Maui shore diving/snorkeling

[river_sand_bar]

Tim... not snorkeling on Molokini, but diving, I had mentioned the snokelrs as in reference to the hords of people on the reef.... so I was wondering if the dive sites are as crowded as the snorkeling sites.

I would love to dive the wall, but the wife is a little worried about it, so she wants to dive the inside and edge of the crater...

 

[Charlie99]

My big thing is how restrictive the snorkel ops are (understandable considering how many and the varied skill/experience of their guests).

They may be restrictive, but not all snorkel boats are alert and watchful. Twice I've been on boats that have picked up snorklers that went to Reef's End and got swept around to the backside. We just picked up, went near their boat and they jumped back in. In one case we had motored over to Red Hill, waited out the SI, and were splashing in when Pacific Whale Foundation called on the radio to thank us. They hadn't realized they had two missing snorklers until the snorklers made some comment about their extra boat ride.

The snorkling at Molokini isn't that much different or better than at a lot of sites accessible from shore.

I DO recommend people visiting during the whale season (Dec to April) take a snorkle trip to Molokini. It's a nice day outing, and is a convenient way to combine snorkling, a BBQ, and some whale watching. I advise visitors not to book a whale watch trip until after they have done a snorkling trip --- much more often than not, they'll see enough whales on that trip that they no longer desire to go on a dedicated whale watch trip.

 

[Charlie99]

Ok, and honestly... is Molokini used up or is it still a good dive site??

All of the divers to Molokini haven't done a fraction of the damage done by the January 2005 (or was it 2004?) storms. The swells were very heavy for about 10 days, and a lot of coral got broken up, particularly on shallowest sections of Reef's End, but inside and out. It really reconfigured the topography, and coral formations like Garbonzo's Lair were demolished. Not much damage deeper than 40 or 50' though.

There were some sections of the center reef that collapsed on themselves (including a few holes popular with sharks), but it wasn't damaged all that much, and is still the most pristine example of a climax reef in Hawaii (kind of like the coral equivalent of an old growth forest).

The backwall is always hammered every year, so it looks the same. Any damage by divers anywhere at Molokini is miniscule compared to the normal forces of nature.

 

[river_sand_bar]

Charlie99, I dove Cozumel after the hurricane and it was terrible the amount of damage, however now the reefs look great and have come back to life. So I know how weather can affect the dive sites.

Just didn't know if Molokini was over done or not, but from what I can gather, its still a good place to dive... Actually anyplace will be better then the 55 deg water and 5 foot viz that I am used to here in San Diego.

 

[Charlie99]

Just didn't know if Molokini was over done or not, but from what I can gather, its still a good place to dive...

I very strongly suggest that you catch a boat out to Molokini.

As others have noted, it's out in the middle of the channel in deep water, so the water is almost always clear. 100' viz is a bad day for Molokini. It is one of the few places with a near vertical wall. Not some 45 or 50 degree, but something very close to 90 degree that drops for a couple hundred feet.

I don't know if you have been to Hawaii before, but what shocks a lot of first time visitors is the lack of soft stuff --- the sea fans, soft corals, gorgonians, big sponges, etc. Partly from the limited migration of stuff (it has to have a larval stage that lasts long enough for currents to get it to Hawaii) and partly from the turbulent waters, you just don't find the soft stuff. There are lots of hard corals, but overall it's a rather stark, bare sort of beauty rather than the lush jungle like sort of feeling of many places, including the Caribbean.

If you look around, you can find people that dislike Hawaii diving. They are probably the same people that complain that the Grand Canyon and Zion don't have enough vegetation.

 

[river_sand_bar]

Thanks Charlie, sounds like a plan then... so I will dive Molokini with the wifie and then do some local beach dives with anyone I can find...

Quick question... are gloves allowed to wear while diving or do you find that they are not needed in the warmer water? And what about dive knives?? I know down in the Carb and Belize when I have dove there, they are not allowed.

And, yes, I have been to Hawaii before ( 4 times), wife hasn't, so I know what to expect on the island.... just have never dove the islands before, only snorkeled.

 

[Charlie99]

I carry a knife and EMT shears on all dives, even in places like Cozumel -- I've never had anybody open my BCD pocket and inspect. No regs against them in Hawaii.

I don't think there are any regulations prohibiting gloves at Molokini. I don't wear them, and very few other divers see a need for them while diving the reefs. Sometimes I'll wear gloves on the St. Anthony's wreck, but most of the time I don't bother.

 

[kidspot]

Gloves and knives/shears are acceptable around here, though the best use of gloves I have seen yet is from KrisB who uses gloves with white palms to calibrate the white balance on his camera.

Aloha, Tim

 

[DiveMaven]

My favorite two Molokini dives are Reverse Reef's End Drift and Ene Nui...though I wouldn't say no to Shark Condos!

 

[Shaka Doug]

halemano,

Thanks. That's what I needed to hear. I didn't realize that the surf stayed up that many months. I guess winter's winter, but I'll trade you our weather for your's anytime.

By the way, we stayed in Makena - you're in a beautiful area. I dove a few times with Shaka Doug.

Good luck with the hurricane.

Steve

Hey Aloha Steve,

You know, I wouldn't worry to much about the surf. It either hits ir it doesn't. The nice thing is there are so many options / sites that you can shop around and usually find something decent. Like it was mentioned, mornings are typically best. Let's hook up and do some more dives. Your folks might even be interested in following us around a bit to see what we do down there! You can PM me as it draws closer and I can give you a good feel for what the water is doing.