'Voluntourism' in Maui

A surfer coming ashore, along with a green sea turtle (marked by path in the sand), at Hookipa Beach on Maui, where volunteers can help with turtle-watching and public education. - MCT photos

Make your visit to this Hawaiian island a ‘volunteer vacation’ and give back to the community.

THE lowering sun glares in my eyes as I walk down a hill above Hookipa Beach, famed favourite of windsurfers. In a warm, gusting breeze, off-shore surfers wait for breakers. Looking down over caramel-coloured sand, I spot a dark head bobbing in near-shore waves. Not human. With my Puget Sound mindset, I think: “Seal!”