Maui bound! ...advice?

[Shaka Doug]

Aloha Everyone,

Looks like I'm in for more bashing from Kris B! I knew that was coming. You know what Kris? I really could care less about what you think of my website and the colors I choose for it. I am a Dive Professional for 20+ years now. I have no formal website training and the only computer I really enjoy working with is my Sherwood Source. I somehow managed to scrape my website together with a lot of luck and many frustrating hours of hen pecking the key board. Most of my feedback on my website is very positive and I had no idea my colors were repulsive until you opened your trap. I am always open to criticism and ideas from outside sources. If it weren't for that, my scubabus would just be a plain old ex-scoolbus with zero personality or charm (albeit twisted sometimes). I am in the business of SCUBA to share my love of the sport with evryone. Today I logged my 2,500th Maui dive with guests who have been coming back to see me repeatedly for more than 5 years. Never had an accident, never had an unhappy customer. I teach people how to have fun with SCUBA, even when they are totally intimidated by the idea of breathing U/W. They all enjoy diving with me.

I'm not sure what your problem is Kris B. You're probably jealous cause I get all the chicks or have all the fun or something. You continue to bash me whenever you get the chance. I know you don't approve of my lobster hunting but it's not for you to decide if I can take bugs or not. I know you don't approve of me petting monk seals. I don't care Kris. The best part for me is that I get to go diving every day and on top of that, I get paid for it! It's all I do and have done for the past 20 years. You and your 16+ dives doesn't make you an expert on Hawaii diving so why don't you quit trying to act like one. For anyone reading this post that doesn't believe me, check out the comments Kris B has left in my photo gallery. I live on an island. People who come from here get much of their food from the ocean. We have a lobster season here. That means it's legal to hunt for and take lobsters. I participate in that activity and I'm damn good at it. If you want to see a bug in the wild, come on down. I haven't eaten all of them yet and I know I can still find you some wild ones to let you look at. For anyone else monitoring this thread, I hope you can think for your self. My website is out there for anyone to look at (my apologies if the colors burn your retinas off, I'll see what I can do about that). My phone number is right there too if you want to call me to see how the diving is shaping up. I am not trying to hide or weasel my way through here. My picture is posted and I am proud of what I do and my accomplishments speak for themselves. I have Fun in the water and that's the way it is. Anyone want to come get wet?

So, as far as My Maui advice goes....follow my Shaka Divers Safety Rule # 7 and you can't go wrong. " Shaka Divers Safety Rule #7: "Always Dive with a Local, Professional Guide!" You can find all my safety rules on my website at www.shakadivers.com/rules.htm

Aloha everone...even You Kris B!

 

[Ed Rebolledo]

A very good friend of mine is moving to Maui for a couple years. So I am seriously planning to take a 3 week vacation to visit (and dive of course!) She's joining her boyfriend who is already living/working there, so I will have a place to stay. I'll need to keep costs down a bit, (since I'm spending a chunk of money to go through the IDC in Sept!) so I am primarily looking to shore dive.
I'm checking out the other posts, but any advice on fav. sites would be appreciated.
I'll have my own gear with me but will of course need weights/tanks/air, so will need a shop recommendation
My friend isn't a diver, unfortunately, and my current buddy has booked another trip, so I will be looking for a buddy(s) to dive with...??? It's not that I won't pay a divemaster to show me around the sites first time, but I'm a divemaster (hopefully soon to be instructor!) so I don't think I'll need 3 weeks of DM guided dives. ok, I don't think I'll be diving every day! I intend to join her on the beach and surfing too
I am hoping to go Nov/early Dec. How is this time of the year for diving Maui? (does it make much difference there?)

thanks for any advice/tips! I'm haven't been tropical diving since Aus. last year so I'm super excited about warm water and decent viz

Aloha Diver Debbie

I've already met with a couple of visiting scubaboard members. It was indeed a pleasure. I especially enjoyed the night dives at Black Rock. I'm always open to night dive's and shore dives on my days off, and as always weather and conditions permitting. PM me when you arrive also. The good thing about Hawaii is that Diving is a year round activity.

