This is tradition. It’s my favorite thing about Maui. My dad used to rally us kids, almost every morning of vacation, before the sun came up, to pull on our suits, grab our snorkel gear, and make our way over to Black Rock. We’d get there just as the sun peeked over the mountain, illuminating a vast aquarium of sea life. He knew the laminated fish guide, the one we got from Snorkel Bob’s when we rented our gear, forward and backward. We were always on the lookout for moray eels and triggerfish, pufferfish and sea turtles. We’d travel around in a pack so nobody would miss a sighting. When our body temperatures finally caught up with the water temperature, we’d get out and warm up in the sun while double checking the fish guide and comparing what we’d seen.
I think of him every time I wade into the early morning calm of the ocean and hear the evidence that the whales have yet to make their way to Alaska. I’m happy we’ve been able to share this tradition with our kids over the years. Even though my dad has been gone for 17 years, before most of my kids got to know him well, I’m glad they’ve been able to share this one thing that he loved so much.
