Pacific Whale Foundation Wildside Eco-Adventure, Lanai

[Sadly, I somehow accidentally deleted my own pictures of the trip, so these stock photos will have to do.]

Let me start by saying that this is hands-down the best snorkeling trip I’ve been on, putting last year’s Molokini snorkel trip to shame. Why? Well, that’s what you’re here to read about so I guess I’ll tell you.

The Ocean Adventurer; note the canopy

My group left out of Lahaina harbor a little after 7:30am on the Ocean Adventurer, a powered pontoon boat that seats up to 30 people. My group was fortunate in that there were only 16 people (not including 2 crewmembers) on the trip because what with everyone’s gear and whatnot, I don’t see how 30 people on this vessel would be at all comfortable. The Ocean Adventurer also features a canopy over most of the vessel to keep the brutal sun off you, unlike the other PWF pontoon vessel that usually goes out to Molokini. (Though it was a cloudy day, people who stayed up in the front of the boat where there is no canopy did get a little burned, even with sunscreen.) Once aboard, we powered our way 45 minutes -1 hour over to east Lanai and proceeded to head south and around to the west side, being that ocean conditions and weather dictate which way the boat travels and what snorkeling stops they make, meaning, each time you take this trip may make for a much different experience.

Sweetheart Rock

Once at Lanai’s coastline, Captain Carl (super nice guy) skipped over some regular snorkel spots that weren’t up to par this day and opted to take us to our first snorkel spot at Sweetheart Rock. (Why is it called Sweetheart Rock? Captain Carl will tell you the whole story.) Although the surf was a little bouncy, it was still a great stop with a high fish count and interesting underwater topography. In fact, if you’re at all good at free diving, there are some underwater arches to test your mettle. Ah, yes, they let you dive under the water on this trip, something other tours ask you not to do, though this may have had something to do with the abilities of the people on board. Still, it was a nice bit of freedom. Better still, when you get out of the water, there is a nice fresh water hose to rinse off with; a nice touch. After Captain Carl gave us some history, we headed out for another snorkel spot.

Along the way, Captain Carl put the pedal to the metal and did a couple of nice S-turns, hence the “Wild” portion of the trip. Granted, I’ve been on faster boats but it was still fun, especially with the surf being a little bouncy. At our second stop at Shark Fin Rock, the fish count AND fish diversity was even greater than at the first stop. Even though I was a little hesitant to get in the water at first since the first stop was a bit cool in terms of water temp 

White Pyramid Butterfly Fish

(yes, the water temp is a little lower here than it is off the Maui coast), as soon as I saw all the fish I forgot about the water temperature. Honestly, there were so many fish I got tired of taking pictures! We saw plenty of white triangle butterfly fish, to, which I guess are really rare over on Maui (I guess so since this is the first time I’ve ever seen them). And again, there was some interesting underwater topography.

Dolphins - Yes, they get even closer.

After Shark Fin Rock, our naturalist, Jackson, told us all about the fish and reef animals. It would otherwise be a boring presentation, but Jackson is clearly passionate about the ocean and that kind of passion makes even the mundane interesting. Unfortunately for Jackson, we were eventually interrupted by a school of spotted dolphin which we were so close to they were literally swimming alongside the boat and jumping out of the water as close as 15 feet away. Wow; best part of the trip. From there we kept heading west along the sea cliffs.

I will admit that our last stop wasn’t too impressive which may have had a lot to do with the weather, although two people did say they spotted eagle rays. I got out of the water just a few minutes too soon, apparently. But after we got out the crew gave us bagged lunches which included turkey and cheese sandwiches, small apples, a bag of mixed nuts, and soda and drinks and fruit which are available throughout the trip. While the food was nothing particularly great – it never is on such tours – it is still nice that it is provided at all. All things considered, I don’t consider the food a letdown at all. At about this time, it’s about 5 hours into the trip and time to head home. True, it’s a long slog back to Lahaina harbor if you don’t get to circumnavigate Lanai as we did not this day due to weather conditions, but that just gives you time to kick back and reflect on the day. The trip was worth every penny.

Anything else to note? Yes, if you think you’re going to get even a little queasy on a small vessel, take some Dramamine first. If you don’t know if you get sea sick, take the Dramamine, ‘cause unless you’re dying, the boat isn’t turning around for you. And bring warm clothes; when you’re wet and the boat is moving fast, it can be quite chilly out there. Got it? Alright then, have fun out there!

Sensei, Kihei

[This review pertains to Sensai in Kihei during the 10pm-1am Happy Hour w/ Karaoke.]