Keep Diving

 

[KrisB]

Looks like I'm in for more bashing from Kris B! I knew that was coming. You know what Kris? I really could care less about what you think of my website and the colors I choose for it. I am a Dive Professional for 20+ years now. I have no formal website training and the only computer I really enjoy working with is my Sherwood Source. I somehow managed to scrape my website together with a lot of luck and many frustrating hours of hen pecking the key board. Most of my feedback on my website is very positive and I had no idea my colors were repulsive until you opened your trap.

Doug... I'm an equal opportunity critic -- the things that deserve it get it. There are some things I wouldn't waste my time on, so you should feel honoured!

Interestingly, there are professionals that deal in making web sites that look good -- just as I wouldn't pretend to teach someone how to dive, nor try someone's legal case, I think it's wise for web development to be left to web developers, especially when it's business related and can make/break your company.

But hey, that's just my opinion.

I am always open to criticism and ideas from outside sources. If it weren't for that, my scubabus would just be a plain old ex-scoolbus with zero personality or charm (albeit twisted sometimes). I am in the business of SCUBA to share my love of the sport with evryone. Today I logged my 2,500th Maui dive with guests who have been coming back to see me repeatedly for more than 5 years. Never had an accident, never had an unhappy customer. I teach people how to have fun with SCUBA, even when they are totally intimidated by the idea of breathing U/W. They all enjoy diving with me.

That's great!

I'm not sure what your problem is Kris B. You're probably jealous cause I get all the chicks or have all the fun or something.

nope, don't think that's it.

You continue to bash me whenever you get the chance. I know you don't approve of my lobster hunting but it's not for you to decide if I can take bugs or not. I know you don't approve of me petting monk seals. I don't care Kris.

Fine, Doug. I won't be going diving with you, and I won't be recommending you because I don't trust your attitude. You've never had an accident, you say... but the haphazard way you *appear* to run your business has me concerned for the safety of your clients.

The best part for me is that I get to go diving every day and on top of that, I get paid for it! It's all I do and have done for the past 20 years. You and your 16+ dives doesn't make you an expert on Hawaii diving so why don't you quit trying to act like one.

Perhaps Doug, I just am able to glean information from sources you don't even know exist. It's called reading between the lines, and coming to a logical conclusion. It's how the pieces fit together. I wouldn't trust MDS to do anything for me... and while I might go diving with you in a group, I wouldn't ever trust my life to you -- at least not at this point.

For anyone reading this post that doesn't believe me, check out the comments Kris B has left in my photo gallery. I live on an island. People who come from here get much of their food from the ocean. We have a lobster season here. That means it's legal to hunt for and take lobsters. I participate in that activity and I'm damn good at it. If you want to see a bug in the wild, come on down. I haven't eaten all of them yet and I know I can still find you some wild ones to let you look at.

Yes you are good at finding them, and you do claim you can find them in the wild still. Even at Molokini, they were hard to find last time I was there... I'm not saying you're taking them from that protected reserve, but I think that one needs to be careful. The pictures you have on your site of laundry baskets full of them should be considered... how many were there, Doug?

So, as far as My Maui advice goes....follow my Shaka Divers Safety Rule # 7 and you can't go wrong. " Shaka Divers Safety Rule #7: "Always Dive with a Local, Professional Guide!" You can find all my safety rules on my website at www.shakadivers.com/rules.htm

Sounds more like the Shaka Divers SALES Rule... besides, Doug... what happened to you following your own rules (#6, ref. Lobster and Monk Seal issues already mentioned by you here)... or are you above that? Does that mean you can hold your breath, too? Also, #7 reads "Whenever Possible, Dive with a Professional, Local Guide!" not "Always".

I'm sorry if you think I'm attacking you -- I just don't like the attitude you put forth here and on your site, especially when the hypocritical nature comes out.

 

[DiverDebbie]

Aloha Diver Debbie

I've already met with a couple of visiting scubaboard members. It was indeed a pleasure. I especially enjoyed the night dives at Black Rock. I'm always open to night dive's and shore dives on my days off, and as always weather and conditions permitting. PM me when you arrive also. The good thing about Hawaii is that Diving is a year round activity.

