Capturing the Moment

  Manta Ray gliding over the reef. Heading out for an exploratory morning snorkel. The weather was a bit strange today so the area up around Puako was the only calm waters to snorkel. I knew there were spots to snorkel here on the reef, but I didn't know how good it was going to be. After getting tied up, we jumped in the water to see what we could find. A dangerous looking crown-of-thorns sea star was spotted early in our snorkel. You don't want to see too many of these on the reef, because they eat coral. I've heard that the spikes of a crown-of-thorns sea star are very sharp, like glass. I haven't tested this out yet. I almost didn't believe my ears when someone said manta ray. But sure enough, here it came, gliding over the shallow reef. I tried to freedive down under the manta so I could get a photo ID. We use the black marks on the underside of the ray to catalogue them. This was an 8ft male named Pu'uwai. Snorkelers and divers unite to swim with mantas. H...

  Drone aerial shot of the Lana'i coastline, and our boat anchored in the distance. Here in Hawaii, Lana'i is a unique place. This island has been privately owned since the early 1900's. First used as a ranch, then as a giant pineapple plantation by Dole, now it is the home to two exclusive resorts and a small town of 3,000 or so residents that call Lana'i home. The only ferry in the islands visits here from Maui three times a day. And a small airport services flights from Oahu and Maui as well. A barge brings in supplies and groceries to the island once a week. The pace is slow here, and places to sleep under $1000 are very limited. So not many tourist ever make it here. But that is just the kind of place I want to expose my guests onboard the expedition cruise ship, Safari Explorer, to. The unique history of the island makes this place unlike any other spot we visit in the Hawaiian islands. There aren't many paved roads here, but old plantation dirt track roads cr...