Signature Topside Experience

For those who enjoy off-gassing on fairways and greens, Manele Golf Course at the Four Seasons Lanai sets the bar for what a Hawaiian course can — and should – be. Designed by the legendary player and course architect Jack Nicklaus, the 18-hole wonder arranged around the towering cliffs of Hulopoe Bay can make grown adults weep at the difficulty — and the beauty. Surviving this challenge with only one ball is a feat to brag about at a 19th-hole boast fest.

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Lanai

Diving off the island of Lanai transports divers to a breathtaking alien seascape of towering arches, striking pinnacles and light-filled lava-tube caverns. Once home to the largest pineapple plantation in the Hawaiian Islands, the sparsely populated island that sits across the Auau Channel from sister island Maui offers some of the most dramatic dive sites in the entire archipelago. The lack of major development and minimal population has reduced harmful water runoff that can damage reefs and spoil visibility, so Lanai offers some of the most consistently amazing visibility in the state.

Zipping across the wide, deep channel in the yellow rigid inflatable dive boat with Capt. Steve Juarez of Dive Maui is a fantastic preamble to a full day of diving Lanai’s signature sites.

Humpbacks breach in the distance, and a giant pod of spinner dolphins easily numbering in the hundreds is drawn in close to flip and barrel roll in the wakes left by the swift rig’s powerful outboards.

Pulling up at First Cathedral, my anticipation is high as I back-roll into the warm water and find my way to the wide mouth of the cavern. Juarez leads our group through the winding passageways, lit from above and each side by holes in the walls that give the site its name, heavenly beams of light penetrating the darkness and creating a hallowed effect inside. At the terminus of the system, I hover in a massive room and marvel at the scene. I wish I could linger for hours. Thankfully, Second Cathedral is just down the coast.

“First and Second cathedrals are our divers’ favorite sites because both have amazing cavern archways and lava tubes, and abundant marine life,” says Juarez, who knows this area better than anyone after 30-plus years of nearly daily dives there. “We see green sea turtles and the occasional hawksbill turtle, along with harlequin shrimp, frogfish, octopuses and whitetip reef sharks. And really special and rare are the encounters with monk seals maybe once or twice a year.”

Cruising along the coast, I strain my neck to spy the tops of the towering sea cliffs battered by crashing waves and interrupted by goldensand beaches, including the landmark Manele Bay, which is home to one of only two luxury resorts on the island. It’s this forward-thinking development that has left the island’s pristine reefs such as Shark Fin Rock, Monolith, Lighthouse and Barge Harbor as preserved havens for visiting divers to explore for generations to come.

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