Here is a short video clip I took of a Manta ray(Manta birostris) that approached me.
Mantas frequent reef-side cleaning stations where small fish such as wrasses and angelfish swim inside the manta's gills and all over its skin to feed, in the process cleaning it of parasites and removing bits of dead skin.
2008-10-07
2008-10-06
Maui 2008 - Day 7
On Saturday (October 4, 2008), Louis and I went scuba diving with Lahaina Divers. They were heading to Molokini since the weather had improved. Unfortunately, the current was too strong on the back wall of Molokini, which is considered to be one of the top dive sites in the Pacific. So we dove on the inner part of the crater. The water was considerably "bluer" than any previous diving and snorkeling we had done.
The first dive site was called "middle reef". We got into the water at 08:54 AM. We dove to 80 feet for 39 minutes. Water temperature was 81F. I wore a 3mm "shorty" wetsuit and had 12 lbs of weight.
After a surface interval of 54 minutes, we dove at a spot called "Aquarium". We dove to 63 feet for 38 minutes on the 2nd dive.
There were fun dives. On the way back to the harbor, some dolphins joined us on the way back.
After diving, we headed back to the hotel. Later that night, we had dinner at the famous Hali'imaile General Store. The website describes the restaurant like this: "Hali'imaile General Store is consistently rated one of Maui's Best Restaurants having won Honolulu Magazines’ Hale ‘Aina Award for Top Maui Restaurant 8 of the last 9 years among many other awards." After eating our dinner, I agree, this was the best food we had on Maui. We shared two appetizers, the Sashimi Napoleon (layers of smoked salmon, ahi tartare, sashimi ahi and crispy won tons with wasabi vinaigrette) and Bev’s “Famous” Crab Pizza (handmade six-inch pizza crust with the “I’ll never tell” crab topping). The crab pizza was very delicious. I can see why she safeguards the recipe. For dinner, I had one of the signature dishes, the Hunan style rack of lamb. It was delicious. Jennifer had the special, the miso glazed furikake Monchong. She loved it. For desert, we shared the Lilikoi Brûlée and Almond Brittle Cup, a rich Lilikoi Brûlée served in an almond brittle cup over fresh berries in a raspberry coulis. Dinner was awesome and a great way to end the trip.
By the way, this sign was funny:
The first dive site was called "middle reef". We got into the water at 08:54 AM. We dove to 80 feet for 39 minutes. Water temperature was 81F. I wore a 3mm "shorty" wetsuit and had 12 lbs of weight.
After a surface interval of 54 minutes, we dove at a spot called "Aquarium". We dove to 63 feet for 38 minutes on the 2nd dive.
There were fun dives. On the way back to the harbor, some dolphins joined us on the way back.
After diving, we headed back to the hotel. Later that night, we had dinner at the famous Hali'imaile General Store. The website describes the restaurant like this: "Hali'imaile General Store is consistently rated one of Maui's Best Restaurants having won Honolulu Magazines’ Hale ‘Aina Award for Top Maui Restaurant 8 of the last 9 years among many other awards." After eating our dinner, I agree, this was the best food we had on Maui. We shared two appetizers, the Sashimi Napoleon (layers of smoked salmon, ahi tartare, sashimi ahi and crispy won tons with wasabi vinaigrette) and Bev’s “Famous” Crab Pizza (handmade six-inch pizza crust with the “I’ll never tell” crab topping). The crab pizza was very delicious. I can see why she safeguards the recipe. For dinner, I had one of the signature dishes, the Hunan style rack of lamb. It was delicious. Jennifer had the special, the miso glazed furikake Monchong. She loved it. For desert, we shared the Lilikoi Brûlée and Almond Brittle Cup, a rich Lilikoi Brûlée served in an almond brittle cup over fresh berries in a raspberry coulis. Dinner was awesome and a great way to end the trip.
By the way, this sign was funny:
Maui 2008 - Day 6
On Friday (October 3, 2008), we went to the beach, visited Front Street in Lahaina (souvenir shops) and relaxed for rest of the day. Sounds boring, but that was the point.
Maui 2008 - Day 5
On Thursday (October 2, 2008) we had breakfast at The Plantation House Restaurant on the Kapalua Golf Course.
