What’s the first thing you do when you get a brand new Canon 1Ds Mark III? If you’re me you strap it to your chest, attach an intervalometer/cable release and jump on an 800 foot long zip line in Maui. Well not just (1) one zip line, but (6) six.
Back in early February my first trip out with the new camera body was to Maui, Hawaii. I couldn’t resist capturing the zip line adventure in photos. Fortunately with a little pre-planning and a bit of self-coordination no harm came to my camera or lens as I jumped off wood platforms and zipped along dangling from a harness. Needless to say my wife thought I was nuts, the zip line staff thought it was cool and well I had a blast.
Zip Line Adventure - Maui, Hawaii
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One of the neatest areas of Maui is the northeastern portion of Haleakala National Park. To get to this side of the island you have to brave the road to Hana, but its well worth it. The lush tropical landscape is a lot of fun to hike and explore particularly the bamboo forest that turns day to night.
Hiking Through A Bamboo Forest
Haleakala National Park - Maui, Hawaii
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Sadly it seems like months ago, but only two weeks ago this was my “office” view. Kayaking off the coast of Maui with numerous Humpback whales in the area was awe inspiring. I have to admit one whale came up right behind my wife and I and scared the hell out of us. The loud exhale of this giant animal can do that when you don’t see them coming.
Pictured below is a whale and her calf diving. Before they disappeared they had been casually hanging out and putting on quite a show for roughly 20 minutes. We were very lucky to see such an extended display of mother/calf interaction and I have to admit I’m hooked. The next time I’m in Maui I’ll be quite eager to whale watch via kayak again.
Humpback Whale Tail and Calf Peduncle Arch - Maui, Hawaii
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It’s official I’m back from my trip to Maui. The weather was rather stormy making landscape work challenging, but it was a peak season for Humpback whales sightings. Approximately 10,000 whales were congregating between Maui, Lanai and Moloka’i. The whales are the star attraction this time of year and have become the focus of a lot of ecotourism activities. Locally a great balance has been struck between man and whale, but on a national level this isn’t quite the case.
An on going battle has been raging between the current administration and environmentalists to keep high powered sonar from being used by the US Navy. Back in January President Bush decreed that the Navy was exempt from environmental laws restricting the use of high powered sonar. In the middle of my trip a federal judge ruled that President Bush overstepped his authority and the US Navy is indeed subject to environmental laws. The ruling specifically dealt with no-sonar zones closer to home in Southern California, but set an important precedent impacting whales in Hawaii and ultimately worldwide. Not to be too graphic, but the sonar used by the Navy in these exercises is so powerful it can create sound strong enough to circle the globe and cause internal organs of sea mammals to hemorrhage. Lets hope this ruling is final and isn’t escalated further.
Bush OKs military training off Calif. that critics allege harm whales - MSNBC 1/17/08
Navy Not Exempt From Sonar Restrictions, Judge Rules - National Geographic News 2/6/08
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