Questions for here_today_gone2Maui
 

Since I've been planning our family's Maui vacation in July I've followed your posts and you've pretty much become my resident expert! I hope you can answer a few specific questions I have:

In your opinion is a snorkel excursion worth the money? I don't want to be deposited in an area with a hundred other people.

Is there a difference between reef shoes (I think that's what they're called) and regular water shoes (the kind you wear at water parks)?

And fins--apparently there is a version that's shorter and easier for snorkeling? I've always used "regular fins" and am wondering why this type of fin is recommended. And then I've seen the recommendation that you should buy the kind of fins that fit over the reef shoes? Pardon my blondness, but I'm a little lost here!

Also, we're spending a week in CA on the way out and we don't want to drag all that gear along so we want to buy reasonably priced gear once we get there. However, well need five sets and I don't want to waste time shopping for them. Do you have a place you recommend that keeps a good inventory? I'll probably also want to buy some sort of flotation device for snorkeling. We don't use them in the gulf or the Caribbean because its calm and we're familiar with the waters. It seems that the waters in Hawaii can be a litte unpredictable.

I'm debating going to a luau, but I guess when in Rome... Are there those that are more authentic than others? I want to do something that will expose the kids to the historic culture of Hawaii but I'm not sure a luau is the answer.

Thank you in advance for any help you can give me.

Gee, I don't know how much help I am going to be here, but I'll try to break it down.

Snorkel trip. This is matter of preference. I thoroughly enjoyed the snorkel trip I did 18 months ago with Pacific Whale Foundation. It was very informative and the naturalists are great. I think the difference was having actual marine biologists on the trip. And we did Molokini, but we were there early, and were leaving by the time the party boats came in. For me, it was worth my money because I was more interested in learning about the reef and it's inhabitants than just looking into the water on that particular trip. But, I have had just as much fun sticking a snorkel in my mouth and floating around. I really can't tell you if it is worth the money or not because what I like you may not!

I have noticed though that many of the popular snorkel spots have become kind of crowded, so no matter where you go you may find yourself in a group. But, it's kind of relative, since once you put your face in the water you are in your own undersea world. But, I did get kicked in the head while snorkeling a while ago by a very agressive swimmer just off of Kam III! lol

I'm not sure what you wear at water parks, but I have a feeling that they are the same thing. Here is a picture of the ones they sell at the ABC Store.
http://www.abcstores.com/browse.cfm/4,630.html
You can buy them at ABC, or half a dozen other places here. I bought two pair last September for $2 a pair in a bargain basket at an Albertson's Grocery Store in Los Angeles.

I don't know too much about snorkel gear really. Ask me about surf boards! lol My husband likes Duck Feet, and they are smaller than diving fins. I bet someone else here has more snorkel gear knowledge than I do.

When we do snorkel, and it's not that often, we sometimes use a noodle and/or a boogie board. It's nice to have something to hang onto especially if you are a lazy snorkeler like me. Sometimes I just float, and don't even have my face in the water!

I was just at Wal-Mart and they had lots of snorkel gear, but I can't tell you how good it is. Honesty, I don't have my own. When we have gone out we go to Snorkel Bob's and rent stuff. I don't snorkel enough for me spend my money on it right now. I am learngin to surf, so when I go to the beach now, it's with my board. Other than DH's Duck Feet, my noodle and boogie board, we rent the gear. But you can check out Snorkel Bob's website
http://www.snorkelbob.com
I wish I'd known to check out the gear at WalMart when I was there buying a door stop today. As an aside, do you know hard it is to find a door stop now-a-days?

Hopefully some more knowledgeable snorkel folks can help you here!

The Old Lahaina Lu`au is fun, and I love chant and hula. It will impress the kids, I am sure. As for authentic, it's as authentic as a dinner show for entertainment is going to be. I haven't been to any of the other commercial lu`aus. I think a good festival would be more what you are wanting, but July isn't really a festival month.

Not sure of your dates, but July 4th is all about Makawao with a rodeo and parade. I have just heard though, and I have not been able to confirm this, so it may change, but in March the East Maui Taro Festival was rained out and they have been trying to reschedule it. I heard a few days ago that it will be on July 24. The good news is it would be a wonderful day, with hula and entertainment and local food. The bad news, it is in Hana.

I will keep my ears open for smaller events for you though.

It is too bad that there is nothing like the PCC on Maui, since so many people visit here. But sometimes I think the focus is so much on luxury resorts and pricey tourist activities and separating you from your dollar, and not enough on the history of Maui and Hawaiian culture. Too bad you're not coming this month for the Festival of Canoes.

Your observation about finding doorstops struck my funny bone--my dad "whittled" me one last year when I couldn't find one! Finding them at Walmart is like a needle in a haystack--one kid I asked didn't even know what it was.

THANK YOU for all the information. It is extrememly helpful. We'll be in Honolulu for two days, primarily to see Pearl Harbor, then a week in Maui (July 14-23).

I think we'll look into renting snorkel equipment otherwise we'll end up lugging it cross country in one direction or another. The noodle is a great idea because the kids like to dive.

