Quick Maui review- pictures

[stevethepirate]

Unfortunately I haven't had the time to type up a full length review, but I felt like this trip deserved at least some form of recognition, so here it goes!

I had about 25 dives under my belt before heading over to maui. After seeing the name mentioned on here, I gave John at Dive and Sea Maui a call and got the trip planned. We ended up staying at the Luana Kai in N. Kihei, so we had a quick 2 minute drive to the boat ramp every morning.
Unfortunately, Emi (John's SO, and main DM) was tending to family business back home in Japan, and could not be there for most of the trip. We had two different DM's while she was gone, both of whom were great. They were very personable, which made my sister and I really enjoy being on the boat with them. In addition, they were both great under the water.
At most, we had 6 divers on the boat. Most days it was 4. All of the other divers (except for the first day) were much more experienced than my sister and I. They were all amazing to dive with though. I learned so much about diving, and about what we were seeing.
We got to see our first sharks (granted they were all white tips, and one grey shark...) which was pretty cool. We also got to see two monk seals! And not only did we see them.... we got to snorkle with them... and then got to dive with them! VERY cool.

I hit my max. depth ever at the back wall of molokini, going to about 147ft. Saw some great black coral, and a different perspective on the underwater world (previous max was about 115).

Here are some pictures. Mainly of the new boat, which was incredible. All custom designed by John and Emi. Everything about it was perfect, a result of years and years of experience from the designers.

Me, my sister, Emi, and Sundance III.

My sister, me, Emi, Captain John

The real captain, ula (sp?)

Sundance III

Curious monk seal (picture taken by DM)

Goofing off...

My sister and I... and the PERFECT seats on the boat.

Any questions, feel free to ask!

Now I'm off to try to get some diving in while over in Oman for 4 months

 

[Oside Jimc]

I hit my max. depth ever at the back wall of molokini, going to about 147ft.

Was 147 a typo? WOW, seems a little extreme for a diver with 25 dives, and this was on an AL80? Glad to hear you survived.

 

[stevethepirate]

Was 147 a typo? WOW, seems a little extreme for a diver with 25 dives, and this was on an AL80? Glad to hear you survived.

Yes it was a typo. I just checked my log book, and it was 140 on the dot. And yes, it was on an AL80 IIRC.

As I said, the DM's were very catering to us. Before going down that deep, he made sure to check that we were comfortable with it.

Here is the list of dives that we did while there, for a reference.
1. Center Reef- Molokini (85ft)
2. Red Hill (30ft)
3. Reef's End- Molokini (100ft)
4. Wailea Point (50ft)
5. Back Wall- Molokini (140ft)
6. Haloa Point (48ft)
7. Reef's End drift- Molokini (95ft)
8. Wailea Point (55ft)
9. Enenue drift- Molokini (105ft)
10. Turtle Piles (55ft)


I was very impressed with the diving in Maui. And this is not just from someone who has been diving in NJ quarries... I was certified on the Red Sea (Hurgada, Egypt), and have also dove in Dominica and the Big Island. Maui DEFINITELY compares with these other locations.

 

[ScubaSeanMaui]

140 is only 10 feet below 130... 25 dives is not too many, but I have seen some divers who are naturals and can handle diving deeper.... everything has to have a first time... Cool Monk seal photo!

Sean

 

[NudiHuntrs]

Thanks for the report. Love the monk seal picture!

 

[friscuba]

The bigger question is whether or not the operator and DM are insured to take a diver without the appropriate tech certifications below 130.

 

[ScubaAndDreams]

With 25 dives he doesn't know what he doesn't know.....it's a product of certifications these days. So yes, most of the blame would be with the operator imho in this case...typical "trust me" dive...everyone knows how I feel about this subject....

Anyways. Great report, thanks for the writeup and I am glad you had an awesome time. That must be some truck that pulls that boat...

 

[Maui Bound]

Thanks for the report. But you're depths are too dangerous. Please be careful and practice safe diving.

 

[KrisB]

140 is only 10 feet below 130... 25 dives is not too many, but I have seen some divers who are naturals and can handle diving deeper.... everything has to have a first time... Cool Monk seal photo!

You're right Sean -- 140' is only 10' deeper than 130'. Though we can make that argument all the way up to the surface...

Why is 130' the industry-standard maximum depth for recreational divers? *shrug* I'd have to go look it up (or ask Thalassamania -- he'd know).

Then again, why is 40' the industry-standard maximum depth for uncertified "intro" divers? And why can't I take them to 45'... it's only 5' deeper.

Thanks for the report. But you're depths are too dangerous. Please be careful and practice safe diving.

I agree -- you should rethink the safety margin at 140'. As an open water-level (with a relatively low level of experience at 25 dives) diver, you'd be hard pressed to convince me to descend past 100' with you.

I remember from an earlier post that your sister only had her "PADI Scuba Diver" certification... though that was two years ago. Did she get that upgraded before this 140' dive?

If you enjoy these depths, PLEASE seek out further training before doing more of them... especially because it seems we're now talking about pushing personal limits to see how far they go.

Safe diving,

-kb

 

[cuddlefish]

I hope that diver upgraded to at least open water. A PADI Scuba Diver not only is not trained to plan their dives, their max depth is 40 feet. They are basically a glorified intro diver. I hate to say it, but I doubt Dive and Sea Maui would be able to defend taking a Scuba Diver (or any recreationally trained diver) to 140 in a lawsuit. I'm not saying 140 is inherently more dangerous than 130...I'm just saying that I bet their insurance company would say "too bad for you". I doubt the dive would be worth going out of business or hurting someone for. Come on guys.