Going to MAUI Which Dive operators?

[marisa-t]

Leaving for Maui August 26th and staying for about 8 days, which dive operators do you suggest?


I will be staying in Lahaina and want to get a good place to dive with. I also would like to know what dive spots are a must see and what the vis is like usually, considering I can't predict weather but all in all what's the usual vis?

What shore dive are a must see as well?

Anybosy else going to be there around that time?


Marisa

Yissak

;)

[Charlie99]

ETA Maui... (877) 234-7849

http://www.etamaui.com/

Is a good place to start. They are a couple of women that run a booking agency out of Pacific Dive in downtown Lahaina.

I suggest that you give them a call and tell them what sort of diver you are and what you are looking for. They book people onto a variety of boats.

A search here on Scubaboard should come back with several recent threads on Maui shore dives.

The viz at Lanai and Molokini is almost always up around 100'. Shore dives, particularly off S. Maui, tend to have lower viz, particularly in the afternoons --- but most diver in Maui would call 30' a low viz day.

[ppo2_diver]

I was in Maui in May and loved it. I dove with Ed Robinson's Diving Adventures. They are a top notch operator.

Molokini is a must. So are the cathedrals at Lanai.

Maui Dive Shop offers some shore dives. I did Airport Beach and Black Rock both in Kaanapali. Black Rock is pretty cool at night. The vis at Molokini was great. But I'm used to the 10' vis here in Chicago.

Have fun. Wish I were going with you.:upset:

[agstreet]

Ed Robinson and Mike Severns diving are two top notch operations.

http://www.mauiscuba.com/erd1.htm
http://www.mikesevernsdiving.com/

I personally had a bad experience with Lahaina Divers because of one especially nasty DM. He'd obviously been around the cattle boats too long, and his way of dealing with it was to treat everyone like children. Mike Severns and Ed Robinson run much smaller boats with a much higher level of professionalism than the cattle boat operations.

.

[sigelr]

I'm going to Maui next week and, based a lot on the feedback of this board, I've booked some dives with Ed Robinson. Also, picked up a copy of the book "Maui Revealed" at bookstore and seems very helpful as well. One question - I'm staying at Whaler Village (Kaanapali ) and wanted to know best/closest place to get tanks for shore diving? Any thoughts? (p.s. - we will have a rental car but my wife, who is also certified but not as avid a diver as me, might be using it sometimes.)

[ppo2_diver]

The closest places will probably be Maui Dive Shop or Boss Frogs. Maui Dive Shops are all over. There is a MDS right across the street from the Aston Kaanapali. A Boss Frogs is just up the street from that.

You might want to check with your hotel. They might let you rent some tanks or offer shore dives.

[DaveG]

i was there (Lahaina) in may. stayed at the Outrigger Eldorado

Extended Horizons runs a boat from the ramp at the north end of town. did 4 dives with them. cathedrals is good some of the bays near Kaanapali had large turtles and lots to see.

did a two tank Molikini with Ed Robinson....dispite what the locals may say about Molikini, the back wall is a MUST. these were my best dives ever...(30 so far) many white and back tip sharks and a few greys further away from the wall. they come very close!!!!

Go to the ramps in Keihi ?? or Lahaina eary in the morning 6:30 or so and check out the various boats. there are some that you may be glad you did not book.

Maui dive shops are like the microsoft of diving they are everwhere. i avoided them, but did book ed's dive through them. the maui dive shop boats are large (50 divers +) i prefer the smaller 12 or less boats.

FWIW do not go to molikini from Lahaina, the boat ride can be rough. drive to Kehei and get on the boats there.


also, if you want to go an a great snorkle trip, try the Gemini, i think it leaves from the Westin.

[scubahubby]

Ive been to Maui four times in the last six years (several weddings) and dove every time. Mike Severens is my favorite by far. Ed Robinsons Diving Adventures is also very good and who I go with when I cant get on the Severens boat. Avoid the Maui Dive Shop like the plague unless you like small crowded boats and horrid service.

Both of Severens and Robinsons leave from Kihe boat ramp so it will be a drive from Lahaina.

Back side of Molokini is a must. I also like the shark condos on the south edge of Molokini (if you dont mind 150'). Cathedrals (Lanai) are fabulous.

[adjuster-jd]

I did a dive to 1st Cathedral at Lanai with Extended Horizons from the Mala ramp in Lahaina. Relatively short boat ride from there and no more than 6 divers per guide. Since the sea was a little rough that day, and some folks on our boat were sea sick, they came back in to do the second dive at Mala, which is a nice shore dive location too. Mala is a wrecked pier in Lahaina not far from the Cannery Mall. It was convenient from the boat but also can be done from the shore.
Extended Horizons web site is http://www.extendedhorizons.com . They have some nice t-shirts which they will sell you after the dive if you are interested..

