.  So I've zoomed in to show a close-up, and sure enough, there's a whale tail.  In the evening we were taken out to a nice restaurant for dinner, and then to a nice outdoor bar for some after-dinner drinks.  It was a full day, but it was a good one.  Tomorrow we should have a little more time to ourselves to relax at the beach or do whatever else we want.