Count yourself as lucky if you have a 20-year-old who still wants to go on spring break with his father. I sure do and pinch myself as I reflect on my son Fischer and my recent trip to Hawaii.

After a good bit of pondering our warm weather destination, we decided on the Big Island. We visited Oahu a decade ago for my 50th and loved the Hawaiian vibe and culture. The Big Island drew us in as we had heard how unique it was via the different climates, lava fields, and black sand beaches. And, it did not disappoint.

But, shortly after arrival, an old college roommate who lives on Maui texted after realizing we were close by and lured us over for a few days. So, no sooner then we arrived, we were off to Maui on a quick 25-minute flight 36-hours after landing on Hawaii.

Our spring breaks the last five or so years have been such a connecting point between my son and I. We’ve been fortunate enough to chase bones in the Bahamas, surf Mexico, and roam London shortly after he turned 18 (yes, our first stop was to the pub for a proper pint). All of which are amazing places. But, Maui caught us a bit off guard as it holds a beauty that I’ve rarely, if ever, been privy to. From the mountains seemingly rising straight out of the ocean to towering heights, the incredible blue water, and the variety of marine life within easy view, our collective jaws dropped. Speaking of Jaws, we managed to catch some locals ripping just below Peahi. 

As a former college swimmer and lifeguard, I can tell you THAT water is different. The volume, current, and size of the waves was beyond anything I had seen. We did not paddle out as this was a local’s spot, and despite my comfort in open water jumping in or paddling out was not advised.

The highlights are too many to mention, but the whales breaching just off our friend's house every day - and pretty much all day - was about as cool as one could hope for. As was the company of my old roommate and his wife.

We zipped back to the Big Island Tuesday where we toured as much as we could squeeze in. I highly recommend the 8pm manta ray snorkel with the fine folks at Hawaii Oceanic. Fischer and I thought it might not be so interesting, but to the contrary, it’s one thing I’d do again. Like tomorrow. We saw 25-plus giant rays who swim within inches of your nose.

The last box I had to check was jumping in to do a portion of the Hawaii Ironman swim. Its been a dream of mine, and since they keep the buoys in year-round I took advantage of a free afternoon and swam about half the course. My son thought I was nuts as he has not inherited my comfort in open water. And I was doing this alone, so he being a bit nervous was understandable.

But, it was great. Warm water, lots of marine life below, not too much current, and a great espresso post-swim to celebrate. We took the red-eye back to our home base here in the mountains, and as you can tell by the photo of me napping pre-flight in my Kingfisher shirt, I was about out of gas. But as the late, great Dr. Thompson once said: "Faster, faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death."

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