Capturing the Moment

  What a time to be in Maui! The whales continue to amaze me. You can literally sit on your balcony, sipping your coffee in the morning, and watch whales splashing all over. I can't believe that this is not more well known. It should be a must-visit destination for wildlife enthusiast. The sheer density of these humpbacks is something to wonder at. Not to mention all the acrobatic, surface behaviors they display. While watching the whales from your balcony can be a fun story, there is nothing quite like getting on the water and seeing them close up. We had multiple encounters today where the whales came closer than the 100 yard approach limit. Even at 100 yards, you feel very, very close since these whales are about the size of a city school bus. This stuff never gets old. One whale starting a breach, where they leap out of the water, while another whale swims very close by. This behavior is called a peduncle throw. It is often seen as an aggressive behavior in a competition pod. T...

  Incredible Snorkel at Mala Pier, Maui This may be one of the best kept secrets of Maui. Just outside the bustling port village of Lahaina, there is an old concrete pier, lying at the sandy bottom after hurricane Iniki wrecked it with massive waves back in 1992. Since then it has become a magnet for marine life. Corals cover the wreckage of the old pier, giving it a bit of a shipwreck feel as you hover at the surface. Fish have come to live in the coral, and sea turtles also call the area home. Today was one of those lucky days were the water was flat calm, the sky was sunny and blue, and the site was uncrowded. The reason this is such a great spot to know about is that you can actually get here without a boat. If you know where to swim out you can easily reach the snorkel site from the beach. I often grab my scuba tank and do shore dives here, although today was all about snorkeling with my guests. And what a snorkel it was! Check out the description below each picture for a litt...

  One benefit of being stuck on east coast time after flying to Hawaii, is that you will definitely be up for the golden hour around sunrise time. I actually got up around 2:30am this morning to a beautiful clear sky, full moon, and so many stars. I thought I would be productive and go for a long photo walk. This island of Molokai is usually very quiet, but it was incredibly quiet early in the morning. I started my walk at the only hotel on the entire island, The Hotel Molokai. It is a very cozy place, right next to the water, with hammocks swinging from palm trees. Wild chickens provide the only other noise in the mornings, but live music is often on the menu for the evenings. The sun rises behind Maui from this vantage point. Once the sky started to glow I knew it would be a great opportunity for some early morning pictures. The palm trees, pool, and hammocks all provided interesting subjects. I also had to throw in some color reflecting off the smooth ocean. A 28 mile barrier re...