By Dan Holden Bailey

You won't find a traffic light, shopping mall, or a fast food joint on these islands. There are no buildings taller than a palm tree. Lanai and Molokai are the least developed of Hawaii's six main islands, commercially speaking, but Mother Nature's develop ment project has been superb.

Lanai, sixth largest of the Hawaiian Islands, was one of the last to be settled. The Ancient Hawaiians, believing Lanai was inhabited only by evil spirits, steered clear of it for many years. Kaululaau, so the legend goes, was the teenage son of the great Maui chief Kakaalaneo. Exiled to Lanai by his father for vandalism (chopping down fruit trees), Kaululaau redeemed himself by chasing the evil spirits away from Lanai. The island was settled by the Hawaiians and they lived happily ever afterat least until the first missionaries arrived.

Of the major Hawaiian Islands, Molokai is the least developed and also boasts the highest percentage of residents with native Hawaiian ancestry. These two factors give rise to the island's two nicknames, the "Real Hawaii" and the "Friendly Isle", and help explain why visitors typically stay for longer periods here than they do on the other Hawaiian islands.

For more information on diving Lanai and Molokai, pick up a copy of the December 1999 issue of DIVER Magazine.