Do we dive or snorkel in Maui on a cruise ship stop?

[AstridWilson]

Heading to Hawaii in September. My question is do we snorkel or Dive in Maui. Where do we dive in Maui?

Keep in mind, I love to Dive, but also love the freedom that Snorkeling gives you. No gear, no time limits. My hubbie is an air sucker, so I dive a smaller tank and still have more air than him when we are done. He hates a two tank boat dive, due to motion sickness. He prefers a shore dive. We are bringing, fins, masks, computers and snorkels but not bringing BCs or regulators so we would have to rent those. I also do not want to spend all day on a boat when we have limited time to see the island.

Hawaii Plans are 1 week Cruise followed by 4 nights in Waikiki Beach, followed by 4 nights on the Big Island. All reservations have been booked. Planning Itineraries now.

We have an overnight stop on the cruise ship in Maui from 8am to 6pm. Looks like snorkeling is very good in Honolua bay, kapalua bay and black rock. They are all within an hours drive of the cruise dock ( I think). We plan to rent a car.

Is there a dive that is not to be missed that is possible on our stop? Molokini crater seems to have mixed reviews.

 

[Altamira]

Do a fun scooter dive on Maui. There are several operators that offer scooter dives, and I do not remember seeing bad reviews on any of them. Last time in Maui, we used Tiny Bubbles at Kaanapali Beach Club, an easy taxi ride north of the tender pier, and had a blast diving Mile Marker 14 (south of the port), a turtle cleaning station. Since they operate out of a resort, it would be easy to get a cab back, or perhaps they can drop you off back at the tender pier.

 

[DiveMaven]

You could also check with Greg Walker for scooter diving out of the Kihei area, much closer to the cruise ship than Kaanapali. Shaka Doug would be great for regular shore diving around Kihei as well.

 

[Steve Eady]

I second the Scooter dive with Greg www.mauiscooterdivers.com. Every time we go to maui we go out with them, such a BLAST.

 

[scubadada]

You don't have much time in Maui, I would go diving and would find a good operator near the cruise ship. Molokini Crater is OK, don't know if you could get to Lanai.

Too bad your husband is not good on air and gets seasick, he must have other redeemable features

 

[diversteve]

Boat dives aren't a reality in your timeframe anyway - the Kihei boats leave 6-7am and the Lahaina boats 7:30ish. Coupled with the seasick issues - that rules out Molokini or Lana'i - the Kihei boats go to Molokini at 6am to beat the tradewinds back to south Maui and it's a fairly rough crossing over to Lana'i also at times - we did it on a big boat (45') to the Cathedrals but getting back on was "sporty" and about 1/2 dozen people got sick waiting for everyone to safely reboard. The few operators offering afternoon dives (Lahaina Divers) stay along the coast and dive the Carpathian wreck or another "Turtle Town" site. Some of their dives are also cert/discover dives so not the best option.

Also with regards to some of the previous posts, I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) that Altamira is referring to the cruise Tender dock in Lahaina and Damselfish the cruise Port dock in Kahului.

Given your dive site list, I believe you're tendering in to Lahaina so options for rental gear are Lahaina Divers just a few blocks away off Front St. (the waterfront road) or for the north sites - besides Tiny Bubbles there's also a Maui Dive Shop at Kahana Gateway Mall - useful if you decided to dive Honolua instead since it's literally on the main road north. Or Kapalua Bay/Beach just a little south of Honolua.

One not on your list is Mala Pier - it's basically in north Lahaina. Arguably one of the best shore dives. Ask Lahaina Divers to detail the legal entry which is not the obvious one.

There's a long carry from the road (parking) at Honolua also if you decide to dive. About 1/4 mile.