Four Seasons Resort Hualalai

Four Seasons Tenure

• Since 2006
• First Four Seasons Position: Head of Water Sports

Employment History

• Fair Wind Cruises, Kona Village

Education

• Bachelor of Arts, Criminology and Forestry, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois

Birthplace

• Pittsfield, Illinois, USA

Languages Spoken

• English

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai is some 4,000 miles from Illinois as the seagull flies. But as Trent Fischer swims? Not far at all. “My comfort zone has always been the water,” says Fischer, now well into his second decade as Director of Alakai Nalu (Leaders of the Waves) overseeing watersports. “I grew up a river rat on the Mississippi, and now I’m leading the largest ocean sports program at a Resort in Hawaii. There are so many ways for people to experience the water here at Hualalai. We are driven by exposing our guests and members to the extraordinary sea life and adventures hidden in plain sight just off the shores of the Resort.”

Ocean adventures play out near and far from the Resort, with the Alakai Nalu leading everything from open ocean swimming, reef snorkeling, and exploring the deep via propeller-driven underwater scooter or towed Subwing board. Up on the surface, they offer stand up paddle boarding, outrigger canoeing, snorkeling excursions and whale watching in the Resort’s private boat, as well as wing foil surfing for guests to glide above the waves. “We were the first Resort to offer these distinct ocean activites,” says Fischer.

If all that weren’t enough, the Alakai Nalu runs the Turf Surfing experience for guests to zip across the Resort’s signature Hualalai Golf Course on a Onewheel powered skateboard. “We saw someone riding one and thought it would be a great way for guests to experience the course in a new way,” he recalls, noting the wheels do less wear and tear than golf carts. “Fortunately, our Golf Director thinks outside the box. It’s a very popular program.”    

Back on the shore, every guest is different when it comes to experiencing the warm, clear waters that lap the Resort’s white-sand beaches, so every experience led by Alakai Nalu is one of a kind. “Some people are happy just to explore our warm, clear Hawaiian waters while others want something life changing,” says Fischer, who puts whale watching in that category. “Regardless, our job is to get as many people out of their lounge chairs as we can, because the team and I believe time on the water should be the highlight of every stay.”

The Alakai Nalu team include many long-time veterans of the Resort, though only one longer than Fischer. “It is very rare for anybody to leave because all love what we do.” He keeps that love burning by letting each shine. “It’s much better than putting them in a box and saying do things my way. Everybody has certain talents and ways of doing things, so I give them the freedom to be authentic and connect to our guests and members through genuine heart.”

The most important thing the team does is to ensure safety. “Nothing is a bigger priority.” New activities are always thoroughly vetted, and getting people out and back safely is a constant focus of the team. “On an average day, it’s business as usual here, but we do have situations where we have to intervene.” Solution? “You develop a lot of gut feelings on this job. That keeps problems at bay.”

A son of Pittsfield, Illinois, not far from the mighty Mississippi, Fischer inherited his twin passions for travel and adventure from his parents, both educators. Growing up, he spent a lot of time in the great outdoors, swimming, fishing, and boating on the river, as well as rock climbing and hunting in local preserves. His time in the wild paid off with a top 25 national ranking for swimming and a full scholarship for the sport in college, where he studied criminology and forestry.

Following school, Fischer made his way to Alaska where he worked as a fisherman for eight years while coached a high school swim team. Then he set his sights on Hawaii, arriving in 2004 to fulfill his dream of open swimming in the ocean. “I tell people that’s my addiction, it’s my yoga. All I need is a pair of goggles and I’m happy.”

Fischer found his way to Four Seasons after working on a boat and coaching triathletes on the Big Island for a couple of years. Leading the ocean sports program at Hualalai peaked his interest, and he has never looked back.

Well, maybe once. “A few years ago a guest lost a diamond earring worth USD 10,000 while was swimming with us in the open ocean.” Three days later, Fischer was stroking through the same area, and there it was. “She got her earring back, and I got the memory.”