Saving The Best For Last Apparently

The last full day of our vacation was as close to the perfect as it could get! We had booked a 5 1/2 hour snorkel trip on a 55 ft yacht. We were all pretty psyched for this adventure. To say expectations were running high would be an understatement.

We had to be up and out of the house by 5:00 AM to head to Port Allen. We got to Capt Andy's and soon we were on our way. We started out of the port before sunrise but shortly after we got under way the sun started to come up and it made for some gorgeous pictures. We had a quick continental breakfast and then we were up on deck to check out the sights.

It is Hump Back Whale season in Kauai so we were on the lookout. It's early in the season and apparently the whales are a little bashful at first. We saw one quick blow hole during the trip but that was it the whales weren't wanting to put in an appearance that morning. We were on the lookout for sea turtles too but no luck on that front either. We did however see an amazing rainbow, beautiful sunrise and the Napali coastline is so peaceful and pretty. On our way up the coastline we saw a handful of Spinner Dolphins.

Brendan and I were standing toward the front of the boat and we were getting soaked from the waves since it was a bit choppy but we didn't really care because we were having a great time. Charley as usual was busy snapping away with his camera and in his own world.

Once we got up the coast there was enough wind and the waves were strong enough that the captain had the crew put up the sails and we sailed for a bit. It was really nice but after awhile several people were kind of queasy from the choppy waves and we fired up the engine again and we were on our way.

We headed back down the Napali coast looking for a spot to stop and snorkel. We were a bit let down when we were told that we wouldn't be able to do any snorkeling but apparently the massive rainfall had created a bad run off situation and the waters were all murky and cloudy and not fit for snorkeling. However the captain did make the decision that he would try to stop along the way so we could do a free swim off the back of the boat in the middle of the ocean.

While we were looking for a spot to free swim, we came upon roughly 200 Spinner Dolphins. It was amazing and Charley got lots of good pictures and video of them swimming behind and beside the boat and a couple of them jumping out of the water and spinning in the air. It was so cool! But the best part was yet to come. When Capt Rock stopped the boat so we could jump in and swim, the dolphins turned around and came swimming back towards all of us in the water. The actually swam back to us and were swimming around and below us. It was one of the neatest things I've ever seen. Charley was jealous - he has been on over 200 scuba dives in his life and has never gotten to swim with a dolphin. He was up on the boat taking some pictures and getting his mask ready to come in with me and Brendan when the dolphins were swimming under us. By the time he got in the water they had gone past us.

After our swim we climbed back on the boat and had a delicious lunch capped off with some wine. Then it was back on our way down the coast to the port. The waves were huge white caps and we were getting air on some of them. This was incredibly good fun especially for Brendan. Charley and I had gone to the back of the boat to sit and relax and Brendan had stayed up front with some new friends he had made. Capt Rock was having a great time throttling up and down and making sure everyone in the front of the boat was getting soaked with big waves. On one or two occassions the waves came shooting over the front of the boat across the cabin and down on us in the very back of the boat - remember it was a 55 ft boat! so those were some big ol waves coming our way.

One of those ginormous waves actually took Brendan's glasses right off his face!! We thought they were gone to the ocean and I had just resigned myself that I needed to come up with a couple extra hundred bucks ASAP when we got home to get him a new pair since he is legally blind most days without his glasses and he can't drive without them. Well about 20 minutes later a woman found his glasses hanging on one of the ropes that go along the railing of the boat. It was unbelievable that they had caught on the rope but it was good fortune for him. They have a couple of scratches so we will still need to get new ones but it's not a dire situation now.

By the time we pulled back into the port we were all soaked with water, toasty tan and in great spirits. We all three agree this was the absolute best day of our entire trip. If you ever go to Kauai and want a great adventure take the Capt Andy's Napali Coast Snorkel trip and try to get Captain Rock and crew for your trip. It's pricey but it's well worth the money!

When we left Capt Andy's we went in a few of the shops to see what they had to offer and then started the drive back to our side of the island. We stopped at a craft fair to see what they had and then toward our condo to make dinner and relax.

We had a yummy steak dinner grilled by Charley and then relaxed and watched House Bunny together while I did laundry so we could pack up in the morning. All in all a wonderful day and evening with my boys.