Aloha DWH Community,

We hope this email finds you well. This is a much overdue update. It was our hope that “the next” update would be good news about our future on Maui. Sadly, that day never came. We worked hard to find a reasonable path to rebuild DWH on Maui, but with limited space, low tourism, and a ~10 year projection for rebuilding Lahaina, we could not make it make sense, a decision that was and still is truly crushing.

I have tried to write this email so many times, but each time I sit to type, I freeze. My mind goes blank. I get a pit in the bottom of my stomach. So I close my computer and put it off until the next time I can muster up the courage to try again. Even now, as I sit here, I am full of dread. I find it challenging to find any words to complete this message. So what is below is the best I can do…and this is not supposed to be dramatic, only honest.

We want to thank you all for your kind words and unwavering support. It has carried us through some of the hardest times.

Anna recently returned from the Big Island after supporting her partner through the fire academy. In her spare time she substitute taught in Hilo. Anna is now guiding and teaching for Island Style Diving in Kihei. As many of you know, they are also the only boat company we recommended. They have recently added a second boat, Double Scoop. If you are interested in snorkeling or scuba diving Molokini, learning to free dive, or whale watching December - April, please reach out to them at https://www.diveislandstyle.com/.

Dillon has taken a job in California. He decided he needed time away from diving to determine how it will fit into his life in the future.

It has been incredibly difficult to process the idea that I would not get to dive with you again. Sharing the ocean, all my fishy friends, and, of course, my obsession with collecting ocean trash with all of you every day was truly a joy. I have not given up on the idea of organizing dive trips or possibly doing something else dive related in the future. But for now, I still need time. If you have patience, I promise I will let you know when and where to find me to continue to explore the ocean together. In the meantime I am available as a dive buddy for hire. I can be reached via WhatsApp at 808-500-8838.

Mahalo & Ciao,

Harmony

Our first dive together since the fire.

Aloha DWH Community,

 

It has been seven weeks since our lives have been forever changed by the Lahaina Town fire and want to update you all on where we are at.

 

To the outside world it may seem like the people of Lahaina are receiving lots of financial support, but that is only available to those who have lost homes or non-profit organization. We have been denied financial support from all non-profits more times than we can count, because we did not lose our home…only our livelihood. There has been ZERO financial resources for those of us that lost businesses besides the Small Business Administration (SBA), which thus far has also proven to be unsuccessful. While we are working with the SBA in hopes of obtaining some sort of funding, at this point, we are not holding our breath.

 

In an earlier post we mentioned there could be an opportunity for us to return to our original space. However, we now know that rebuilding Lahaina Town is projected to take 2-10 years. Because our hope is to dive with you all again much sooner than that time frame, we now have to explore other options. We have considered buying a dive shop somewhere else in the world, taking extensive time off to determine what other opportunities might be out there, or even a complete change in careers. Even though this time has been incredibly difficult and, in many ways, it seems so easy to just walk away, our hearts are here in Lahaina and with our dive community.

 

We currently have an opportunity to restart/rebuild our business Lahaina-side, which would allow us to start diving with you all again as soon as the time is right.

 

Neither Dillon nor I feel very comfortable asking for additional support and are truly overwhelmed by the support we have received thus far, but we also find ourselves stuck between a rock and a hard place (lame geology pun intended). We are crossing our fingers and toes hoping that the SBA will come through in some way or another so we can capitalize on this great opportunity, but this is where we are. If the SBA denies us a second time, in all honesty, we do not know what the future holds and do not believe it will be possible for us to stay on Maui, no matter how much we may want to.

 

Thank you all again for your continued support, and we hope to see you under water again.

 

Mahalo,

 

Harmony and Dillon

UPDATE: Sept. 4th, 2023

 

Aloha Dive with Harmony Ohana,

 

It has been almost a month since an unprecedented fire changed Lahaina Town forever.

 

We returned home on August 21st. As we drove into town along the bypass, we had a glimpse into the utter destruction of the seaside town we call home. It was/is quite horrific. It looks like, what I imagine to be, a war zone. The hillside mauka of Honoapiilani Highway, once filled with homes, is now scorched with little remaining besides burnt cars and the random structural wall of what used to be a home. Now there are burnt cars and not much else other than a "clear view” to the foothills of the Pu’u Kukui. There are no words to describe the degree devastation.

 

There are now lots of resources (i.e., FEMA, Red Cross, SBA reps, the list goes on) along the Ka’anapali Coast, from the Hyatt to Kapalua. There are “Kostco Kamps” in many of the beach parks that provide food, supplies (e.g., baby, bathroom, cleaning, etc), medical support, mental health support, and massages at no cost.

 

Locally:

 

It is ok, even encouraged, to visit Maui. But please stay away from the westside…FOR NOW. The rest of the island is open for business. For those wanting to return to the westside, just give it a little more time. The coconut wireless suggests the hotels will reopen to tourism October 17th. However, there are still people missing, and the area should be culturally respected.

 

Personally:

 

We have returned to our home in Honowokai on August 21st. A few days after coming home the local tsunami warning alarms went off mid-afternoon. Still without internet access and very poor cell phone service, we had to call family on the mainland to learn the alarms were not for a tsunami but for another fire a few miles away and evacuation orders had been made. Fortunately, we were outside the evacuation zone, and the fire was contained relatively quickly.

