Our last port, our last tour, our last tender trip to shore and back…. (sigh).
We visited Lahaina on the island of Maui. Our 2 prior days in Hawaii were cloudy and drizzly and we couldn’t see any of the mountains/volcanoes. Today was sunny and beautiful and Maui lay open before us (picture 1).
We spent a good deal of time today whale watching (picture 2)—right off our balcony and from other locations on the ship. Every time we looked out we would see 2 or more whales. Humpback whales come from Alaska in the winter to have their babies. The vast majority of whales are here by Thanksgiving and they stay until sometime in March. Adults are approximately 60 feet long and weigh up to 80 tons. The newborn calves are 10-12 feet long and weigh hundreds of pounds. While the calves are growing, the mothers keep them close to shore. They have to be taught how long they can stay below water and then pushed up to take a breath when they need to—all of which can be accomplished easier in shallow water. In addition to spouts, we saw tail waves and flipper waves. We didn’t see a full breach, but they were having a good time.
Our big excursion was to the Maui Ocean Center, where they have a wonderful aquarium that focuses just on sea life found in Hawaii. Picture 3 shows a unicorn surgeonfish and yellow tang, both of which are indigenous to this area. We saw seahorses, octopus, sharks, rays, puffer fish, green sea turtles and many other species—all shapes, sizes and colors.
We had local Mahi Mahi and a Maitai for lunch and bought our last T-shirts.
We’re on our way home. We’ll do a final post before we arrive in LA 3/5.
No comments:
Post a Comment