After breakfast, we went to snorkeling near the Black Rock at Kaanapali Beach. Kaanapali Beach is a 3 mile long stretch of white sand located on the western shore of Maui. The beach had a lot of people on it. Black Rock is a lava rock peninsula at the north end of the beach. Louis and I went snorkeling and the girls hung out on the beach.
As we headed back to shore, we came upon a sea turtle.
Snorkeling at Black Rock was fun and I highly recommend it. When we were done, we headed back to the hotel.
Later that evening, Jennifer and I went out to dinner to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We had dinner at the Pineapple Grill. Jennifer had the filet mignon and I had the miso and sake marinated tiger shrimp. We were given a complimentary pineapple upside-down cake. The Pineapple Grill was one of my favorite restaurants in Maui. If you go to Maui, you must eat at the Pineapple Grill.
After breakfast, we went to snorkeling near the Black Rock at Kaanapali Beach. Kaanapali Beach is a 3 mile long stretch of white sand located on the western shore of Maui. The beach had a lot of people on it. Black Rock is a lava rock peninsula at the north end of the beach. Louis and I went snorkeling and the girls hung out on the beach.
As we headed back to shore, we came upon a sea turtle.
Snorkeling at Black Rock was fun and I highly recommend it. When we were done, we headed back to the hotel.
Later that evening, Jennifer and I went out to dinner to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We had dinner at the Pineapple Grill. Jennifer had the filet mignon and I had the miso and sake marinated tiger shrimp. We were given a complimentary pineapple upside-down cake. The Pineapple Grill was one of my favorite restaurants in Maui. If you go to Maui, you must eat at the Pineapple Grill.
2008-10-02
Maui 2008 - Day 4
On Wednesday (October 1, 2008), we drove to Hāna. Hāna is located at the eastern end of the island of Maui and is one of the most isolated towns in the state. It is reached mainly via the Hāna Highway, a long, winding, 52 mile long highway along Maui's northern shore. There are a number of guides and books published on this famous road. It is indeed long, it is winding, and it can be dangerous. However, the danger factor is based purely on the other drivers. Some like to stop where they should not. Some like to take their eyes of the road. Some like to pass where they should not. In other words, if you were driving alone on this road, you would be in no more danger than any other winding road.
This journey took up most of the day. We left Kahana at 8:00 AM and proceeded onto the Hana Highway at 9:20 AM. We made a number of stops on the way to Hana. One stop was the Hookipa lookout. Ho‘okipa Beach Park is located on the north shore of Maui, Hawaii. It is perhaps the most renowned windsurfing site in the world. The waves here are largest during the winter, and break across a system of reefs that extend across the bay. During the summer the waves are smaller. Ho'okipa is ideal for windsurfing because of its large well-shaped waves and strong winds. The name Ho‘okipa means "hospitality" in Hawaiian. In the morning, there were about 50 surfers in the water.
Our next stop was a bamboo forest. The captain from the catamaran told us about this stop. We saw a few cars parked along the road, just as he described, so we knew we had the right place. Louis and I entered the dense bamboo forest.
It was dark and the bamboo appears to be impassable, but it was not. The further you venture into the forest, the thicker the bamboo trunks were. Eventually you come to a creek with mini waterfalls.
Very serene and beautiful. After a few minutes, we headed back to the SUV and got back on the road.
The next stop was the Garden of Eden, aka Maui Botanical Gardens & Aboretum. The gardens are described as "twenty-six acres of trails alive with brilliant colors, unique flowers, rare trees, and the sweet aroma of tropical blossoms in a uniquely natural island setting." We toured this for about 45 minutes.
We purchased and ate some bananas that were grown in the garden. We got back onto the road as more tourists arrived at the gardens.
As we continued our way to Hana, we stopped at a few waterfalls and snapped some photos.
We started to get hungry and had some local snacks at "Uncle Harry's", a little shack along the way.
I drank and ate a coconut. Jenn and I shared a smoothie of locally grown pineapple, mango, guava, and papaya. It was delicious. At another stop, I spotted a coffee sign. We stopped there and I got coffee and some macadamia nut cookies. The macadamia nuts were grown 20 feet from the home of the nice lady that made the cookies. The cookies were some of the best we ever had.
Finally, around 1:30 PM, we arrived in Hana. As others have said in many of the guides and books, there is not much to see in Hana. It is a very quiet and calm town with not much going on. I think the residents like the fact that their town has not been developed for tourism. We stopped for a while at Hamoa beach. Not much to say about this beach. It was beautiful and the photos speak for themselves.
