Going to Maui in June, Wanting to Learn

[knucklebusted]

Hi folks, I'm new and will be going to Maui in mid June for a couple of weeks. I had an intro dive in 2004 from the Embassy Ka'anapali Beach Vacation Resort and loved it. The instructor there was very easy going and made me feel quite comfortable. She didn't rush any of us. Had I not been flying to another island, I would have definitely done more. I also did some SNUBA off of the Pride of Maui in the Molikini crater. Not near as much fun and a lot more rushed. It felt like the Southwest Airlines version of diving, just the basics.

Now, what can I realistically do while on vacation in Maui as far as getting some quality diving in? Maybe working on a certification? Is the resort, which seemed quite professional two years ago, a good place to start/continue? My 15 year old daughter and her friend may also want to do some diving but doubt they'll be interested in anything that will require much effort. They'll probably just do the intro dive and be happy.

Physically, I'm 44, 5'10", 160lbs, can hold my breath for better than two minutes and am in better shape than many my age.

I know, I should have done more while here in Kentucky but circumstances have worked against me and I literally will have to leave the continental US to get any rest and relaxation. I just realized I'm less than two weeks away from leaving and I haven't booked my motorcycle rental either! ARGGHHHH!

Basically, for the last few years, we've been vacationing in places that have some pretty good dive opportunities (Maui, Big Island, Bahamas, Key West, Playa del Carmen) and I want IN! I want play in the deep end of the pool.

PS, I'm still searching the threads and read as much as I can so posting a link to a thread where this sort of thing is already discussed is good, too.

Thanks

 

[rjpv]

You have two basic options I think.

You could do more "introductory diving" or you could receive your open water (OW) certification, which would allow you to do some more interesting and nicer dives.

Assuming you live somewhere near a scuba community (ie, where there is water), you'll probably pay substantially more to get certified in Maui instead of near home (I paid $200 to get certified in California, and when I checked the same thing cost around $400-$500 in Maui). On the other hand, certification in Maui would be very pleasant.

I think the general suggestion is that you do the book work (read a few chapters, fill out some quizzes) required for certification, and possibly even the pool dives, before you go leaving only ocean (and pool) dives left in Maui. In that case it would probably take only 2 or 3 days with a few dives each day to finish.

Try going into the Hawaii forum on this site for more specific advice. Good luck!

 

[Tombo92551]

While I was ther a while back a program was offered to do yor classroom and confined water work her in the states and do your open water dives in Maui. Could save considerable costs as I'm sure the dive shops on the Island are expensive.

I did a try scuba there, got certified her in So Cal and am going back in October to dive properly... Looking forward to the cathedrials and maybe the back wall of Molokini...

 

[minnesota01r6]

I agree with the 2 posts above - if you can get your pool dives & classroom stuff done in your hometown you should definetly do it. It doesn't really seem to save money (it didn't for my fiance) but it does save time so that you can just focus on diving when in Hawaii. If a dive shop near your house offers a class that just takes one weekend to do, I would do that. Otherwise, you don't have time. I'm not sure if your "intro to dive" is the same thing as a resort course, but if it is you should be able to step up to a full OW certification a little quicker than starting off from scratch. The bottom line is you need to find an instructor you like more than anything.

 

[DiveMaven]

I think you'll find that if you do a referral course on Maui that it'll cost you just slightly less than doing the entire course there.

My husband and I got certified on Maui by Lahaina Divers. We did all of our studying and book work at home, taking the completed knowledge reviews with us to Maui. We spent one day watching videos, reviewing our knowledge reviews, learning to do the tables, and learning about safety prior to our "confined" drills. The confined portion of our training was in a calm section of ocean (after doing our floating and swimming tests), then we headed out on their boats for open water dives. Our certification took us 4 days to complete and our instructor (John) was excellent (you can do the course in 3 days).

Looking back, we have learned that our instructor really was top notch. He took the time necessary to have us learn and practice our skills, and had us do them mid-water, not just kneeling on the bottom. Our surface intervals were spent planning the next dive, talking about safety, and learning about the gear we were using. We were so pleased with our experience that we did our AOW with Lahaina Divers, and although we had a different instructor (Elliott) the training was no less valuable and enjoyable.

We go to Maui at least once a year, and everytime look forward to spending some time with John. He told us this year how proud he is of our skills and we responded that it was because we had such an outstanding OW instructor.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Welcome to scubaboard.

If you can't get any of the pool/classroom stuff done at least get the book before you get on the plane. You will have plenty of time to read it prior to your first class.

Have a great trip.

 

[RonDawg]

With your limited time (less than two weeks before your trip) you'll have no choice but to do your entire certification over there, as you'll probably have no time to do the classroom and pool sessions before it's time to leave.

However, it's less than ideal as you'll likely be rushed through the process, possibly in as little as three days. That's a very steep learning curve, and many on this board frown upon such courses as you really don't have time to practice and hone your skills.

If you are financially fortunate enough to take frequent trips to locations that are known for their diving, why not just do another intro for now, and then when you have the time do the classroom and pool work at home? That way if you have skills that you are having trouble with, you'll have the time to get through them before actually venturing out into open water. If you want you can save the open water portion for another exotic trip.

 

[Mark Vlahos]

With time as short as it is for you, you have relatively few options.

My first choice would be to do a "referral" program. With this option and your tight time table you will probably need to schedule the classroom and pool work at home as part of a private class. This will cost you some more, but it will give you the flexibility you need with regards to time. The open water part of the course will be completed in Hawaii. Once you have made contact with your local shop and started that process work with them to locate a shop in Maui for the second half of the class. Schedule all of this NOW, do not wait. In this case time is your enemy, and you don't want to be rushed when you learn how to dive. Lock in the program in Hawaii, since it would suck to get there and find out that the only classes are full, and no private instructors are available.

The other option is to do everything in Hawaii. The down side of this is that you will spend valuable vacation time in a classroom or your hotel room doing homework.

Either way will work, and you should be able to make the arrangements and become a certified diver in either case. Once you get certified a world of options open up to you. Also, try to rent all of your gear for now, resist temptation to buy anything now. Purchase any gear when you have time and some experience to do meaningful research.

Good Luck,

Mark Vlahos

 

[justleesa]

if you choose to get certified over there, remember you're not really done once you pass all the tests....when you get back home hook up with a local dive club or op and get some more training dives in.

 

[knucklebusted]

With your limited time (less than two weeks before your trip) you'll have no choice but to do your entire certification over there, as you'll probably have no time to do the classroom and pool sessions before it's time to leave.

Bad news! The only local dive shop is out of business. I just called the number and the dreaded no-longer-in-service message hit me. The other one went out of business long before I had a real desire or cash.

Well, as a good friend I've haven't met yet says, "The adventure begins when things stop going as planned."

In the long run, I'll be satisfied with a few dives out of the resort if that's all I can get. If I could make it count for something, so much the better. Dive opportunities around here are pretty cool (temp wise) and low-vis. I have a feeling Maui will spoil me beyond hope.

I do have two weeks at the same place and I plan on decompressing (not the dive kind) a lot of it. This is a three adventure vacation, diving (new adventure), dualsporting (dirt biking in a new place) and a helicopter tour so I won't be let down no matter what happens. A bad day on the beach beats a good day at work.

Thanks for the tips and I'll keep you posted how it turns out. Now to book my motorcycle since it is just now 9am in Maui!

Aloha!