Today we decided to try a new snorkel spot called Kopalua Bay on the West side of Maui out past Lahaina. It is one of the most gorgeous spots I have been to. The Montage Resort has beautiful manicured grounds leading down to the bay. It was a beautiful walk in from the beach parking lot. We did not know what to expect here but the beach was beautiful white sand and it was a sunny day. So we got set up and then went in to snorkel. The reef is just right there, and I mean right there as you enter the water. I guess it's not actually a reef but it is piles and piles of rocks with all kinds of formations that form an amazing reef. We saw so many large and beautiful fish and a few turtles. Something different here is that the two turtles I saw were firmly planted on the bottom of the ocean and appeared to be sleeping there. I just haven't seen that very often. Usually they are swimming or they are up on the beach sunning. So it was fun to watch these turtles for a while and see what they do. Eventually they do have to come up and breathe. A very active eel caught my attention, it was brown with white spots, called a white-mouth moray eel. It was on the small side but it was dancing in and out of the coral and just fascinating to watch it go from coral to coral as it made a loop around the ocean floor.
I have been on many wonderful snorkels so far in Maui and we see lots and lots of turtles, lots of eels and a wide array of beautiful fish. My favorite fish is the Parrot Fish they are so colorful and playful as they swim around. So today I had a thought. What do I want to see that I haven't seen? An Octopus came to my mind. We have watched many programs about them and they seem like such mysterious creatures. Yes an octopus. I said a little pray and told Heavenly Father that it would be so magical to see an octopus today and then I went about my snorkeling. I did not see an octopus and honestly I didn't even really know how to find one. So I decided to go in and rest on the beach.
After a few hours I got back in the water again and I just swam right in front of the beach. I hadn't explored there yet and it was the most magical place, with layered rocks and shelfs that fish can hide in and I began to explore a bit more for my octopus. I looked very intensely at the coral formation because I know that they can hide and look just like a piece of coral. I swam and swam and was really enjoying it I could not believe how many fish and things were in so close to shore. And then it happened. I swam over a large coral formation and just as I was passing by I looked down into the top of this piece of coral that had a hole in the middle of it. As I swam past I caught a glimpse of the octopus there because for some reason he turned his tenacle up at me and I could see the suckers going along it. If it wasn't for that I would never have seen him. I stopped and swam back to exam it further and I could see him now. He was firmly entrenched inside that coral nest with his tenacles wrapped about his neck. As I watched I could see the tiny ends of his tenacles moving back and forth tasting the water. It was so magical. I was amazed! What a sweet gift I was sent today to be able to find this creature so quickly and it could have been so easily missed. I thanked my Heavenly Father for this sweet, frivolous gift that he gave me today. What an amazing world we live in. Aloha my friends!
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| This is kind of how the octopus looks hiding in the coral. |
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| I'm pretty sure it was an octopus like this or similar. |
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This is what the eel looked like.
 | | Arial shot of Kapalua Bay |
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| A shot of the reef |
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