The Maui Goodness

Divers:  When visiting Maui, make sure to do a couple of dives.  We suggest having ProDiver Maui show you the best locations.  For more information, check out their Maui scuba diving page.

A couple of tips: If you plan on diving in Maui, please make sure you don’t go up to Haleakala Crater close to the time because of pressurization.  Haleakala goes up to 10,000 feet, so it acts much like a plane flight for divers.

Also, take a look at some Maui Scuba locations on the Maui Information Guide.  Have fun and be safe!

On Friday June 20th, 2009, Willie Nelson received the Maverick Award Tribute at the Celestial Cinema in Makena during the Maui Film Festival.  He sang a few songs and played the guitar (shown in this video) between movies.  His music and good spirit were welcomed under the stars by thousands of Maui locals and visitors. 
The first film to be shown was Splinterheads about a young man in a small town that falls in love with a beautiful Carnie.  The second film as One Peace At A Time (world premiere), a touching film about what we can do for our world in crisis.  In this film, Willie Nelson, among notable others, has a short insightful interview.  The last film was also a world premiere of Cash Crop.  This film explored the many defining characteristics of a booming marijuana economy in Northern California. The Maui Film Festival is an incredible event to experience.

Every year, local Maui residents anticipate the fun and excitement of the festival.  Those visitors lucky enough to be here for it all claim that Maui has the best film festival in the world.  Enjoying warm weather under the stars with a sunset over the ocean, then watching great movies with friends in the grass can’t be beaten. (One warning though:  If you plan on watching more than the first film, we suggest bringing a jacket and/or blanket.  It can get a bit chilly later on.)

Willie Nelson was awarded this tribute for “courage in his convictions, the ability and willingness to stand the heat, and protect our collective constitutional rights to artistic and political freedom of expression.”

On May 17th, 2009, the bad-a$$ ladies of roller derby got together on Maui for a battle royale.  The roller derby bout took place at the Boys and Girls Club in Wailuku between the Oahu and Maui teams.  Though (as you can see in the pictures) it was fiercely competitive, both teams played with the best of intentions and sportswoman-like conduct.

The event was fantastic!  Around 200 people showed up for the festivities, not including the paramedics standing by.  Along with many excited fans, the event had a great DJ and snacks and water available.

The Derby bout went off without a hitch and without any serious injury (though most grown men would be in tears after suffering some of the falls that these brave and talented riders took.)

Keep kicking butt, Maui!  We’ll be at your next bout and hope you get even more exposure.  What you do is inspiring, and offers some serious entertainment.  Time to turn off the football game on TV.  There’s something much more exciting going on at a Maui parking lot near you.