Having grown up in Ha’iku, Des developed a deep connection to Maui. “All the ponds I take guests to now are those I learned to swim in,” she says. Half Hawaiian and half Portuguese, her ancestral roots can be traced back to one of Maui’s high chiefs and also to Portuguese immigrants who came to work in the sugar cane fields.
As a guide, Des utilizes her degree in Hawaiian studies from University of Hawaii Maui College as well as her background in environmental education. She also educates guests about plants—including those brought to the islands by early Polynesian settlers—and, on her crater hikes, native species found in the fragile Haleakala ecosystem.
When she’s not guiding, Des keeps busy with her two children, and she also enjoys outdoor activities like longboarding and fishing with her significant other.