I also had to laugh about (not at!) you getting kicked in the head. That's why I asked about crowds. When we do those excursions, we find the smallest boat possible thinking we'll avoid crowds. Last summer we did a snorkle trip in the Bahamas on a 20 passenger boat only to be deposited at a reef where two HUGE boats were anchored. My husband got kicked in the belly. Then some little kid yells to his mom that he has to pee and she said "just go ahead honey it's a big ocean". Now, I know people pee in the ocean, I just don't want to hear about it!

The Pacific Whale Foundation is the one we'll do if we use a company. We went whale watching off Victoria BC on a 12 passenger boat (again, my capacity and crowd theory) and there was a naturalist on board. We got so much more out of it than we would have otherwise. There WERE large boats in the area, but we were the only small one so we could get much closer. It was an amazing experience. The orcas were swimming under our boat, next to the boat and breeching just yards away.

Thanks for shoe website; they are the same. However the only kind we can usually find in FL come in ghastly neon colors with black webbing. At least they draw attention to my feet and away from my thighs!

They all want to surf of course. There was a good thread a few weeks ago talking about the different lessons that are available.

The luau you suggested is the one I've been looking at. It appears that you have to book pretty far ahead and most have recommended sitting at a table vs. traditional seating.

Thanks again-you've been a huge help!

Did you say where you are staying? If you are staying on the south side, Cove Park is good for surfing lessons, but I was watching a group of keiki take a surf lesson this weekend at Olowalu, between Lahaina and Ma`alaea, and it is a much better place than Cove Park or Lahaina. The surf breaks far enough out that you get a long ride, but the brakers are small and gentle, like at Cove park in Kihei. The instructor was a girl and she was great with the kids. I don't know who was doing the lesson, but, ironicaly, I will be right there this afternoon and I will see I can find out for you.

We're staying in Wailea. Any surfing tips will be appreciated. My 11-year old heard about the shark killing the surfer a couple of months ago and swears he will not step foot in the water in Hawaii. He doesn't care that the guy was 900 feet off-shore. THEN there was the survivor episode this season where Richard Hatch is bitten by that baby shark. I think my little guy is developing a shark phobia! Not good when you live on the gulf!

He is safer in the water than he is on the freeway!

I will get surf instructor recommendation. How old are your kids, besides 11? I know of a guy who does private lessons who is really good and patient. But he is in Pa`ia and I'm not sure he comes to this side. He gave me lessons last year.

Hi again,

We're planning to visit Pa`ia so that's not a problem. I'd rather drive a little bit than to pick an instructor out of the air. As long as they're safe and have fun that's all I care about!

Our oldest son is 15 and our daughter is 17. The little one is the most coordinated of the three--he learned to wake board in about 15 minutes so I'm sure he'd be the first one up on a surfboard if he'll get in the water!

Can you recommend a good fishing guide? We do a lot of fishing here and we never use any of the commercial captains that cater to the tourists. We have a few that grew up in Cortez and have spent their lives fishing the waters here they're the best. Both boys love to fish and they want to do a deep-sea fishing trip. We only do off-shore fishing here and that's about 15 miles out. Deep sea is considerably farther from our shore. I'm wondering if deep sea might be closer in there.

I just keep thinking of questions!

Thanks again-
Jayne

My surf instructor is Bill. His number is (808) 283-3563. He is a masage therapist too.

My husband is investigating fishing trips for my dad right now. My dad is captain on the gulf, so he wants a good guide also. I'll pass on any info DH might collect, but he likes spear fishing and fishing off the rocks at night. I do think though that the night fishing is just an excuse for the guys to go sit out on the beach and drink beer.

Both boys have wanted to go spear fishing since they started watching Survivor. I definitely would not put spears into their hands and let them swim in the same ocean! As for the beer drinking--hopefully they won't be doing that for many years!

Thanks for Bob's number. I've put it in my trip file and will give him a call before we leave. If I try to surf I will need a massage as well!

Thanks for looking in to the fishing. We're doing an off-shore chartered trip (about 15 miles out) for my son's birthday at the end of the month. A friend of ours runs a little charter operation on the weekends. Tim called yesterday and was so excited about a spot he wants to take the boys. He took a crew from NBC out to some wreckage that has become a great reef. (This guy is a like big kid himself--I have NO idea how NBC got hooked up with him but we'll hear the story when we go out.) Anyway, he hadn't gone out there in years because the reef doesn't have "good eatin' fish" and most people want to fish for grouper etc. These guys wanted to film the area because they'd heard the catches were incredible. Tim said he could not believe what they hooked. These aren't really considered sport fish, but he was landing 100 pound jewfish and even larger shark. He also caught 3 tarpon-one 98 pounds. He has a couple fighting chairs so that will be the best present our son could receive if he gets to use that chair! Boys will be boys no matter the age-LOL.

Jayne

Well, DH is 54, so I figure he is old enough to go drink beer on the beach after dark if he wants to! LOL

You get arrested (open container law) for doing that here so you see a lot of koozy cups at the beach!

