Melani's Autobiographical Essay

Melani Tompkins

Mrs. Jacques

11/24/11

Autobiographical Essay

Jacques

Have you ever wanted to experience something you have never done before? Well if you are heading to Maui, Hawaii, you got to take a boat ride to the Molokini crater. I was really looking forward to taking a raft trip to Molokini with my family. But I really didn’t know what to expect. I’ve been snorkeling before, but the water wasn’t very deep, so going snorkeling in the middle of the ocean was going to be a lot different! I felt nervous but was excited to do something different. I knew it was going to be something new, but I was willing to take the chance!

When we got to the area where the boat was, I saw some of the other people that were going to be on the fun trip to Molokini too! The kids looked really thrilled to go on the trip too. Suddenly the captain of the boat, gathered us all together to load onto the raft. Once we were all on the raft, I was so excited to head over to Molokini and start snorkeling, and soon as you know it, we were off to our adventure! The raft was moving so fast, and the wind was rushing through my hair and on our way where we were heading to, we could see some of the other Hawaiian islands in far distance. It felt like I was on a Disneyland or Seaworld ride because the speed of the boat. Seeing some of the other islands from a far, felt like I was sightseeing too.

As we got closer, and closer to the Molokini crater, I started to get butterflies because we were already far from Maui. I started to think, “What if I drown?” “What if a shark comes and eats me?” But I knew I was going to be safe with my dad and all of the other people while snorkeling. Finally we got there. Molokini looked a lot different than I thought it was going to be. It had a shape of a horseshoe and birds relaxed on the top of the crater. Then the boat stopped and the captain told us to jump right when we got all of our snorkel gear on. I kind of felt uncomfortable just jumping into the ocean because it was deep, but once I saw the other people starting to jump right in, I knew it was going to be ok.

I finally jumped into the water, and my eyes opened up really wide, like I was in a whole different world! The water was so blue and clear it was amazing. There were jnhyschool of fish surrounding all around me. It is amazing how there is like a whole new universe underwater. I saw all different colors of fish, sea plants, starfish and much more! I felt like I was in the movie Finding Nemo swimming with all the fish characters. If you thought going to SeaWorld was cool, just wait till you go snorkeling at Molokini. Our time was almost up and it was time to head back on the boat to Maui. I was sad that we couldn’t stay longer but I knew it was time to go back. While going back to Maui on the boat, I knew my Molokini trip was now ending, but I was wrong. Our group of snorkelers spotted something in the distance, and when we go closer to it, we realized they were whales! It was a mama whale and a baby whale, and they were coming up for air right next to our boat. I couldn’t believe this was happening. Not every day you get that close up to whales! Especially since our trip was in April, and most of the whales at this time are already migrating to colder waters, which is Alaska. I was amazed how big they were, and how they swam side by side from each other.

Going to Molokini was one of the most exciting things I did in Hawaii. It’s going to be something I am going to do every time we visit. I felt proud of myself for doing this! I was scared at first but it turned out amazing and something I would do anytime! Don’t ever be scared to try something new, because at the end its something you won’t ever regret! Molokini was a great experience that was filled with adventure. Can’t wait till next time I go back to Maui! Maybe I’ll see a whole family of whales!