As I approach the fifth green on the Royal Ka’anapali Golf Course, I spy the first spout; the telltale sign of a humpback whale that, as winter progresses, will be joined by several thousand others. When I first visited Maui over twenty years ago, I assumed the myriad whitecaps I saw off the coast were caused by wind stirring up the Pacific. Pausing at a pullout to scan the sea with my binoculars, I was shocked to learn they were, in fact, whale spouts. As a wildlife photographer, such a magical setting, where whales reliably breach and loll about in epic numbers, remains high on the list of my favorite sights in the world.
“They’re arriving early this year,” says Karl Reul, my playing companion and the general manager of Ka’anapali Golf Courses. Like every West Maui resident, Reul has a personal story about August 8, 2023, when the horrific Lahaina fire burned through the historic West Maui town. Karl’s wife and daughter were in Old Lahaina that day to catch a matinee showing at Wharf Theaters, until the screening was canceled because high winds knocked down power lines. They returned to their home north of Kaanapali unaware, at the time, of the impending inferno.
The devastating 2,000-acre blaze resulted in 99 deaths, displaced hundreds of families, and destroyed more than 2,000 structures. It was the deadliest American wildfire in more than a century. At a September community meeting, Lahaina Mayor Richard Bissen said it could take up to two years of clearing the hazardous ash-covered before residents can even begin to rebuild their homes.
To an outsider, the areas of West Maui that escaped the fire’s path remain paradisiacal—a fact that’s easily seen while strolling Kaanapali Beach, snorkeling among sea turtles, or listening to a ukulele and slack-key guitar on the sandy terrace at Hulu Grill in Whalers Village. But while Kaanapali and Kapalua were not physically affected by the Lahaina Fire, tourism here has changed.
Like many travelers, my partner and I hesitated to return to Maui when tourism reopened in November. However, friends who live or work in West Maui encouraged us to come, urging that our tourist dollars are vital in helping residents get back on their feet. We were assured that our room at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort would not displace any Lahaina residents still staying hotels. Every worker we met, from the jewelry kiosks to the restaurants, thanked us profusely for visiting—and yet, many travelers remain unsure if it’s appropriate to resume vacationing on the island.
The ambivalence is shared by residents who, while historically dependent on tourism (West Maui accounts for 15% of Hawaiian tourism revenue), believe the rebuilding process provides a rare opportunity to address overtourism, environmental degradation, and economic imbalance. In October, over 17,000 people signed a petition calling for the Governor to delay the reopening in order to properly address the needs of working-class Lahaina residents. The Hawaii Tourism Authority estimates the state has lost $9 million tourism dollars per day in the wake of the fire, prompting the agency to invest $2.6 million in the Maui Marketing Recovery Plan to help rebuild travel demand.
“Most, if not all, people on Maui feel we need to better manage tourism for the betterment of the lives of our local population, and the fires brought this to the forefront, yet again, but in more personal and tragic ways,” says Kainoa Horcago, who grew up on Maui and spent most family occasions in Lahaina. “The tourism for West Maui is both the lifeblood of the economy for the last few decades and the open wound that still hurts, knowing what Lahaina once was and what many of us see it as.”
