Episode 12 | Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii

Hope you brought your dancing shoes and your snorkel gear, because, on our final Hawaiian episode of Aimlessly Wandering, we’re heading to the Old Lahaina Luau, and off on a snorkeling adventure. Get ready to swim with fish and turtles and learn how to luau. Let’s pick up where we last left off…

Old Lahaina Luau was voted Maui’s best authentic luau and is not to be missed. After being received with traditional Hawaiian lai’s, we started by exploring the beautiful oceanside grounds and checking out the various artisans crafting their goods, before sitting down and settling in for what would become an amazing night celebrating my parents’ anniversary, and learning some Hawaiian dance moves.

Matt, aka the bodyguard, was not feeling the dance moves, and neither was my stepdad, but it was interesting learning some luau basics and watching the pre-show dancers entertain us.

Not only did we get a great show, but we were treated to an amazing 5-course meal consisting of traditional Hawaiian food. I never knew that I’d enjoy eating tarot, or how beautiful purple looked in food. especially after only learning about it on the road to Hana.

For us learning about the rich history and traditions of the Hawaiian people was probably one of the most interesting parts of the trip. The Old Lahaina Luau did a fantastic job of teaching us more about the customs and stories of Hawaii, including traditional luau dancing.

Once the sun set, the show began.

After an unforgettable evening, it was on to another memorable part of our trip.

I hadn’t been snorkeling since I was a kid, and knowing how beautiful the coral reefs of Hawaii were, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to get in the ocean and explore. Unfortunately, Matt could not join in on the fun as United changed his flight to leave a day earlier, and despite initially not wanting to join, for fear of open waters, Adrienne was brave enough to come along for what she thought would be just a lazy sun-filled boat ride.

Out of all of the snorkeling companies I researched, I opted to go with the Pacific Whale Foundation snorkel tour as the proceeds from the tour go back into protecting Hawaii’s coral reefs, whales, and other oceanic research. The trip was a 5-hour excursion that departed at 7:00 am from Lahaina Harbor en route to Honolulu Bay and Slaughterhouse Beach. I didn’t even think about the potential for seeing dolphins, but we were pleasantly surprised when a family of spinner dolphins decided to show up and ride along our ship’s wake for part of the trip up to the bay.

Our first stop was Honolulu Bay and with that, it was time to jump in.

I had never snorkeled in waters so blue before, nor had I ever filmed underwater before, but hopefully these clips give you a taste of what our underwater adventures were like.

The bay was filled with schools of fish, coral reefs, sea urchins, and apparently octopuses, though sadly I didn’t see any on our dives. But being surrounded by clear blue salt water, and various sea creatures was certainly something I’ll dream about for years to come.

I was also so proud of Adrienne for overcoming her fear and for being brave enough to take PacWhale up on some basic snorkeling lessons.

After only a few minutes of being in the water, and with Adrienne by my side, the universe presented us with not one, but two sea turtles who decided to swim along with us. It was truly an unreal experience, and while my go-pro was extended out as far as it could be, we were sure to keep our distance and let our new friend lead the way.

Never in my life did I think I would get so close to a sea turtle, let alone swim beside one, and while the entire trip to Hawaii was memorable, this was probably the #1 highlight of the trip.

Just before we were ready to leave, a smaller and younger turtle even popped up to say a quick hello.

After a fantastic barbecue lunch, Captain Chris hoisted the main sail and we spent the next hour and a bit following the Hawaiian breeze and listening to yacht rock music as we made our way back to the harbour. I may have also fallen asleep.

As we neared the harbour and got closer to our hotel, our snorkelling adventure and our trip to Hawaii came to a close. It was probably one of my favourite trips as an adult, and one I would cherish forever.