Our hearts are broken
On August 8-9, a fire, likely the worst fire in the United States history, ravaged Lahaina, Maui, Hawai’i. It is with great sadness and devastation that Dive with Harmony, the first Avelo Dive Center experienced a total loss of our business and our new dive shop.
Seven years ago I left my career as a research scientist in academia for a career in the underwater world. I apply my talents to teach people to love and protect the ocean and the environment.
This small business was born during COVID out of love for the ocean and a desire to provide the best experience to divers as they explore the underwater world around Maui. From the beginning, I also committed to holding free monthly cleanups. At this time, I became a research diver for the Avelo System.
As the islands reopened, I was surprised by how quickly the business grew. My partner, Dillon Jovee, joined me in 2021 as we started to expand. We created a mobile dive station from a Sprinter Van and held steadfast to our mission to keep our divers and the environment first. We believed we were creating something special, but the feedback and support from our divers gave us the courage to build a brand-new dive shop.
In the summer of 2022 we, along with some of our closest friends, poured blood, sweat, tears, and literally everything we had into building out the inside of an old warehouse in the Lahaina Industrial Center. With the help of our local Ohana, we built a premier, boutique dive shop that became the first Avelo Dive Center.
Last week, everything we worked so hard for literally burst into flames. We feel incredibly fortunate to be physically safe and have our fur kids with us, and we are humbled and overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support we have received thus far.
As we assess this catastrophe, it is clear that we will dive with our divers again. Just as our divers feedback gave us the courage to build an incredible dive shop, they are giving us the strength and determination to be creative in meeting divers’ needs until the time is right to rise from the ashes in Lahaina.
We created this spotfund account to help offset some of the loss so we can rebuild a new dive future.