I also did a dive to Molokini with Maui Diamond II from Maalea, which is slightly closer than Kihei if you are coming from Lahaina, but really it's 6 of 1 and 1/2 dozen of the other as to whether to drive a little farther to Kihei boat ramp or take a slightly longer boat ride from Maalea. That boat really tends to pamper you, but they also cater to a wide variety of divers - they may have a different instructor with intro divers, and they would have a divemaster with certified divers. They serve some nice snacks and sandwiches and also throw out some fishing lines on the way out and back. The owners dog rides on the boat and actually gets in the water and will swim or ride on the back of one of the divemasters while she swims around. These folks were really nice.

As for shore dives - Airport is a nice easy sandy entry - free parking there - go north on 30 and turn left onto Kai Ala drive, then bear right. The park is called something other than airport beach, but you'll find it. You're near Black Rock, which is also a nice easy entry.
Maui Dive Shop has a store at Whalers Village Shops so you can get tanks from them.

I would recommend a shore dive from Honolua Bay, up north on 30 past Kapalua - keep going, road narrows and you will see first Slaughterhouse Bay - some steps going down there - I haven't dived that one, but other folks say it is nice too. Honolua is the next area. You will see cars parked along the road. Parking is hard to find there and don't leave anything valuable in your rental car. It's a bit of a hike down to the entry, especially with gear on. It's a rocky entry but not hard if you are careful.

Down in the south - Wailea area you have Ulua Beach which has a nice reef and easy entry, but when I was there the south was getting a bit of surf and vis was not very good. Probably not worth the drive from Lahaina considering that.

I would definitely try a night dive - contact Extended Horizons or Maui Diving (http://www.mauidiving.com) and they can provide guides for you along with all equipment for the night dives.

Maui Diving will also provide a guide/instructor for shore dives if you like and I think they are cheaper than some other places, but you will want to shop around.

Enjoy your trip.

[Charlie99]

adjuster-jd once bubbled...
I also did a dive to Molokini with Maui Diamond II from Maalea, ..These folks were really nice.Unfortunately, they are also the ones the left 8 divers in the water for 5 hours in February.


I did a dive to 1st Cathedral at Lanai with Extended Horizons from the Mala ramp in Lahaina. Relatively short boat ride from there and no more than 6 divers per guide. Since the sea was a little rough that day, and some folks on our boat were sea sick, . Extended Horizons is a 12 px / double 6 pack with lots of room. Hawaiin Rafting is another good operation out of Mala ramp, but their rigid hull inflatable is a lot rougher ride than Extended Horizons. The 40 minute ride back from Lanai can seem awful long if the tradewinds have kicked up the sea before your return.

Lahaina Divers, out of Lahaina harbor has bigger boats and even better ride, but they are classic cattleboat. They also use weird AL72 tanks that are 6.9" diameter (same as AL50, smaller than AL80) and I hate adjusting my BC tank strap away from the permanent kink at 7.25". They are used to dealing with inexperienced divers, as is Maui Dive shop.

Mike Severns and Ed Robison, both out of Kihei boat ramp uniformly get rave reviews. The only complaint I have ever heard about Severns operation is they guy that complained "I kept wanting Pauline to finish the biology lesson so we could just get into the #@*& water!"

My overall favorite on Maui is Prodiver, out of Kihei. 808-875-4004 The owner Pierre runs it as a 6 pack, although his 34' boat is certified for more. He starts off at 6AM from the Kihei boat ramp and is the first one out to Molokini. Great attitude. Nice slow dive pace. He encourages divers to spread out along the wall rather than bunching up. Good at adjusting the day's dives to match up with the skill levels of the divers onboard. Getting back early is a big benefit when you are with a non-diving spouse. Often, my wife would still be just finishing breakfast when I got back to the hotel at 10:30AM.

[Al Mialkovsky]

Maui Diamond will never live that down. I was shocked they actually left them out there. Pretty bad show.

For shore diving most of the south end is going to be blown out by the summer swell during your visit. So trips to Lanai at the cathedrals will suck. I suggest going down to Kihei for boat trips and doing molokini. The swell doesn't bother that location.

For shore dives you must do Honolua. It's fairly well protected from the south swell and the waves will be way down.

On the other side of the island you can do Maliko but it's a long surface swim and a fairly advanced dive as it drops right off into deep water once you exit the bay. Keep an eye on your compass and note where you've exited the bay. It's easy to miss the entrance back into the bay, if you miss it you'll swim forever.

I repeat myself but if I were going to Molokini I'd use B & B Scuba (www.bbscuba.com) out of Kihei. We did 9 boat dives with them on our last trip and each was great. They have a 38 foot boat and only take 10 divers. More dive leaders per diver than any other boat. If they know you (as they do us) they will allow us to do our own thing. But you really want them leading you as they'll work hard to get the best locations and sealife.

[Charlie99]

Al Mialkovsky once bubbled...
Maui Diamond will never live that down. I was shocked they actually left them out there. Pretty bad show.. On my visit to Maui in April I tried to get some more details, in particular what surface signalling gear the 2 instructors had, but nobody on the boats I used knew.

I used Maui Diamond II just one time, about 3 years ago. OK, but the divemaster acted like he was trying to come in first in an underwater race; and we basically dove the same site in the center of the crater twice.

