Waves, Whales, and Waterfalls on Maui

Me grabbing the rail at Honolua

Some surfer getting shacked

  What a way to ring in the new year! A week on Maui with old friends, borrowed camping gear, and a good winter swell brought out many smiles. We made sure to get in a couple of whale watches complete with muggings and breaches, and even managed a few dives at some of our favorite spots.

Nate breaking the mystique

Cutting hard at Honolua

  There are a few spots on the island with big firework shows for new years eve but the real scene is in the local neighborhoods. Fireworks sell like crazy leading up to new years and it shows with explosions heard from noon onwards. I even heard a few the next morning. I checked a few times to see if Nate's car was on fire because of all the smoke. And despite her best efforts to fall asleep I still kissed Heidi at midnight thanks to some unbelievable explosions from the neighbors.

Whale tails everywhere!

Adult breaching

Baby attempt

  It was a nonstop adventure as Maui can easily be. We had some scuba dives in 80ft visibility and some in 10ft vis, but ended on a good note at our favorite muck dive spot with 17 different species of nudibranchs spotted. Post of the dive with pics will soon be out.

Looking down the blowhole

Mom and calf close by

  We went on two whale watches. One on a big boat out of Maalaea and another on a small raft out of Lahaina. We had an incredible mugging by a mom and calf on the big boat. They circled the boat, almost bumping into the stern before taking off again. I needed my wide angle for that one.

Intense mugging

Maui

  We also fit in an incredible camping trip to Hana. The waterfalls were really flowing after torrential rains the week before. I showed Heidi some fun new spots (Flatrock, Frog Pond, Kipahulu) and got reacquainted with some old favorites (Red Sand Beach, Grandmas, Seven Sacred Pools).

Flatrock waterfall

  It was fun to try some long exposure shots at the waterfalls with a new filter I have. It really brings an ethereal aura to the scene. To get the shot of Seven Sacred Pools I had to slip down at night, past a few trail closed signs, and take a 25 second exposure just to capture the water raging at the pools.

 I caught some fun waves at Hookipa but it paled in comparison to our morning at Honolua Bay. I constantly tell people that Honolua is the best wave on Maui, hands down. It forms such perfect lines, barrels, and has pretty easy paddle outs. Nate and I caught it at the peak of a moderately big swell and luckily Heidi was high up over the cave taking some pictures of us in action. Glad we could score a few great waves before racing off to our whale watch with captain Ben.

Rainbow Eucalyptus Trees

Oheo Gulch (Seven Sacred Pools) at night