... The first activity that we had booked was a trip on a powered raft to the island of Lanai, leaving from Lahaina on Maui.
Then, the night before the trip, I phoned up to check it was still going ahead, only to find that the trip had been cancelled. A quick call to the activities organiser ... Read review
Advantages: Perfectly put together trip, highlight of our honeymoon Disadvantages: None
...two seats left on the Lanai Dolphin Safari. I think that my wife would have happily spent the day by the pool but I snapped up the seats and set the alarm for ridiculously early the following morning!
We arrived at Lahaina marina at 6:00am, still unsure what to expect from our days excursion and were soon being checked in and boarded by our enthusiastic crew of Captain Dave, Jeff and Eric. As we set out of the harbour, the theme tune ... ...sleeps on the shoreline of Lanai at night will be struck down by an army of ghost soldiers in the night and because of this, no hotels have been built along the coast. This has led to Lanai having one of the longest stretches of unspoiled beach in the world.
It was around this point that we really started to get into the feel of the day. The company was set up by Captain Dave (who reminded me of a reincarnation of Steve Irwin) and is ... more
When booking our Hawaiian honeymoon, despite the pristine beaches that you find in the islands, neither of us are sun worshippers so we had an activity based fortnight planned. The first activity that we had booked was a trip on a powered raft to the island of Lanai, leaving from Lahaina on Maui.
Then, the night before the trip, I phoned up to check it was still going ahead, only to find that the trip had been cancelled. A quick call to the activities organiser (Tom Barefoot - check them out if visiting Hawaii!!!), and we were told that there were still two seats left on the Lanai Dolphin Safari. I think that my wife would have happily spent the day by the pool but I snapped up the seats and set the alarm for ridiculously early the following morning!
We arrived at Lahaina marina at 6:00am, still unsure what to expect from our days excursion and were soon being checked in and boarded by our enthusiastic crew of Captain Dave, Jeff and Eric. As we set out of the harbour, the theme tune of Gilligan’s Island was playing loudly and we were still left unsure of what to expect as we started to mingle with our fellow trippers.
We were apparently quite fortunate with the weather, leading to quite a smooth crossing across the channel between the two islands and the first port of call was a set of shipwrecks off the cost of Lanai. We then stopped at a pristine beach and thanks to the great weather, we were able to dive off the boat and swim to shore. An ancient Hawaiian legend says that anyone who sleeps on the shoreline of Lanai at night will be struck down by an army of ghost soldiers in the night and because of this, no hotels have been built along the coast. This has led to Lanai having one of the longest stretches of unspoiled beach in the world.
It was around this point that we really started to get into the feel of the day. The company was set up by Captain Dave (who reminded me of a reincarnation of Steve Irwin) and is one of the few tours to circumnavigate the island. As well as being able to visit three immaculate snorkel sites, the tour is perfectly crafted with music to match every part of the tour. An example of this was the visit to a small cove. There was no official name so the guys on board had named it ‘Cookie Monster’ cove as a rock formation resembled the Sesame St character, the visit was completed by playing the Cookie Monster theme song.
As mentioned, the tour included three snorkel excursions. Neither of us had snorkeled before and my wife is not the most confident of swimmers but the crew put everyone at real ease and we were soon in the water viewing some of the best snorkel conditions within the world. The snorkel sites had been hand picked by Captain Dave and truly were amazing. From the swarms of fish to the exhilarating swim through an under water lava tube, we were hooked!
The 8hr tour encompassed lunch time so as part of the cost an expansive spread of food was laid on, including many home made dishes from a local deli. This was on top of drinks provided when you wanted them throughout the day and the food provided a secondary benefit at a dive site after lunch as it helped to attract fish around you as you swam!
The coastal waters of Lanai are spectacular and I would imagine any adventure around them would be special. However, the knowledge and energy of the crew aboard this tour made it so much better. Be it the almost infinite stream of legends and stories that we were told by the crews or the way that there was a piece of music for every occasion; the entire trip had been put together perfectly. After initial apprehension, the trip was one of the biggest highlights of our trip and was a perfect start to the holiday. I would wholeheartedly recommend to absolutely everyone who visits Maui to undertake this trip, especially in preference to the impersonal trips undertaken by some of the larger companies within the island. On board, there were a set of couples who were on a return trip and I truly hope that one day we can return to the islands and go onboard once more. The only downside? Due to the season, we didn’t see any dolphins on the Dolphin Safari!!
