Scuba, Snuba or Snorkel

On Calypso we have choices. Its not just a snorkel trip to Molokini. You can choose to Snuba and if certified, Scuba. And don’t forget those glass bottom windows for those who don’t want to get wet. I’m a certified Scuba Diver but I can’t prove it so I opted to try the Snuba Dive. Turns out it’s pretty close to scuba.

Scuba, Snuba & Snorkel explained

For scuba think Jacques Cousteau. Scuba stands for self contained underwater breathing apparatus. Wow that’s a mouthful! You squeeze into a wet suit, strap  20-30 lbs of weight around your waist, then add a metal canister of air and voila, you’re ready to SCUBA dive.

Snuba is the same thing. You squeeze into your wet suit, strap on those weights and add a harness with a regulator. Plastic tubing runs from that metal canister which is located on a small rubber raft to your regulator. Now you’re breathing underwater. The big difference? In scuba you carry your tank around on your back. In Snuba you drag it behind you on an inflatable raft. Why you need to be certified for one and not the other is beyond me. 

For snorkeling you just float around breathing through a “J” shaped tube . Try not to get water in it. Most beginners just float on top of the water. More advanced snorkelers may dive underwater but return to the surface to clear their snorkel and get a breath of air. 

Snuba at Molokini & Turtle Town

Only 2 of us went in the water to SNUBA at Molokini so we each had our own rafts. The water was calm and visibility was amazing. For someone accustomed to diving in New England with 2 ft visibility this was great. There were large schools of black trigger fish. Breaking up all that black were bright yellow butterfly fish and we even spotted a rare sergeant major fish. There were several Moorish Idols swimming around that made me think of Gill from Finding Nemo.

We moved on to Turtle Town for the 2nd dive. This time there were 4 of us. One couple on one raft and myself and the other diver each had our own raft. Turtle Town did not disappoint. The first one we spotted was a huge male turtle who seemed content to just hang out on the ocean floor. The visibility here wasn’t as good as Molokini but still  better than New England.

We spotted several smaller turtles swimming about when the photographer, Marley, came swooping in to grab a “money shot” of me with a turtle. Way to go Marley! Thank you, Dude!

We also saw a snowflake eel. It looked like a tiny sea snake. 

The corals here seemed to rise out of the sea floor in ridges with sand deserts in between them. Too soon it was time to return to the boat. Absolutely great experience!