On the way home, we didn't stop very much. We only stopped to take some photos are use a restroom. I did manage to get some pictures of windsurfers at Hookipa beach.
When we got back to the hotel, we made dinner ourselves. Overall, the drive to Hana was fun and it was very beautiful. The journey is not for the resort vacation type. If you are looking to do some shopping or other non-adventurous stuff, the drive to Hana is not for you. If you love nature and you like to see exotic foliage, beaches, and undeveloped nature, this is for you.
This journey took up most of the day. We left Kahana at 8:00 AM and proceeded onto the Hana Highway at 9:20 AM. We made a number of stops on the way to Hana. One stop was the Hookipa lookout. Ho‘okipa Beach Park is located on the north shore of Maui, Hawaii. It is perhaps the most renowned windsurfing site in the world. The waves here are largest during the winter, and break across a system of reefs that extend across the bay. During the summer the waves are smaller. Ho'okipa is ideal for windsurfing because of its large well-shaped waves and strong winds. The name Ho‘okipa means "hospitality" in Hawaiian. In the morning, there were about 50 surfers in the water.
Our next stop was a bamboo forest. The captain from the catamaran told us about this stop. We saw a few cars parked along the road, just as he described, so we knew we had the right place. Louis and I entered the dense bamboo forest.
It was dark and the bamboo appears to be impassable, but it was not. The further you venture into the forest, the thicker the bamboo trunks were. Eventually you come to a creek with mini waterfalls.
Very serene and beautiful. After a few minutes, we headed back to the SUV and got back on the road.
The next stop was the Garden of Eden, aka Maui Botanical Gardens & Aboretum. The gardens are described as "twenty-six acres of trails alive with brilliant colors, unique flowers, rare trees, and the sweet aroma of tropical blossoms in a uniquely natural island setting." We toured this for about 45 minutes.
We purchased and ate some bananas that were grown in the garden. We got back onto the road as more tourists arrived at the gardens.
As we continued our way to Hana, we stopped at a few waterfalls and snapped some photos.
We started to get hungry and had some local snacks at "Uncle Harry's", a little shack along the way.
I drank and ate a coconut. Jenn and I shared a smoothie of locally grown pineapple, mango, guava, and papaya. It was delicious. At another stop, I spotted a coffee sign. We stopped there and I got coffee and some macadamia nut cookies. The macadamia nuts were grown 20 feet from the home of the nice lady that made the cookies. The cookies were some of the best we ever had.
Finally, around 1:30 PM, we arrived in Hana. As others have said in many of the guides and books, there is not much to see in Hana. It is a very quiet and calm town with not much going on. I think the residents like the fact that their town has not been developed for tourism. We stopped for a while at Hamoa beach. Not much to say about this beach. It was beautiful and the photos speak for themselves.
On the way home, we didn't stop very much. We only stopped to take some photos are use a restroom. I did manage to get some pictures of windsurfers at Hookipa beach.
When we got back to the hotel, we made dinner ourselves. Overall, the drive to Hana was fun and it was very beautiful. The journey is not for the resort vacation type. If you are looking to do some shopping or other non-adventurous stuff, the drive to Hana is not for you. If you love nature and you like to see exotic foliage, beaches, and undeveloped nature, this is for you.
Maui 2008 - Day 3
On Tuesday (September 30, 2008), Louis and I went scuba diving with Ed Robinson's Diving Adventures. We had to be at the Kihei boat ramp (map) at 06:30 AM so that the boat could leave at 7:00 AM. We arrived at a little late, at 06:40 AM, but no one seemed to mind. It's difficult to get around Maui when you are in a hurry. We booked a dive trip to the Molokini crater. Molokini is an offshore crescent moon-shaped volcanic crater south of Ma‘alaea Bay, Maui, Hawaii and part of Maui County. It is a popular destination for scuba diving, snuba and snorkeling with many tourist boats coming each day from the south coast of Maui. Unfortunately, due to strong northerly winds, this popular dive site was too dangerous to dive. The captain picked another spot and we headed south, to the very southern tip of Maui. The seas were rough. We stopped at a site called Pinnacle Point. According to Ed Robinson's site:
"Pinnacle Point has some of the most dramatic shallow lava formations Maui has to offer: arches, valleys, canyons.... It's shallow enough for new divers (10 - 60 ft.), but will intrigue those who are advanced. If you're lucky, there may be turtles and the Queen (Golden) Enenue about. This is a great place for Photographers and divers looking for new places to explore."