 

Three days later our condo began to fill with smoke. This time there was a small brush fire about 200 yards from our home, across the highway. Luckily, it, too, was contained quickly.

 

Needless to say, it has been a bit stressful since we have returned home. We are still dealing with strong winds. We still have our bags backed ready to leave at a moment's notices. We both feel a bit traumatized by the smell of smoke, which is unfortunate as we also love to camp.

 

The pups are safe and sound. They don’t seem too bothered, besides maybe missing Makawao.

 

Business:

 

Dillon and I have spent a lot of time pondering and discussing what to do next. Admittedly, our first instinct was to get the heck out of here. Those urges were amplified by the lack of financial support for those who have lost small businesses. While we were under the assumption we had the appropriate insurance, it turns out, like many others, we did not, so determining exactly how to move forward with limited funds has been challenging.

 

However, the outpouring of support we have received from YOU - our dive community - has encouraged us to refocus our thoughts of the future to find a way to rebuild here on Maui. We are working diligently to piece together a plan that will allow us to dive Avelo (and standard) with you all soon  - here on Maui and beyond - and hope to have some really exciting news in the next week or two.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

 

Along with this update, we thought it would be useful to share some information we have learned about the history of the winds and fires around Lahaina.

 

1. This is not the first fire to have destroyed Lahaina Town. The same thing happened a little more than 100 years ago in 1919. https://www.civilbeat.org/2023/08/the-great-lahaina-fire-of-1919-has-eerie-parallels-to-the-recent-blaze
2. It turns out that in Hawaiian talk story the winds experienced in Lahaina the day of the fires were a known threat (see article below). 

UPDATE: 08/18/23

My Avelo System Journey

Shortly after launching my company, Dive With Harmony in Maui, I met the inventor of the Avelo System. I saw him standing with an odd scuba cylinder and was curious to know what was going on. He explained the basic physics, which spoke directly to my geophysics training, and my only remaining question was “Why didn’t someone think of this sooner?”

As we parted ways, I handed him my card and said if he ever needed a test diver to let me know. I assumed I was one of many who had done the same thing and would never hear from him again, but that one day I would get to say I met the guy who developed the future of scuba.

Imagine my surprise, when he called me the next week and asked me if I wanted to try Avelo. This was at a time in research and development with the company, so what I got into the water with three years ago worked much like it does today but sure didn’t look like it. We found a time to meet a couple of weeks later when I was able to jump into the water with this new scuba system.

After I got out of the water from my first Avelo dive, my mind was blown. I was speechless. First, I felt infinitely safer in the water without a big air bubble on my back that I had to manage. Second, this was the future of scuba and not just a new scuba system.

The Avelo System is a lightweight scuba system with a built-in buoyancy compensation device. A flexible bladder that holds the air that you breathe is contained within a rigid shell. A diver enters the water slightly positively buoyant and uses a hydraulic pump to add water inside the Hydrotank and outside of the bladder from the surrounding environment as weight to obtain neutral buoyancy. 

Water weight can be added at any point when a diver begins to feel slightly positively buoyant. I say slightly because there is no dramatic buoyancy change, even when the diver breathes the gas. Then at the end of the dive, all the water can be released via a purge valve on the pump. 

Many people are drawn to the lightweightness of the system. Don’t get me wrong, it is absolutely a benefit, especially as I get older. Additionally, a lighter system will make scuba diving more accessible to more people. The more people who experience the wonders of the ocean, the more people will protect it. However, there are many other benefits to diving the Avelo System that while harder to understand, are possibly even more valuable.

As a guide and instructor the fact that an uncontrolled rapid buoyancy change is impossible, is so exciting. Imagine never having to worry about listening for the sound of a low-pressure inflator button again. No more guessing how much weight someone needs. Worrying about divers flying to the surface or sinking on descent will be a thing of the past. 

An unforeseen benefit presented itself once I started guiding standard scuba divers while diving Avelo regularly. My reaction time to incidents in the water is noticeably faster because my buoyancy with the Avelo System is always on point. When I need to respond to a diver in the water, I no longer have to think about my own safety, buoyancy-wise, before I respond.

As a diver, my personal favorite is the freedom Avelo allows me in the water. Without the drag of my BCD, I am able to fly through the water like never before. Currents are easier to navigate. Each kick sends me gliding even further than standard scuba. I feel like a freediver, but I can breathe! Sometimes I am convinced I am close to getting my gills. 

The Avelo System is the future of scuba diving. We have a community of incredibly supportive divers that helped us develop our physical dive shop. Knowing we would be among the first dive centers to share the Avelo System with the world gave us additional encouragement as we transformed a downtown Lahaina location into a boutique dive shop. Unfortunately, our business burned to the ground in the Lahaina fires. 

Even though our dive shop, Dive with Harmony, the first Avelo Dive Center is gone, this is not the end of our journey. We are more determined than ever to reimagine how we can continue to share our love of the ocean and Avelo with the world. Avelo is expanding to new locations around the world and we look forward to being a part of the team that brings the future of scuba to the world.