Lahaina Divers in Maui ?

We will be diving with Jacks Dive Locker on the Big Island, and then off to Maui. The travel company that handeled Jack's Dive Locker is suggesting Lahaina Divers. I've only heard about Ed Robinson and Bubbles Below, what are we in for?
Caymaniac

I'm going to be in Maui in May and I'll be going with Ed Robinson's. I've heard great things about them from this board as well as my LDS. I just read in Rodale's that the Scuba Shack got some pretty good ratings as well. You should check that out too.

I have used Lahaina Divers a couple of times and was very satisfied with their service.

Their boats normally carry about 20 to 25 divers so it can get a little crowded. They will usually break you up into groups and each group has a DM. The DMs we had seemed knowledgable about each dive and their dive briefs were good.

Because they are in Lahaina, the ride out to Molokini is a little longer than if you went with a dive op out of Kihei or Maalea Harbor but the trips to Lanai were quick.

Although I have heard good things about most of the ops on the island I personally will use Lahaina Divers when I go back there.

Hi, Caymaniac!

I have dived with the following outfits:

Jack's and Sandwich Isle Divers on the Big Island

Lahaina Divers, Maui Dive Shop, Ed Robinson's, and Mike Severns on Maui

Bubbles Below on KAUAI (not Maui)

Jack's is avery professional outfit and I predict you will like them. They take ca. 16 divers on their normal two-tank dives, but divide you into groups of 8, which works out fine. The also have an "Advanced" 3-tank dive that we think is great; on that dive they usually have two groups of 6, a number we prefer. In either case the DM's make certain that the two groups stay out of each others' ways and they make every effort to provide you with a great dive! They also have super snacks and drinks.

Sandwich Isle takes only 6 divers out and we really like their crew, especially Walt. They use the "loose buddy system" and will let you stay down as long as you have air and/or bottom time left. The way they usually do this is to do a guided dive and then return to where you can see the boat after ca. 30-45 min. Since the boat is moored on a nice reef at ca. 30 ft. if you have good air consumption, you can stay down a long time. For u/w photographers who want to do macro, this is wonderful! Their snacks and drinks are a cut below that of Jack's, though!

Oh, yes, Jack's will usually let you stay down if you have air/bottom time left, too.

On Maui the shops that I listed fall into two categories:

(1) Maui Dive Shop and Lahaina Divers have larger boats and more divers. With both shops, if you know the DM and he has confidence in you, they will stay down with you till you are ready to come up. However, in general, we prefer the smaller group approach.

(2) Ed Robinson and Mike Severns take out groups of ca. 12 people and divide the divers into smaller groups of 3 or 4, depending on the kind of dive (and dollars). We love Robinson's boat and his crew and highly recommend them. Severns is a legend among Hawaiin divers, and justly so. He is somewhat demanding, but his wife, who DM's is a real charmer and one hell of a DM. We like Severns' outfit, too. By the way, both Robinson and Severns have written books about undersea life in Hawaii and I can heartily recommend their work.

You mention Bubbles Below: I have dived with Bubbles Below on Kauai and the owner/DM, Linda, is one of the best in the business. However, I am not aware of a Bubbles Below on Maui. If Linda has moved, I would like to know!

We love diving Hawaii and normally go there every year, but it is quite different from the Carib. The most noticeable difference is an almost complete lack of soft corals. However, the hard corals and abundance of wonderful sealife more than makes up for that.

Finally, allow me to make a few dive recommendations: on the Big Island do, by all means, go on Jack's evening Manta Ray Dive; you are almost guaranteed to see 2-8 of the these graceful giants--and Jack's is the best shop to use for Mant dives in my opinion; on Maui, dive the back wall of Molokini; if you have good bottom times and go with Ed Robinson, you can darn near circumnavigate the crater. The sealife there is rich and varied and we always ask to see Turkey Lionfish, if possible. So far, it has been possible on every dive we have made with Robinson on Molokini. But you need good bottom time.

Hope this helps AND have a really great time!

Scorpionfish

I would have to suggest Ed Robinson also. They were a great group and as long as we had our own computers, and they saw you knew what you were doing, they let you have a long bottom time. Lots of Lionfish on Molokini!

Bubbles Below is only in Kauai and typically very busy. If you are going to Kauai book them before you arrive. Same with Ed Robinson, they tend to book up quickly. I was there last August and they were booked 2 weeks out. You can always cancel with 48 hours notice but doesn't hurt to book prior to arrival to ensure spot. I avoided Lahaina and Maui Dive shops due to what I had heard about the size of the dive groups.

I'm going to Maui and want to go on a large boat that has mostly snorkelers to Molokini. My wife and friends snorkel...some of them might be up to trying SNUBA if available on the boat...but my daughter and I SCUBA and would love to be able to do that from the snorkel boat. If we had to hire a guide to make the captain feel better I guess that would be okay. Any such operation come to mind

We've dived with several outfits on Maui, but now almost always will go with Ed Robinson's for Maui diving. They have smaller groups, good DM's, and give great briefings - and then go show you what they said is there. One of our favorite dives from Maui is actually going over to the Cathederals off Lanai - or some other spot if conditions dictate. We go to Lanai with Extended Horizons and think they do a bang-up job. They leave out of Lahaina, so the trip's a bit shorter than out of Kihei.:tree: :tree:

I'm going to try Extended Horizons next trip to Maui. They seem to have a lot of different sites they visit in Lana'i and do night dives from Lahaina three times a week. They also have some interesting shore dive possibilities on the northwest side. I have gone with Maui Dive Shop (MDS) in the past and have enjoyed the crew on the Maka Koa that leaves from Ma'aleaa harbor. One DM showed us the only spot he knew of where there was soft coral near Lana'i. For Mouth Breather, MDS runs a "deluxe" trip to Molokini a few times a week and for someone looking to go on a trip with snorklers, this would be it. They take about a dozen snorklers, half a dozen certified divers and about a half dozen intro divers into the crater. Probably not recommended for advanced divers.

As a diver I'd prefer diving with B&B scuba or one of the other top dive outfits on Maui but if you want to go with mostly snorklers who might want to do snuba then the Pride of Maui is probably the ticket. I wouldn't dive with them but while they are mostly a snorkle outfit they will take divers along with them. I think this is what you're looking for.

Al,

I booked Pride of Maui for Monday...thanks for the tip. Did you you find the POM a good experience? I realize that I can' t compare them to a REAL dive boat but I'm really looking for a boat that caters more to snorkelers so that my wife won't be bored or feel like she's been stranded on board while all the divers disappear from the surface.

The Pride of Maui was criticized in the Discover Maui guide book as "feeling crowded even when it wasn't ...having uncomfortable seating, and not very good food" I'm frankly not that picky and happy to find a boat that will meet my needs.

Mouth Breather