Hail Atlantis for an adventure off Maui

By Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jul 15, 2012

~~<p>THE mother and her baby were curious about the strange tubular creature they saw gliding underwater off the coast of Lahaina. They swam to within 20 feet of it — so close Jim Walsh could see their dark oval eyes.</p>
<p>"Of course, following the law, I held our position as soon as I saw the humpback whales," said Walsh, who was piloting Atlantis Adventures' submarine that February morning in 1996. "They checked us out for less than a minute, then continued on their way. That still gives me chicken skin when I think about it. You never forget encounters like that, no matter how brief they are or how long ago they happened."</p>
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<h4>ATLANTIS SUBMARINES MAUI</h4>
<strong>» Meet at:</strong> Check in at the Atlantis Submarine retail store in Pioneer Inn, 658 Wharf St., near the harbor, Lahaina, Maui
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THE mother and her baby were curious about the strange tubular creature they saw gliding underwater off the coast of Lahaina. They swam to within 20 feet of it — so close Jim Walsh could see their dark oval eyes.

"Of course, following the law, I held our position as soon as I saw the humpback whales," said Walsh, who was piloting Atlantis Adventures' submarine that February morning in 1996. "They checked us out for less than a minute, then continued on their way. That still gives me chicken skin when I think about it. You never forget encounters like that, no matter how brief they are or how long ago they happened." ATLANTIS SUBMARINES MAUI » Meet at: Check in at the Atlantis Submarine retail store in Pioneer Inn, 658 Wharf St., near the harbor, Lahaina, Maui Login for more...