The Nakalele Blowhole is just east of the lighthouse by the same name. Both of these landmarks reside on the northern coast of western Maui. If you only have time for one, this is definitely a better use of your time. The drive along the western coast of the island on the Honoapiilani Highway is gorgeous, bending through twists and turns, passing through volcanic hills, the famous Kapalua Plantation.
Sure, I don’t know much about this island as a tourist, but after a day of being here I want nothing more than to spend days exploring the beaches under their looming cliffs and the deep jungles that crawl through and over volcanic trenches and ridges. There’s not much more to say than that, I suppose. On first impression, it’s a beautiful place with endless sweeping vistas and dynamic features. I can’t imagine these get old quickly.
I shot a ton of perspectives at this blowhole, playing with my ultra wide-angle, some telephotos and everything in between. Then I started experimenting with my shutter. Though I’m sure the impression would have been stunning from using a 10-stop ND filter and shooting bulb (30+ seconds), I decided to just play around with my 3-stop (Hoya 77mm HMC ND x8), shooting between 1/5 and 1/30 seconds. I definitely liked what I saw on my screen preview and continued to use it from all the new perspectives.
This shot was one of the first perspectives I took, as I slowly made my way closer and closer to the blowhole, examining the details and scenery around it. For those who visit this location in the future, be sure to keep your eyes out for the rock crabs playing about by the blowhole. Unlike them, be sure not to fall in.
Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED, Hoya HMC NDx8
@ 24mm, f/8, 1/15s, ISO 50
Alex Krengel 