Diving with giant manta rays is one of the rarest and most sought-after of undersea encounters, but off Hawaii’s Big Island it is almost a nightly experience as scuba divers and mantas come together in a thrilling ballet. The divers are drawn by the mantas, which are enticed by millions of plankton, which are attracted to the divers’ lights after riding the upward surge of nutrient-rich seawater from thousands of feet below.

The crowds may roar at Monte Carlo’s Grand Prix and cheer at Boston’s Marathon, but moviegoers quietly delight each year in the heady tranquility of the Maui Film Festival, an adventure in film unlike any other on the planet. Here at the upscale Hawaiian enclave of Wailea, the stars have been coming out since the turn of the millennium to share unparalleled al fresco cinema amidst sumptuous feasts, paradisiacal parties and tropical Island living.

A sinking ship isn't always a bad thing, especially when its descent conjures up new powers of attraction and purpose. So when submarine tour operator Atlantis Adventures orchestrated the sinking of the Carthaginian a half-mile off Maui's West coast, shore-bound crowds cheered.The longtime icon of Lahaina Harbor had traded its topside status for a more subtle position as Hawaii's newest underwater attraction.

Every Joseph Campbell fan knows that a proper mythic adventure begins when you cross the boundary line from the everyday world to the land of danger, mystery, and excitement. Often, this boundary line is marked by what Campbell called "threshold guardians"--forbidding or playful spirits.