We suited up and jumped into the water at 8:04 AM. The dive company provided us with 5mm wetsuits since the water was 80F (I'm used to diving with 12mm of neoprene in Monterey, CA where the water is 51F). This was nice because I only needed 16 lbs of weight. Louis and I and a few others were assigned to stay with Will, one of the dive masters. As we descended, I knew we were going to have a great time. The water was so blue and clear. As we headed a bit north, we saw the lava formations. Visibility started to decrease at this time, down to about 40'. There was a lot of surge in this area, but it was manageable. We saw quite a few interesting looking fish.
We also saw 3 moray eels on this dive.
But nothing could compare to the 6 ft wide Manta ray that came up to me. The Manta came within a few feet of me as a snapped some photos and a brief video clip from my Canon SD 790. Notice the purple and yellow striped fish around the Manta. These are "cleaner wrasses"
This dive lasted 43 minutes at a max depth of 54 feet. The air temperature was 81 F and the water temperature was 79 F. I wore a 5mm wetsuit, no gloves, no hood. I needed 16 lbs of weight.
For the second dive, we left this area and headed north to a spot called La Perouse Wall, in La Perouse Bay. La Perouse Bay is located south of the town of Wailea-Makena, Hawaii at the end of Makena Alanui Road (State Highway 31). The bay's Hawaiian name is Keoneoio. It was later named for the French explorer Captain Jean-François de Galaup, comte de La Pérouse. In 1786, La Pérouse surveyed and mapped the prominent embayment near the southern cape of Maui opposite the island of Kaho'olawe. The bay is the site of Maui's most recent volcanic activity.
We jumped into the water at 10:05 AM. During this dive, we say a number of beautiful fish and some in schools. We did notice a lot of fishing hooks, leaders, and lead weights strewn about the ocean floor. This was a disappointing reminder of how man continues to ruin the earth. Towards the end of the dive, I found two moray eels in a hole together. One was black, the other was white. I still need to identify these. This dive lasted 53 minutes with a max depth of 49 feet. The air and water temperatures were the same as the first dive. Visibility was also about 50 feet. Surge was high though.
While we were diving, the girls were enjoying a breakfast and a spa treatment at the Spa Grande Wailea.
After we met up, we ate a late lunch at Cheeseburger Island Style in Wailea.
Afterward, we did some very brief shopping at Wailea shopping center. Then we headed back to the hotel and cooked our own dinner.
"Pinnacle Point has some of the most dramatic shallow lava formations Maui has to offer: arches, valleys, canyons.... It's shallow enough for new divers (10 - 60 ft.), but will intrigue those who are advanced. If you're lucky, there may be turtles and the Queen (Golden) Enenue about. This is a great place for Photographers and divers looking for new places to explore."
We suited up and jumped into the water at 8:04 AM. The dive company provided us with 5mm wetsuits since the water was 80F (I'm used to diving with 12mm of neoprene in Monterey, CA where the water is 51F). This was nice because I only needed 16 lbs of weight. Louis and I and a few others were assigned to stay with Will, one of the dive masters. As we descended, I knew we were going to have a great time. The water was so blue and clear. As we headed a bit north, we saw the lava formations. Visibility started to decrease at this time, down to about 40'. There was a lot of surge in this area, but it was manageable. We saw quite a few interesting looking fish.
We also saw 3 moray eels on this dive.
But nothing could compare to the 6 ft wide Manta ray that came up to me. The Manta came within a few feet of me as a snapped some photos and a brief video clip from my Canon SD 790. Notice the purple and yellow striped fish around the Manta. These are "cleaner wrasses"
This dive lasted 43 minutes at a max depth of 54 feet. The air temperature was 81 F and the water temperature was 79 F. I wore a 5mm wetsuit, no gloves, no hood. I needed 16 lbs of weight.
