Tim Lara’s love affair with the ocean began 30 years ago, when he was in elementary school in Key West, Fla. "The ocean was my family’s playground," recalled the owner and operations manager of Maui-based Hawaiian Paddle Sports. "We were in the water every day — diving for lobster, fishing for barracuda and swimming with stingrays and sand sharks."

In 2006, two years after he moved to Maui, Lara landed a job as a guide with an ocean activity outfit. As he was leading a kayak tour off Makena, on the island’s southern coast, he heard the haunting song of a male humpback. Suddenly, the whale surfaced just 15 feet to the right of his kayak.

"I could see the rest of his body to the left," Lara said. "I thought he was going to flip me, but he slowly and gracefully glided under my kayak and arched in the spot where he first appeared. He didn’t even create a wake or move my kayak; it was incredible!"

Over the years, the ocean has become both an exhilarating and grounding force for Lara. "My mornings don’t begin until I get into the water," he said. "On days that I’m not in the ocean, I never seem to wake up, no matter how much coffee I drink."

Lara started HPS two years ago to help visitors develop that same connection with the sea. All of the guides are certified marine naturalists who have studied Hawaiian history, culture, legends and sea life.

The company specializes in intimate, personalized ocean experiences. "Most of Maui’s other activity companies cater to large groups," Lara said. "That one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t take into account the different experience, fitness and comfort levels that people have."

HPS’ excursions have a ratio of no more than 1 guide to 8 guests. There is no online reservation system; Lara talks to all customers during the booking process to ensure they choose the right tour based on their ability and expectations.

One of the most popular options is the three-hour West Maui Coral Gardens Outrigger Canoe Tour. Long ago the Hawaiians used waa (wooden outrigger canoes) for fishing and traveling between the islands. The alii (chiefs) also raced the sleek vessels.

The guide begins the tour with a paddling orientation, a water safety briefing and an oli (chant) asking for guidance and a safe journey. Participants then launch the six-person, 45-foot fiberglass canoe Moa­‘ula Iki, which is named after a hill on Kahoolawe where students were trained in astronomy and navigation long ago.

Currents running through the channels that separate the Hawaiian Islands can be seen from Moa­‘ula Iki. It’s also an excellent site for astronomical observation.

"Scholars believe ancient Polynesian voyagers sailed to Hawaii from Tahiti and the Marquesas using the stars, winds and ocean currents as their compass," Lara said. "To my knowledge, Moa­‘ula Iki was the only place in Hawaii where this knowledge was passed from generation to generation."

With the West Maui Mountains providing a dramatic backdrop, paddlers head out to sea, learning the importance of lau­lima (cooperation, literally "many hands") as they synchronize their strokes to propel the canoe. A few hundred yards offshore, they take a break above coral gardens inhabited by tangs, wrasses, honu (endangered Hawaiian green sea turtles) and other intriguing creatures.

"Surgeonfish gather there to eat algae off the turtles’ shells," Lara said. "The vibrant patches of reef are only about 5 feet below the surface of the water, and the sandy bottom is about 30 feet down. It’s a great place to snorkel."

At the end of the tour, guests sip water from coconuts cracked open by the guide. They remove fiber from the coconuts’ husks and learn how to make rope from it. Among other things, the Hawaiians used this rope to rig canoes.

HPS is one of just four companies on Maui and 14 in the state to be certified by the Hawaii Ecotourism Association. Sharing the message of malama i ke kai (to care for the ocean) is a key component of the company’s mission. There are no gas-guzzling motorboats in its fleet, and its employees are stalwart supporters of conservation efforts.

"We assist with beach and reef cleanups," Lara said. "We’ve replaced single-use plastic water bottles with stainless-steel water bottles. If we see marine debris while we’re on a tour, we pick it up. We won’t take sea urchins, octopuses and other marine animals from their homes to show to guests. Our goal is to respect our ocean playground and to leave it better than we found it."

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.