Capturing the Moment

  Oh it feels good to be back. Shortly after arriving back out to Maui with the family, my dad and his partner Cheryl arrived for a bit to hang with the grandkids and take in some of the tropical vacation vibe. We had a wonderful time with them visiting, from evenings out to beach and pool time at their Sugar Beach condo. Both kids got out on the boogie board with me in small waves which was a big step up from their comfort level in the water last year. Maybe all that pool time back in Stowe is going to pay off.     I wanted to jump in the water and show my dad a new snorkel spot so we headed down to a little secret spot in Makena. Turtles and beautiful coral can be found pretty much anywhere here in Makena, as long as the bottom is rocky. This spot was located on a lava rock outcropping at the very end of a beautiful beach. After walking through the waves we slipped on our fins and kicked out towards the submerged rocks.    The relief of the underwater lan...

  I took advantage of the kids syncing up their mid-day nap schedule and bolted down to Turtle Town in Makena. It is a quick 20 minute trip from our house, so I was in the water in no time. The entrance is picture on the left, and it was quite serene with a little ebb and flood of the ocean. However, just beyond the safety of the rocks the conditions got wild. Luckily for me the view underwater was pristine and clear, so I was determined to get some photos, despite the huge waves crashing overhead.    Two long lava 'fingers' stretch out from a cove here at "Five Graves." Sea turtles tend to be numerous here so they were my target for today. The clear water gave me the opportunity to photograph some impressive coral bommies on my way out. It turns out I wouldn't have to go very far before seeing my first turtle.    It is all green sea turtles here. They feed almost exclusively on algae that grows on the underwater rocks. The waves crashing overhead wasn...

   Taking full advantage of living on Maui in the winters we spent the morning at a new snorkel spot and beautiful beach with our good friend Moser. Heidi and I were quite excited to check out a new place, especially since Catalina seemed perfectly content playing with Moser on the beach. That girl loves her giant sand boxes.    As I waded out in the crystal clear water I saw our first turtle before I even started to swim. It was cruising over the sandy bottom. The mid day light was shining through the water lighting up the turtles shell, making for some great photographs.   That first turtle led me straight into the second, and that is how this entire snorkel felt. Once I had enough pictures of those turtles over the sand I swam to find Heidi snorkeling over the reef. I was pretty shocked at how beautiful the topography of the reef was. There were lots of nooks and crannies for animals to hide, and the coral looked very healthy and colorful. ...

Paul victorious after we found this secret black sand beach Yellow tang with very unusual coloration  My buddy Paul is back and this time the Utila reunion is complete since Brian is living out here as well. We all went through our scuba divemaster certification class in Utila, Honduras together. Paul just finished a stint as a deckhand on a tallship which ended up in port on Oahu, so he popped over for some good fun Maui adventuring. Brian and Paul headed out of the cave Brian underwater cave diving  So far we have toured the far reaches of Lanai, kayaked to hidden beaches from La Perouse, and delved deep into underwater caves off Makena. Turtles love the caves for resting  Here are a couple pictures from those adventures. I love the lighting in this cavern Deep in another cave A pair of reticulated butterflyfish, a rare find here in Maui

Saddleback Butterfly Fish Hundreds of snorkelers kick over the coral reef at Five Graves, a.k.a. Turtle Town every day here in Maui. It is an amazing place to see turtles and lots of other popular reef fish. But almost none of these people will get a chance to see what is hiding down in the reef, camouflaging in, and lurking in the cracks and crevices. That was our mission as we donned scuba gear and headed in with my macro lens. And as always, Turtle Town did not disappoint. Longfin Anthias     Rare and timid Saddleback Butterflyfish perused the reef in tandem. They are one of the rarer butterflyfish species seen here in Maui and I had never been able to snap a good picture before as they are notoriously skittish. Moray eels stared out from cracks in the reef, baring their teeth and looking quite menacing. I have the utmost respect for their hunting abilities after watching a fish disappear before my eyes into a striking moray eel's mouth. Even so, I sometimes...

Early morning look at Haleakala volcano's South side  Road 'round the West Maui Mtns, NW Maui Plumeria  One of the big adventures not often attempted here on Maui is the drive around the West Maui mountains. The road here can be driven by any type of car, however you need to be a confident driver as some of the turns are little more than one lane and on the precipice of a huge cliff. But like the more popular 'road to Hana' the sights along this drive are incredible. Huge canyons, distant waterfalls, tropical flowers, and ocean vistas try and pull your eyes off the road. One of my favorite scenes, Big Beach  My mom and I tackled this windy road after starting off the morning at the very end of the road, La Perouse Bay . Tucked back in the newest lava flows on Maui the road dead ends into a very beautiful but rugged bay where Admiral La Perouse landed his ship. Beautiful sandy beaches like Big Beach await travelers down in the Makena area with a few se...