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Published: February 15th 2018
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Jaws Surfbreak
Jaws is a famous surfbreak on the north shore of Maui, along the road to Hāna. In the background is Kahului town and the West Maui Mountains. The shadow in the distance is Molokaʻi. First, Let's Get Caught Up...
So, what has happened
since I returned home in December? As you may recall from my
Intermezzo entry, I initially traveled for three months. When I first returned home in October, I met with an executive from a local company who told me about some jobs he would need to hire for in early 2018 as part of a major company initiative. This executive has hired me before, and there is a good amount of trust between us, so I took a leap of faith and extended my travels. I have met with a number of leaders from this company since my second return home in December; through those meetings, it became clear to me that the team leaders for this initiative were recently appointed and that they haven't fully worked out their staffing plans. So, I'm still funemployed as of now.
While I am waiting for the potential job to sort itself out, I am opportunistically following my spouse Jeff on his travels in his secondary job. Jeff is a diving (as in springboard and platform) coach, and he also judges international competitions. This past weekend, I followed him to Maui where the state high school diving championships
Whale Watching
A couple of humpbacks surfacing. were held. We also have trips to Seattle and Japan coming up.
Chasing Humpbacks
Jeff and I have been to Maui quite a few times. We are good friends with a diving coach there, and he puts us up when we fly over, so our costs are minimal. There isn't much on Maui that we haven't already seen and done, but we still love going there, especially in the winter months because that is when humpback whales migrate to Hawaiʻi to mate and give birth. The Maui Channel - between Maui, Lanaʻi, Molokaʻi, and Kahoʻolawe - is humpback whale central in the winter. You can spot them from shore, but to get a good look, one must go out into the channel. We took a two hour tour with the Pacific Whale Foundation into the channel on Sunday afternoon. Even though we have done this several times before, it is still an amazing experience watching the whales surfacing, diving, and doing pec slaps, tail slaps, spy hops, and breaches. The Pacific Whale Foundation hires marine biologists as guides, so the tours are very informative.
Other Maui Activities
Apart from whale watching, we enjoyed a few other activities
Twin Falls
Jeff swimming towards the waterfall at the less accessible of the two waterfalls. during our weekend escapade, including:
Hiking Twin Falls. Twin falls are a series of waterfalls located east of Pāʻia along the road to Hāna. A round trip hike to the last waterfall is about 3 miles long. It has been more of a decade since we went there. On our two previous hikes there, the trails and falls were deserted. This time round, we were surprised to see dozens of vehicles parked in the small lot and along the highway. I guess the hike must have gotten some press in the tourist publications. We hiked to the last waterfall which was also the most accessible. On the way back, we stopped at another pool which, although easily viewed from the trail, was less accessible because it involved a scramble down a slope.
ʻĪao Valley. This is an easy, half mile walk to view the ʻĪao Needle, also known as Kukaʻemoku, and some streams.
Kula Aliʻi Lavender Farm. Located on the slopes of Haleakalā, this is a beautiful garden with lavender and other ornamental plants, with a great view of the Maui Channel and the West Maui Mountains. Jeff and I love coming here as it is a
beautiful spot for a few hours of relaxation.
Other than sightseeing, we spent some good quality time interacting with our hosts Dennis and Susan. Thanks to their hospitality, it is always a joy to visit Maui.
I've uploaded many pictures. Do review the captions as they include additional snippets of information.
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alex waring
Alexander Waring
Amazing!
Amazing trip and photos! Hawaii looks really beautiful, and what an amazing experience to be able to see humpback whales so close! I do hope all sorts itself out for you on the next step in your career. All the best.