Humpbacks!(click for more photos)
We really didn’t just do a bunch of tours on Kauai, even though my posts may lead you to that conclusion! On our first visit to the garden island, we wanted to do a catamaran tour to the Na Pali coast. After all, Lynne didn’t accompany me on the helicopter ride then, and the only ways to see Na Pali are by air or boat, or to hoof it several miles along a trail. But we waited until we were there on the island and found that all the tours were booked.
This time, we planned ahead and made arrangements well before our trip. We decided on Captain Andy’s based on their web site, various reviews, and that they set out from southern Kauai. In fact, their port is nearly in the same place as the Port Allen airport used by Inter-Island Helicopters.
We arrived at their facility well ahead of the time they recommended. It was sort of a drizzly morning, like many others during our visit. March is still the “winter” season in Hawaii which generally means fairly high surf especially on the northern shores. This day was no exception. If I remember right, the reported surf was something just shy of 20 feet, but here on the south side of Kauai, the surf was quite mild. As we checked in, they informed us of their decision. The surf was too high near Na Pali, so we were going to have a cruise on the south.
Many of the passengers were bummed and opted out of the trip. But, like our helicopter tour, this is a captain’s decision when confronting Mother Nature. She deserves respect. We were happy that Lynne had now seen Na Pali a couple days earlier, and the sailing adventure still sounded like fun. Indeed it would be.
We ended up with 17 passengers on a boat that could take 40. A nice start for us. As we left port, we were greeted by porpoises before we were out of the bay. As we left the bay, a huge manta ray swam just off the side of the boat. This was going to be an interesting cruise.
Before our trip, I did some internet research to find out when the humpback whales are in Hawaii. I was wondering if we would happen to be there when they were, before they head off to summer in Alaska. We were excited to find out that, yes, they are in Hawaii in March. Maybe we’d see some from a boat?
It wasn’t long before someone spotted a spout. Soon, there were breaching whales. We had a mother and calf nearby for quite a while. I was able to snap a few shots, although I wish I had more than a 200mm lens. After a bit, we had a whale swim right up to the boat. The white (or light grey) underside of the whale would shine green in the water below the boat. It was incredible!
We sailed east and found an area to snorkel. There, we encountered a large sea turtle, and we were swimming along side it until it got bored with us and dove out of sight. The water was cold, but it was still a great experience. As we made our way back to port, there were breaching and spouting whales all around us. Did I say it was incredible? We kept thinking of the folks who decided to cancel. They missed quite an experience. The crew kept insisting, no, this isn’t typical! They truly seemed as excited as us.
I guess the lesson is: take what life brings. Disappointment is a point of view. If you book a flying or sailing adventure, be ready for anything. And, if your captain or pilot decides to put safety ahead of entertainment, be respectful and grateful, and move on. You never know what lies just around the corner.
