We spent 5 hours on a private charter with Captain Emma and Reese. It was an amazing trip! We were two families with teenagers and the trip checked everyone’s boxes. Emma contacted me the day before to confirm all the trip details and ask for shoe size for the fins. This ensured that everything went smoothly the day of the trip. The boat felt brand new and was very spacious.
Emma and Reese pointed out whales and dolphins on our way to the snorkel spot. We saw mama whales and calves, including breaching whales. They were full of knowledge about the area and whale behavior and even had our teenagers engaged.
We also encountered bottlenose dolphins that hung around the boat for several minutes.
We then made our way to a snorkel spot in Lanai that we had all to ourselves. The snorkel gear was brand new and very high quality. No complaints from even our pickiest kids. We saw turtles, a shark, parrot fish and so much more. Reese joined us in the water and pointed out unique sea life. And Emma had a wonderful snack of fruit and banana bread ready for us on board.
As we headed back to Maui, we found a large group of spinner dolphins (over 300) playing, jumping, and, well, spinning through the air and water. We had never experienced anything like. The dolphins were right next to the boat.
As we continued on, Emma spotted a group of male whales following a female. We spent 45 minutes watching the whales, including two males fighting. And we wrapped up the trip with a “blue swim” in the middle of the ocean, leaning our heads back so we could hear the whales communicate. This was definitely a once in a lifetime trip! Thanks, Emma and Reese!