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On Day Five not only did we find the best snorkeling
of our lives, but we also were able to experience Maui's sea life from the
comfort of dry land at the Maui Ocean Center.
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 Highlights: Bowl full of Fish Aquarium full of Sharks Pool full of Us Us full of Fish |
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 Fishbowl Maui Ocean Centre
 Kamaole Beaches |
, was reached by a half-hour trail through Maui's most recent
lava flow (1790). The trail was easy enough to spot as the volcanic rock had worn
away in a lighter path where people have traipsed back and forth. Because of the
location, we had this cove almost to ourselves, and we took turns relaxing on
the small beach and exploring the bowl. Aptly named, Fishbowl had the widest variety
and largest volume of tropical fish, and because of a man-made rock wall the cove
was well sheltered and offered very clear water. For more info on this and other
great Maui snorkel spots check out the Snorkel Page.
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| Looking up Haleakala from the lava flow area. | Mum and Annemarie on the trail to Fishbowl. | Fishbowl with Molokini crater in the background. | Mum and Ami swimming with the fishies. |
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Some of the species we saw only at Fishbowl included Sailfin Tangs, Whitespotted Surgeonfish, Trumpetfish, and Achilles Tangs. For more underwater pictures from Fishbowl and other locations check out the Underwater Photo Gallery. |  |
| Sailfin Tang. | Trumpetfish. |
. This indoor/outdoor marine exhibit fabulously
showcases Hawai'i's most beautiful sea creatures - everything from jellyfish to
sharks. The $20 admission fee seemed steep until we stepped inside and realized
the extent of the exhibit. It took us a good hour to walk through the main indoor
section where the tropical fish aquariums were located, then after that we went
to the turtle pool, saw the sharks and rays, and enjoyed the underwater tunnel.
At the shark tank, I stopped to ask a fellow visitor if he would take our picture,
and he kindly agreed. We then found out that he was Bob Sacha, a photographer
for National Geographic! Too bad he wasn't sure how to work my camera, because
the photo turned out a little fuzzy...  |
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| Invertebrates of the coral reef. | Brightly coloured fish play in the coral. | One of the larger tanks, with Yellow Tangs and Unicornfish. | Close-up of Surgeonfish. |
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| Me at the aquarium (can you tell I liked this place?) | Delicate black coral. | Squirrelfish. | Pufferfish (unpuffed). |
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| An eagle ray in flight. |
The shark tank. |
Turtle Lagoon. |
The underwater tunnel. |
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| The three of us at the shark tank (photo by Bob Sacha). | Tank full of Jellyfish! | Annemarie watches a ray from the underwater tunnel. | Closing time... |
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| A Grouper fish - this guy was my favorite. Just look at that face, what's not to love? | |||
, the beach in front of the condo, before the wind came up and
we found ourselves in a bit of a sandstorm. We retired to the condo pool and relaxed
in fresh water for a while. By the pool there were two barbeques for shared use,
so we tried 3 different types of local fish for dinner. Yummy! 
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