For the second dive, we left this area and headed north to a spot called La Perouse Wall, in La Perouse Bay. La Perouse Bay is located south of the town of Wailea-Makena, Hawaii at the end of Makena Alanui Road (State Highway 31). The bay's Hawaiian name is Keoneoio. It was later named for the French explorer Captain Jean-François de Galaup, comte de La Pérouse. In 1786, La Pérouse surveyed and mapped the prominent embayment near the southern cape of Maui opposite the island of Kaho'olawe. The bay is the site of Maui's most recent volcanic activity.
We jumped into the water at 10:05 AM. During this dive, we say a number of beautiful fish and some in schools. We did notice a lot of fishing hooks, leaders, and lead weights strewn about the ocean floor. This was a disappointing reminder of how man continues to ruin the earth. Towards the end of the dive, I found two moray eels in a hole together. One was black, the other was white. I still need to identify these. This dive lasted 53 minutes with a max depth of 49 feet. The air and water temperatures were the same as the first dive. Visibility was also about 50 feet. Surge was high though.
While we were diving, the girls were enjoying a breakfast and a spa treatment at the Spa Grande Wailea.
After we met up, we ate a late lunch at Cheeseburger Island Style in Wailea.
Afterward, we did some very brief shopping at Wailea shopping center. Then we headed back to the hotel and cooked our own dinner.
Maui 2008 - Day 2
On Monday, (September 29, 2008) our plan was to see the sunrise on top of the Haleakala crater, a now inactive volcano. The crater is located in Haleakala National Park, a 28,655 acre park of which 19,270 acres are wilderness. We had to get up early to see the 06:09 AM sunrise. We got up at 3:00 AM and left Kahana at 3:40 AM. The road is very windy and may require the consumption of Dramamine or Bonine the night before. On the way there, we noticed some sugar cane fields on fire on the way to the crater. They appeared to be controlled burns. We arrived at the summit and parked our car at 05:40 AM. There were a number of cars (50+) and a few buses in the summit parking lot. Just before dawn, the period between dark and sunrise, we saw a lot of stars. The sky was very clear. I setup the camcorder and started to record the sunrise. We also took a lot of pictures.
Unfortunately, some people decided it was a good idea to take very young children to the summit. These two children cried and whined for the attention of their ignorant parents the entire time. Anyways, the sunrise was beautiful. You must do it once. I don't need to do it again. I have photos!
As we came down the mountain, we went zip-lining Skyline Eco Adventures. This was fun. If you decide to do this, you must book early! They are very popular and fill up fast. The ziplines zig zag down a long gorge at the base of Haleakala. The last zip line is over 600 ft long! As you approach each zipline, the guides give you a basic history of an endangered bird, one for each zipline. This was interesting. It was good to know that some of the zipline fee is given towards the conservation of endangered animals.
We stopped for a late breakfast at the Kula Lodge restaurant. The food was excellent. I had the malted belgian waffles and Jennifer had the standard breakfast with Portuguese sausage. The food was great and the view from our time was very nice.
After we ate, we went back to the hotel and got some much needed rest. Later that evening, we went on a sunset sailing cruise on board the Paragon, a sailing catamaran. Were were served mai tai's and beer. The food consisted of a fruit platter, fried egg rolls, and chicken breast strips. The sunset was beautiful and the water wasn't too choppy.
Unfortunately, some people decided it was a good idea to take very young children to the summit. These two children cried and whined for the attention of their ignorant parents the entire time. Anyways, the sunrise was beautiful. You must do it once. I don't need to do it again. I have photos!
As we came down the mountain, we went zip-lining Skyline Eco Adventures. This was fun. If you decide to do this, you must book early! They are very popular and fill up fast. The ziplines zig zag down a long gorge at the base of Haleakala. The last zip line is over 600 ft long! As you approach each zipline, the guides give you a basic history of an endangered bird, one for each zipline. This was interesting. It was good to know that some of the zipline fee is given towards the conservation of endangered animals.
We stopped for a late breakfast at the Kula Lodge restaurant. The food was excellent. I had the malted belgian waffles and Jennifer had the standard breakfast with Portuguese sausage. The food was great and the view from our time was very nice.
After we ate, we went back to the hotel and got some much needed rest. Later that evening, we went on a sunset sailing cruise on board the Paragon, a sailing catamaran. Were were served mai tai's and beer. The food consisted of a fruit platter, fried egg rolls, and chicken breast strips. The sunset was beautiful and the water wasn't too choppy.
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