2/18/2012 Blue Dolphin Excursion

Today, 10 fellow members of the "Kauai Adventure Club" Meetup Group and I ventured out on Blue Dolphin Charter's Whale Watching / Snorkeling / Na Pali Coast trip.  I had high hopes of seeing breaching whales and dancing dolphins since they've been so active, but it was not to be. 

Our check in time was 8 am. By the time all guests were registered and signed a waiver, it was around 8:30 when we boarded the boat.  After the captain presented some safety info, we headed out to sea.  He said it would be choppy until we made it out of the harbor, but it ended up being pretty rocky the whole day. It was an adventure, for sure. 

Schools of beautiful dolphins joined us throughout our 5+ hour tour, but I wasn't able to capture any photos of whales. Indeed, I only saw a few blows in the distance, but saw no whales. That's so surprising since I've been taking pictures of them from shore for the past few weeks. 

Dolphins ~ "Starboard at 6 o'clock!"

We motored into a cove, dropped anchor and snorkeled within the first hour of the trip. I'm used to snorkeling right off the beaches, so it was interesting to snorkel in deeper water.  I'm guessing it was about 40 ft. However, deeper water did not yield more fish in quantity or quality. I'm happy to continue snorkeling at Lawai Beach or Poipu Beach. Both beaches are just a short drive from my apartment and I can make a snap decision to head out any time the mood strikes me.  

Because the waters were so choppy, I wouldn't have elected to snorkel today but I had an opportunity to wear a wetsuit for the first time. Since I usually get cold quickly while snorkeling, I wanted to see if it is worth the investment for future snorkeling trips.  I was definitely more comfortable so I'll probably add a short wet suit to my "wish list".   Maybe one will appear on Craigslist?

Margie and Crew Members

After snorkeling, we were served a Continental Breakfast while we sailed along the south shore of Kauai, heading for Na Pali Coast. Typical for my luck trying to capture pictures of Kauai's sea life, the only two turtles we saw today swam by while I was juggling a cinnamon roll and a cup of coffee. No pics of turtles today either....

Julie

Na Pali in shadow

 

As a deli lunch was served on our way back from Na Pali, we kept "on the look out" for whales but the dolphins ended up being the highlight of the trip.  There was some issue with a 'lost' anchor that caused us a few minutes delay (a long story not worth telling), so we ended up back at Port Allen Harbor a little before 2:30.  

 

A tired, but happy group :)

It rained throughout the night last night, and it's raining again as I write this. I'm grateful that the sun was shining today and we had beautiful weather for the whole trip. 

Reflecting:  This was the first time I hosted a Meetup.com excursion.  I enjoyed the day, but as I used to do on my way home from "Cute as a Bug" photo shoots, I analyzed the event and wondered if there was something more I could have done to make the trip better.

Could it have been more enjoyable for everyone if I did something differently?  Should I have made an effort to save seats for everyone in one area of the boat? If I had done that, would someone have been unhappy with the location? Should I have surprised everyone with some small memento of the day? If so, what would / could that have been?  Could we have met at a specific place on the boat at lunchtime?  Should I have asked the Captain to make mention of the group in some way?  Was anyone celebrating a birthday, anniversary or other special moment in their lives that could have been mentioned?  

I'm new to Meetups and I don't know how other organizers arrange their events.  I suppose one can make an event as simple, or as complex, as they like.  I typically like 'easy', not complicated, but I think any of those ideas would have been a nice touch and would have made the day more memorable for all. Why do I always think of these types of things afterwards and not before?  

Mac was always incredibly good at making things 'special'.  I need to think 'What would Mac do?' before I plan any other events.  It will be better next time, I promise.  :)