Maui Lifestyle

Chasing Tails: Robert and Ellen capture another incredible Maui moment

Hawaii Life Real Estate Services doesn’t have many agents who are less than a hundred percent committed. Our agents are tuned in to their areas, and you can sense the depth of that local knowledge between the lines of our blogs, and on our website.

It is the Hawaii lifestyle that has drawn us, each of us, to the islands. Intimately knowing and professionally representing some of the world’s most incredible real estate is our preferred pathway to that lifestyle, and the best agents I know don’t just sell it, they live it.

Jeremy Stice showed up to a company meeting a few weeks back with a stand-up paddle board latched to the top of his SUV. Tobi Fisher, our Director of Sales, is a paddler and canoe club member, and there aren’t many back roads of Maui, The Big Island, or Molokai that she and her family haven’t seen in their outdoor treks. Our Broker in Charge, Tracy Stice, is a veteran surfer and relaxes by tending a fish farm in his spare outdoor time.

Everyone’s Maui is a little different. During the past few weeks, I’ve been on a stand-up paddle board, snorkeled, body surfed, hung at the beach with friends for a day, took a 20-mile bike ride along the shoreline, watched whales breach, and played in a Maui Adult Baseball league game. And that’s not a particularly unusual recreational itinerary – a lot of my friends find a lot more time to be active.

Bob and Ellen Raimo, who have lived in South Kihei for eight months of the year for the past eight years, have found their slice of Maui in the challenge of photographing our migrating humpback whales from the ultimate vantage point – a rowboat. “It’s an addicting hobby, and very challenging,” Bob says. “It’s hard to frame a shot, get it in focus, remember the boat is moving, and the whale is moving. The challenge adds to the fun.”

Humpback in Maui

The Raimos, who live a few blocks from the Kihei Boat ramp and who spend four months of the year in New Jersey each year, have made a lot of friends among south shore locals, who admire their talent, as well as embrace their Aloha.  Bob, a former Jersey Shore lifeguard and row boat racer, has a knack for capturing the moment – and he enjoys sharing it. “We usually give away the photos to friends,” Bob says.

Interacting with the whales at incredibly close range has become the focal point of their lifestyle. “I have MS and have trouble walking, but I can row fine,” Bob says. “Snow and ice don’t mix with crutches – we moved to Maui for the recreational opportunities.”