Same Ocean, just not in Oregon

I've been in Maui for the last few days enjoying warm air and water temperatures. The beauty of the warmer ocean temps is having the opportunity to be submerged for good lengths of time. We snorkeled Honolua Bay on Maui two days ago and spent at least 90 minutes in the water.

The visibility was decent for this area and we were pretty much the first people there. Because of our good timing, and the expertise of our guide Jeffrey of Ed Robinson's Dive Shop we were fortunate enough to see at least ten different sea turtles, amongst other sea life. Just before we left for Maui I purchased a waterproof camera (Pentax optio WG-1.) This, to me, was worth it's weight in gold, as the pictures turned out amazing! The turtles seemed very calm and unafraid. We tried to be respectful of their personal space (not touching, or chasing) and still managed to be within a few feet over and over again. One turtle in particular, "Lucky" (identifiable by her missing a left front fin) seemed to be as curious of us as we were of her. At one point she was face to face with us! As we backed up she came closer. I'm not sure how Lucky lost the fin, but it didn't seem to hinder her maneuverability in the water.

We did eventually get cold while snorkeling. I imagine the water temperature was 70+ degrees, but still quite a bit lower than our body temperatures. Fortunately upon returning to the beach it was sunny and 85. I can say for sure nobody suffered today! I feel fortunate to have had this underwater experience. Thanks, again to Jeffrey for his knowledge and help! If you are visiting Maui anytime soon give Ed Robinson's Dive Shop a call. They were truly great to work with. We will definitely be back for more!