I’d heard that for some really good, half-price sushi, Sensai is the way to go. I also heard that you have to line up outside Sensai’s doors around 9:30pm for the 10pm Happy Hour discount. Fair enough, but I was also there for some karaoke which is held on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, so I made sure I was in line on time so we could get good seats. 

Oddly enough, even though my friends and I were one of the first ones in the door, the hostesses sat us in the very back despite the fact that we told them we were there for karaoke. Um, okay. But we asked another waitress what our options were and we wound up taking a seat at the sushi bar, which is much better for karaoke viewing. That’s when we noticed that the main dining room was filled with locals/non-haoles while haoles like us were regulated to the peripherals. I don’t really have a problem with that but it is something interesting to know going in. 

Sitting at the sushi bar does have an advantage in that you seem to get served faster there. However, the sushi is, how shall we say this, standard? It’s good insofar that it’s hard to do sushi wrong unless it’s served warm or simply not fresh. Whether regular ol’ sushi, sashimi, or tempura styled, all of the sushi was good. Good. Meanwhile, my friend’s crab-something was neither here nor there while my wife’s Maui style ribs were of a poor cut of meat (too fatty) and the sauce on it was way too salty. Okay, so it looks like sushi is their main thing. Also good to know going in. 

That aside, as I said we were also there for karaoke. Problem was is that apparently no one else was. I’ve been to a few karaoke nights in my time and this was by far the lamest. Perhaps we were there on an off night? While I know karaoke isn’t as popular as it used to be, still, doesn’t anyone know how to have fun anymore? What a letdown. 

Sensai is a perfectly respectable and cleanly, if uninterestingly, decored  restaurant – hard to find outside of a resort – and the food sushi is decent enough. It just lacks a certain…something. Would I go back? Sure, but only for the half-price sushi and nothing else. 

Directions: On South Kihei Road in the Foodland supermarket plaza across from Kalama Park. Big “Sensai” sign on the street; can’t miss it if you’re looking for it.

                   

Po'olenalena Beach, South Maui

Poolenalena Beach from the north looking south

After living in Maui for a year, we finally got around to snorkeling Poolenalena Beach. All I can say is, I wish we’d done it sooner. This is a primo spot: Easy entry, a large field of good coral, lots of turtles usually, and uncrowded in the middle of the (southern end of the) beach. The beach is long and sandy, but divided into two parts by a rocky point that is on your right when you walk in from the public parking area. It is also here that many locals park themselves under the trees on the left for a full day of fishing, BBQ’ing, and talk story, so it can be crowded right off the parking lot on the weekends. The most southern end of the beach can be a little crowded too, with people from the condos there, but this is a very minor complaint. As I said, few people set up in the middle of the beach, so there is definitely room if you like some space between yourself and other people. 

The snorkeling itself was great the last two times we went, but make note that the southern end is best, the middle so-so, and the north end (which is the south end of Palauea Beach) is better than average. Entry is easy as again, the beach is sandy with the sand extending at least 50 feet into the water, with the exception of some obviously rocky areas that are easy to avoid. 

Again, the southern end was the best, with numerous turtles since this area is a turtle cleaning station. (With a turtle cleaning station so close to shore, I don’t know why people pay for boat tours that stop here. Lack of research, I guess.) At one point, I’d noted 8 different turtles in less than 15 minutes, to say nothing of the big black fish and eels. And that’s not even going out more than 100 feet from the shoreline! I will say that the visibility the last two times was so-so, but when the sun is out it’s not really a problem. Lots of kayak tours stop and drop off snorklers at the south end of the beach, so it does get crowded for an hour here and there. It doesn’t seem to bother the turtles, though. If you go past the south end to the next beach over, that’s the much hyped Chang’s Beach and frankly, I don’t know what the hype is all about since the coral off Chang’s is really beat up and the fish count is lower, at least when I go that way. Best off staying to the right if snorkeling off Chang’s.

Poolenalena is a criminally under-rated beach, but then, I’ve seen what happens to lesser known beaches when they become popular. Oh, well. Enjoy.

Poolenalena Beach from the South looking north

Directions – South of Wailea Alunui Drive past the Shops at Wailea on Makena Alanui Drive between Wailea Golf Club Dr. & Makena Surf. You will notice a large dirt parking lot on your right (assuming you are driving south). If you can see the water from the road, you’re in the right place. This lot has a sign that says it’s Po’olenalena Park. That helps, too.

GPS Coordinates: 20.663646,-156.441042

 
Facilities: Port-a-potty, shower, no lifeguards.