Keep Diving

Hey Ed... Fabulous! Now I have 2 new new buddies in Maui to look forward to meeting and diving with

KrisB and Shaka Doug... There is obviously personal conflict there that runs way beyond the layout of the web site! Doug, I certainly never meant to bash you or your business. I was simply offering a few comments on your site. I'm sorry to see this get out of hand. I don't know either of you and I really don't want to get involved. So if you guys have more to say to each other, can you please do it by PM? Thanks so much.

I appreciate all the advice given by everyone, but please, if anyone has anything else negative to say about any dive ops, or anything to warn me about, please PM me with it.

AAHHHHH! What happened to my happy little thread looking for Maui advice and dive buddies!
I am going to MAUI.... I'm super EXCITED and I just want to have FUN

Aloha!

 

[headhunter]

KrisB and Shaka Doug,

I thought I'd jump in here while this still appears to be on the correct side of "civil discussion".

We are starting to come close to a violation of the TOS with concern for this part of it [emphasis added by me]:

Profane, insulting or mean spirited language is simply not allowed here. Neither is any sort of harassment or bullying.

While I don't think that a line has been crossed, I think it is a good idea to keep this defining paragraph from the TOS in mind as well:

Harassment, threats and personal insults: Posts that contain direct or indirect threats of a physical or non-physical nature along with posts that contain personal attacks or insults are not allowed. Users are also expressly forbidden from engaging in activities that may be seen as harassment. This includes targeting other users with a personal attack, intentionally responding to all of a particular user’s thread in a negative manner in order to discredit them or otherwise seeking to intentionally anger, upset or continuously attack another member (trolling). Constructive criticism of other members and debate is encouraged as long as it does not turn into a personal attack. In the event that either party feels a debate is no longer constructive, we ask both parties to respectfully disengage before creating a disruption of the thread.

You have both had an opportunity to make your points and counter points. This may be a good time for "parties to respectfully disengage before creating disruption of the thread".

Thanks.

Christian aka headhunter
ScubaBoard Advisor

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

No matter what problems anyone has with Shaka Doug the one thing I know is that Doug knows how to enjoy life. He knows how to show customers a good time and I'll admit this. I wish I worked in his office instead of mine. I also am a dive professional but, in Oregon for crying out loud.

Hey Doug wanna trade jobs????? I'll train you how to dive our mudholes around here in case you're nervous.

 

[Shaka Doug]

OK Headhunter, sounds good to me! "I'm a Lover, not a fighter". I'm just trying to defend myself here. This is not the first time I have had problems with this guy. I'm not a web professional and I made my site entirely by myself on a shoestring budget. Diver Debbie started this thread looking for Maui Advice, next thing you know, I'm getting bashed because my website is "repulsive". If someone has specific criticism or pointers to give me on how I can make my site more likeable, please come forth. Sorry but you can't please all the people all the time. I'm really trying my best though.

I am in the business of SCUBA to have FUN and support my SCUBA habit. I am blessed and priviledged to be able to do this everyday. It is my lifestyle and life choice to dive. I am not in this business to get rich. My website expenses are low and I pass the savings on to my customers. I just want to blow bubbles everyday. I am very lucky that it works for me and I have been able to make at least 300 dives per year for the last twenty years in a row! There are very few people here on Maui who can claim that. If anyone needs Maui Advice on where to dive, what the conditions are like or any other local knowledge, please feel free to consider me as a resource. I am very friendly and knowledgeable and I am always happy to help.

You know, when people ask for Maui Advice, MDS gets a lot of bad lip service here on SCUBABOARD, (especially from a certain few people) but MDS is a perfect example of a shop that has done very well. They have thousands of happy customers and some of their staff is very competent and experienced. They have nice shops and nice boats. I would trust them to take me diving in a heartbeat.

When I first moved here I worked for MDS, Ed Robinson, and SCUBA Shack. Many years later, I still get along with people from each of those shops. As in anything, you sometimes have a bad day or bad experience. Nobody is perfect. Folks who cut down a shop because of a specific incident might be very narrow-minded or infatuatd with an isolated problem. Each of these shops continues to stay in business and make their customers happy. On Maui, there must be at least 40 dive ops to choose from. Some are good, some are great and others are terrible. It is wise to do your homework before booking a trip with anyone but for the most part, you will find it hard to find a really bad dive service here.

