The Maui Goodness

Maui has a new web camera, which is pretty exciting for all of us addicted to Maui.  It’s attached to the Makena Golf Resort and is owned and operated by Kai Kanani Sailing Charters.

You can see it live here: Makena Web Camera

The camera switches views from multiple locations on an automatic basis.  The camera is located in a prime location, high up on the Makena Beach & Golf Resort, which gives it a great number of potential views.  These are the views that it is set on right now:

• Mooring of the Kai Kanani II
• Molokini Crater (Close Up)
• Molokini Crater from the Beach
• Beach Check in area for the Kai Kanani
• Lanai Island
• South Maui area (includes Puu Olai and Kahoolawe)
• The Beach in front of the Makena Resort
• Surf Conditions for Beach Loading (2 views of this)
• Maalaea Harbor and West Maui Mountains

Below is an animation showing sceenshots from each view.  We know you must think we’re a little crazy about this, but we don’t have that many webcams on the island, and it’s nice to have one that has so many views.  it’s like having 10 cameras in 1.

If you haven’t already seen it, you will.  Stand Up Paddle boarding and surfing is the latest retro craze.  For years, we we’re reluctant to give it a try because we feel tied to our own roots of surfing.  But, finally we gave it a shot and rented some boards from Boss Frog’s Dive & Surf in Kihei, Maui, Hawaii in Dolphin Plaza (ask for Benjammin.)

And WOW!  It’s a lot of fun!  Now we’re all hooked.  It’s like going snorkeling without getting wet (if it’s calm and you don’t fall.)  From looking down over your board, you can see the reef clearly as well as any sealife.  Turtles are everywhere!

Not only is it fun for the views of Maui and sealife, we enjoy it because it’s great exercise and a lot of fun.  Sometimes we’ll put some snorkel gear on our board (attached to the leash) and go out to spots that are difficult to access.

When it comes to surfing, it can make a really bad day good.  I don’t recommend taking them out in big waves, but riding tiny waves is really fun.  I feel you have more of an advantage in surfing larger waves with a short board or regular longboard.  Some would disagree, but we suggest only riding the SUP boards in really small waves or just for distance exploration.

Here’s a video from the boards the last time we went out.  We rode from the Makena Golf Resort to Little Beach and back.  We got up a little late, so it had a bit of bump.  It was still a lot of fun, but we suggest going out before the wind hits around 10-11 in the morning while it’s still glassy.  If there is wind, make sure to go up wind to start.  Save going down wind for when you’re tired and coming back. Also, always be safe and don’t ride over shallow reef or areas you don’t know. Be careful!

We rented our boards at Boss Frog’s Dive & Surf.  You can call and rent boards on Maui, Kauai and the Big Island of Hawaii by calling (808) 661-3333.

Your chances are near to none. You’re more likely to win the lottery than be attacked by a shark. The following statistics come from over 125 years of reports. Over this long period of time, there have only been 15 unprovoked shark attacks resulting in fatalities in the Hawaiian Islands. 113 attacks total occured in this time frame, of which 98 were not fatal. The last fatal attack occured on Maui in 2004.

Maui has seen 36 unprovoked shark attacks in the last 125 years, of which only 3 were fatal. Of the billions of people to visit our islands in the last century, the number of attacks becomes dwarfed leaving your chances of being attacked by a shark near to nothing.

Still, if you’re eager to not be the one in a million attacked by a shark, here are a few things to remember when in the ocean.

Sharks are more likely to attack:

• At night or when the sun is setting or coming up. (Sharks feed primarily at night.)

• Snorkelers and Surfers (Sharks like to attack objects at the surface.)

• Near stream and river outlets. (The murky water attracts smaller fish that they like.)

• Near a shoreline after or during heavy rains.

• Around heavy fishing areas. (Stay out of the water when fisherman are chumming.)

• People with open-wounds. (If you’re bleeding, don’t go swimming.)

• Further out in the ocean in deeper waters.

• People with little respect for the ocean.

Even if you do everything possible to attract sharks, you’re still not likely to be bit. Sharks don’t like to eat humans, and they usually only attack by mistake.

For more statistical information on shark attacks in Hawaii, visit the Hawaii Shark Map.

Is there actually a place where turtles congregate in large groups?

Yes, but there is a bit of misleading going on.
Is there one single place that is known as turtle town?
No. Tour operators refer to Turtle Town to help sell tours. Do they go to places with lots of turtles?
Yes.
The bottomline: Green sea turtles are everywhere in the waters of Maui and Hawaii in general. Some areas more than others. Captains of tour boats generally know areas that have more than others, and will take you there. Commonly, some of these spots are turtle cleaning stations. Sea turtles know where to go where certain fish live that will eat the algae off of their shells, cleaning them. These cleaning stations are wonderful spots to view turtles. Also, areas with less people often have more turtles. Turtles generally don’t like a lot of human attention.The next time someone mentions a magical place called Turtle Town, keep in mind that there might be another turtle town even closer to where you are staying. The best thing to do is to ask a local, or someone who works at a snorkeling/scuba shop where to find the largest concentration of turtles. Most likely, you’ll find a couple right in front of your hotel.

Important: Sea turtles are protected and it is illegal to touch them!
This law was not put into place to just keep from bothering them. humans touching sealife can often cause harm due to the oils and bacteria in our skin. Also, when people come into contact with turtles, they can become quickly exhausted leaving them in stress with less defensive strength. The main reason it can be detrimental to their health is because of all the movies people see of riding on sea turtles backs. With the over-exertion, turtles can drown. They need to breath at the surface just like us. Respect all sealife, and don’t touch anything. When we touch things in the ocean, we put ourselves at risk of being hurt as well as possibly harming what we touch.