Yellow submarine

Several times a day we see the "yellow submarine" come out and stop just beyond the reef of baby beach.  We have noticed divers going in, and our curiosity got to us.  We booked a trip to ride out in the yellow submarine and see what was just beyond our reach.  Originally all six people wanted to go, but when it came time to go, it was just Gary, Mark and MG.

Wayne, Susie and Patti were wanting to go to Kannapali to check out the shopping and to revisit swan court at the Hyatt.

We left in plenty of time to check in, and as luck would have it, the banyon tree was having their local artists sell their wares.  I needed nothing, but was drawn to the young children who are learning the art of Hawaiian dance.  They were wonderfully entertaining, and so sweet I just had to take a few photos.  Mark and Gary were getting impatient with me, I warned them that I wouldn't stop for shopping, but that photo opportunities always will slow me down.

This little lovely must have been five or six years old.  So beautiful to watch, but you could tell she was new to the group and was looking to the older girls for confirmation that she was doing the right thing.

We boarded the yellow submarine on time at 2:15, and went below to choose our seats.  This vessel isn't really a submarine, but a partially submerged boat.  There are seats and windows down below.  When we reached baby beach, the divers went in and brought interesting things to our windows.  We learned a great deal that we didn't know about the fish that live here, and saw some very interesting things.  Our favorite trumpet fish was viewed not only changing colors, but he changed his pattern as we approached.  That now explains why we thought we were seeing different species of fish, when indeed they were doing their camouflage routine!

The divers showed us spiny black urchins warning us to be careful and not step on them.  Gary knew this first hand from a trip last year to Kona where he was unfortunate to step on one, and he testified to the pain involved.

One diver came up with a little octopus.  He was seriously upset about being ripped from his hiding spot.  Black ink was going everywhere, and he changed colors right before our eyes.  When the diver finally let him go, we watched him swim down, saw exactly where he landed, and then we couldn't see him anymore.  They are seriously excellent about blending in with their environment.

Mr. Octopus swimming away to hide in the coral. The minute he hit the coral, he became invisible to us..truly the master of disguise.

One of the divers brought up the oddest looking fish.  This was a first for me.  A frog fish.  So comical looking, and an interesting shade of green.

Gary and I thought now was a good time to go above and see what our home for the time in Maui looked like from the water.  It's certainly hidden, and private.  We could see Patti and Susie standing at the hedge, and we waved and waved, but with the sunlight on the sub, they couldn't tell it was us.  Here's what our house looks like from the water.

Riding on top, taking in the sunshine, have a snack served by the boat, we had a chance to watch the whales, and observe a few turtles who were out snacking on sea lettuce.

Mark out on whale and turtle watch, once again without his sunscreen.  He had a glow about him last night.

The Lahaina harbor was so lovely as we came into our slip.  What a picturesque place.  Oh the lucky owners of these boats!

When we returned to the house, we made Lucy's recipe for shrimp papaya salad.  So fabulous!

Served with the Maui Blanc pineapple wine from our trip to the winery last week, it was a very fabulous dinner with such dear friends.

After dinner we gathered around the table and had a rousing game of Texas hold 'em.  The laughter was out of control!  This was my first time at this game, I had no clue and was having very good luck.  Once they wrote down what was what and I had a cheat sheet, I started losing.  I guess ignorance is bliss.  It came down to Gary vs Susie, and Gary won in the end.  By eleven o'clock with our cheeks aching from laughing so much, we headed to our respective rooms to read and get some shut eye.