Here's the 64K question. We're very up in the air about doing the road to Hana. The scenery, swimming in the waterfalls etc. is very appealing to us, the drive less so with the kids. We'd have to rent one of those dogs for sure!

With only 7 days in Maui, I just don't know if we want to spend a whole day in the car; on the other hand will we kick ourselves if we miss it. Also, our oldest son gets car-sick, although at the speed you have to travel that may not be an issue.

Is there a point on the road where you've been able to get a taste of the scenery, swim in a waterfall then turn around and come back in a few hours?

Other than the road to Hana, is there another waterfall where you can swim and that's easier to get to? The kids love doing that in NC

Thanks!

Jayne

You can turn around at any time, where you can find a turn-off. You can just go to Twin Falls and hike in. Twin Falls is the first real stop on the drive to Hana. If you still want to explore more, you can go a bit further, or you make it a day at Twin Falls.

How long will it take to get to Twin Falls once you're on the road?

Everyone talks about Mama's restaurant. If it's as good as everyone says, we'll probably stop there on the way back--do you think it's worth it? We always like to get recommendations from the locals. We don't care about fancy--just good! Fancy doesn't usually appreciate it if our boys decide to be boys.

Pa`ia sounds like it's worth exploring also. We'll have to figure out the timing and see if we can work in the surfing as well.

Can you seriously rent a dog on the way to Hana? That's a hoot (unless they're stinky!).

Mama's is pricey and the food may or may not appeal to your kids. You should check out the menu they have on their website to see if your kids would like it.
http://www.mamasfishhouse.com/dining.html

I have had some very enjoyable meals there, but I prefer to go late, either later afternoon for lunch or later dinner, after the crowds. I always liked to make it an event, getting dressed and dragging it out with cocktails, desert, the works. If I am going to spend that kind of money, I'm going to do it up. I haven't eaten at Mama's since we moved here. I have too many other great places to try, and I feel my money is better spent. If I am going to spend $35-40 for an entree, I'd rather eat at Chez Paul now. But when we would visit we would eat at Mama's once or twice a year. The fish is fresh and the preparations are very good, but they are not the only place to get fresh fish. We are blessed here on Maui with many restaurant choices.

We love Pa`ia and I go there every chance I get. I really like the beach there and there are so many great places to eat, reasonably priced too. Pa`ia Fish Market is the best.

You can borrow a dog from the Maui Grown Market in Ha`iku. I haven't done it yet. We were going to to try it out a few weeks ago, but the weather wasn't so good. We might do it next weekend if I can get caught up on my work. The dogs are supposed to know the trails.

Twin Falls is at the very beginning of the drive to Hana, about 15 minutes or so from Pa`ia. It is before the really curvey part of the drive.

$35-40 per entre? Ouch, not to mention the kids prefer McDonald's or Burger King any day. The name gives the impression that it's casual but those are not casual prices. We'll definitely be looking for places the locals like! DH and I usually get to do several dinners sans kids since they are happier with room service and a movie; we'll save the high $ places for those nights. This is rather odd, but it seems like the very last meal on our vacations is always awful; even at a good restaurant several of us manage to order something terrible. Maybe it's an unconscious way of preparing ourselves to get back to reality.

I think Twin Falls sounds like a great compromise since we can include a stop in Pa`ia and a meal at the Fish Market. Since it's such a short distance we also have the option of going a little farther if we want. If it's before the curvy part it will also stop my husband and I from feuding over who's the worst driver. Please let me know if you end up "borrowing" a dog. I haven't told my kids yet but if we get a good report we'll try it; at least it won't be OUR car that smells like wet dog!

my husband and I are going to maui in june of this year, you post about borrowing a dog thta knows the trail caught my eye, do you know how much this runs and are dogs allowed in the waterfall pools?

It costs nothing to borrow the dog, but they do expect you to buy a picnic lunch from them. I think the lunch is $8.50 and it includes a sandwhich, a cookie, juice, fruit, I think. They also include a lunch and water for the dog. I was at the store today and saw two of the dogs. They were both kind of medium-smallish Heinz 57 mutts with silk flower lei collars. They were very friendly.

I have been wanting to do this for a while, but my weekends keep getting full. Maybe next weekend I will have a free day and we can do it. I promise a full report after.

that would be great if you had a chance, thanks.

From Here_today-gone2maui: "Well DH is 54, so I figure he is old enough to go drink beer on the beach after dark if he wants to! LOL"

From Jayne11159: "You get arrested (open container law) for doing that here..........."

It's illegal here on Maui too. Most people do it very openly (myself included). Although MPD doesn't enforce this law very often, they may start to get a little tougher on it. There's been a few incidents at some of the beachparks and some of the residents are pressuring MPD to step up on patroling and dispersing alcohol drinking groups from these areas. Just be careful. If you do decide to drink that bottle of wine on the beach...just make sure you have enough money to get back here for a court date.

They had to get tougher here also--too many teenagers hanging out and getting destructive--some adults as well.

With our luck we'd be the ones they choose to make an example.