Kris, just so you know, there are 90 legal lobsters in the tubs. Don't worry Buddy, we left the small ones and the pregnant females and there definitely were a few that got away from us. And by the way, we caught these right near the end of the season after eight months of being hunted by other divers. There's no shortage on bugs if you know where to go and are willing to take the risk. There were lots of happy people who got to enjoy a nice lobster dinner thanks to our efforts. When you only make a handful of day dives at a place like Molokini, you really can't expect to find 90 bugs. We had several hours of hardcore diving in the middle of the night in the middle of the ocean to come up with this extraordinary catch. Lobster season just re-opened last week so I'm sure many people have been diving for them and catching some. I haven't been out hunting yet but I've been seeing lobsters regularly.

Diver Debbie, I appreciate your criticism, especially since you're a web pro. I know you weren't trying to start a big commotion. Maybe you would be interested in trading some web design services for some dive services when you get here? I'm always open to new ideas. Please don't judge my dive abilities based on my web skills. You and KrisB could easily kill me if we got into a computer war. Most of the feedback I get about my website is totally positive. Some people tell me they love the "SCUBABUS Facts" (www.shakadivers.com/Bus Fact Sheet.htmpage). Others say they like the interactive "Whale Day Puzzle" (www.shakadivers.com/puzzle.htm) or the 'Virtual SCUBABUS Tour" (www.shakadivers.com/virtualtour.htm). Although the colors may be odd, it's only my attempt to keep my site fun and cheery. I thought I made it quite easy to navigate through it with the menu items on the left but I suppose some people can still get lost in it. I guess that's why they invented the "Back" button.

To Al and Charlie99, thanks for the support. You guys understand that diving is supposed to be fun. I am just trying to keep it that way. You've seen my 20 year old SCUBABUS rolling around to the Maui dive sites with all the happy people milling around. We have a good time here and I'm not going to let a little negative SCUBABOARD post bring me down. Especially since the post isn't even about my diving abilities, it's about website design! I'm hitting the water again tomorrow and I'll be smiling all the way to the bottom and back. I hope you will join me, if not in person, then in spirit.

So to all of you who choose not to dive with me because of what Kris B says or because I catch lobsters or pet the animals, that's fine. Good luck and have a great time diving with someone else. For anyone who really wants to go on a "DOUBLE~SHAKA DIVE" please contact me.

For up to date Maui Advice, please contact me with a PM or e-mail and I'll get right back with you. Mahalo!

Mr. Headhunter, "Thank you for the opportunity to voice my thoughts."

 

[headhunter]

Doug,

Everyone is entitled to post a proper defense if the criticisms are allowed to stand. I'll consider this the last post on the matter and will delete any posts either pro or con with a specific reference to KrisB's criticisms from this point forward.

That does not mean people can't constructively post about you and your operation in this thread. It just means that posts from this point forward should remain on topic for DiverDebbie to get the answers that she is looking for.

I look forward to meeting you someday when I come to Maui for a visit.

Thanks for everyone's cooperation on this matter.

Now let's get back to answering DiverDebbies questions about Maui advice and dive buddies.

Christian

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

AAHHHHH! What happened to my happy little thread looking for Maui advice and dive buddies!
I am going to MAUI.... I'm super EXCITED and I just want to have FUN

Aloha!

And you will have fun. I screwed the thread up by saying I liked Dougs site. I'm no expert but it looked fun, like Doug is.

You'll find plenty of Aloha there, much more than online that's for sure. You'll be visiting the only place that ever felt like home to me. I envy you your trip.

 

[DiveMaven]

We talked about diving with Doug on our last trip, but alas, he seems to stay pretty much down in the Kehei area. Since we're lazy and stay up around Lahaina, diving with Doug hasn't worked out....yet....but maybe someday.

I think one of the things I love about Maui is the attitude of the people who live there. Just about everyone we come across has a friendly, laid back, enjoy life type of attitude, including the instructors and DM's we've had. However, we've also found that although they have a "no worries mate" attitude above the surface, once you're ready to dive, they become deadly serious. Doesn't mean they don't have fun underwater, but the guys I dive with take the underwater world very seriously and don't take chances with other people's lives.

I have to agree with Al, we were very attracted to Doug because of his fun website. Like Al, I live in the Pacific Northwest, and would rather be in Maui!