ProDiver called his customers and canceled out the night before Maui Diamond II misplaced their divers.

Ed Robinson went way around to the not often visited south side of W. Maui in order to find some relatively sheltered water.

Extended Horizons took their group over to Lanai that morning. The weather deteriorated much worse and much faster than predicted. The owner/operator decided not to put anybody into the water, pulled into the Manele Bay harbor on Lanai and not only refunded everyone's charter fee but also bought everyone a ticket on the ferry back so they wouldn't have to endure a rotten ride back. Class act.

[Al Mialkovsky]

They sound like a good outfit. I have dove with several shops over there and so far B & B has been my favorite but I haven't dove with Extended Horizons.

On every dive I always bring my little inflatable orange weenie. It's a great tool for signaling and for hanging off of for a safety stop. A couple of captains have told me that they spot them more than any other device. Hard to miss. Usually the boat will show up a couple of minutes before I'm done with my stop.

I've heard some storys about what happened but it's speculation so why post it here. I just would avoid Maui Diamond myself.

[Craigus]

Marisa:
I wanna go! I wanna go! We've deved Maui about eight times. Our favorite operators are Ed Robinson's for Maui and Extended Horizons for Lanai.

On Maui, Molikini is awesome. We prefer the Reef's End dive there. The back wall is a cool dive also. Then ask about Red Hill. And don't forget that Maui is probably rated as one of the the best shore dive destinations. We always use Maui Dive Shop for our shore diving needs. Great places to shore dive are Honolua Bay, Makuleia Bay, Black Rock (good night dive), Five Graves,/Turtle Town, Red Hill, Ahihi Bay and LaPeruse Bay. You see Red Hill both on my boat and shore dive list. That's where two currents come together and bring all sorts of yummies for the sealife to munch, so there's usually lots to see. Maui is great for turtles and eels - and just plain abundant tropical fish.

Extended Horizons leaves from Mala Wharf in Lahaina for Lanai, so the crossing's a bit shorter than from Kihei. Everyone likes the Cathederals, but so far we've never had a bad dive with those guys wherever we end up. Last time we ended up diving the collapsed part of Mala Wharf - and even that was kewl - great frogfish!

Aloha!
Eric. :)

[dspbob]

I was just in LAHINA from July 16-22nd 2003. Ed Robinson was booked, they recommended "Maui Mermaid" 1-808-264-2445 as a back up. Theresa Young is the Owner and DM. She has been with various Maui Dive shops for over 15 years and finally opened up her own. Curteous, friendly, sincere and great prices, great equipment rental and punctual. She is PADI certified and does referral dive and all the way to special area requests. She caters specially to Woman divers. We dove near Airport beach, just north of Kaanapoli, saw everything from Rays, Turtle, to over 20 difference variety of fishes. We also had our underwater pictures taken professionally with Turtle by her, its well worth it. If you have timid divers in your group, she really adds a friendly touch to the whole experience.

I also booked with Mike Severence / Molokini Dive for $125 per person. Prepare for a dissapointment. They pump you up with all kinds for Biological information with Pauline. You may not see much, Molokini, looks pretty baron to me. One white tip and one Wrasse and thats pretty much it. Becareful with equipment rental here, they have some old BCs. Best to bring your own.

Kapalua shore dive could be the best keep secrete. It has Daulphine, Turtles, Jacks, Angel fish and many other varieties. You will not be disappointed.

[roakey]

dspbob once bubbled...
You may not see much, Molokini, looks pretty baron to me.
I guess it depends on when you're there. About three weeks ago with Ed Robinson we dropeed into Shark Condo and got to watch about 20 reef sharks for 10 or so minutes (time limited by depth).

A couple days later on a twilight dive watched two large Manta Rays (~10' wingspan, yhea I know they get much bigger) for about 20 minutes in Molokini's bowl (they were being cleaned).

As for the reef inside the bowl itself, yhea, it's really, really beat up.

Roak

[DivemasterWill]

My wife and I were out there on our honeymoon and did four dives with Ed Robinson's Diving Adventures. The staff out there is fantastic (try to get with Byrd - he rocks).

As far as Molokini being barren, I'd have to disagree - although the inside of the crater definitely has a different composition and therefore a different look and feel than the outside wall, there is still a lot to see out there - just take your time, go slow, and watch for the little things. We tended to get away from the group quite a bit, and we saw a lot of things that the group missed because they were motoring along (particularly macro stuff).

~W

[dspbob]

quote:
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dspbob once bubbled...
You may not see much, Molokini, looks pretty barren to me.
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Hi Roakey:

You are right, we were near the left side the inner bowl. As it was explained to me that this was also a artilery site for the NAVY back in WWII. We went all the way down to 110 feet, but given that this was my first deep water dive, I will try the outter wall next time and keep an eye open toward the Blue water next time.

Bob

[SoCalGuy]

I used B&B Scuba when we went to Maui in July. I was extremely impressed by their service. They really have a classy operation. They leave very early which is nice because you avoid th larg crowds which distrurbs the wild life. We dove the shark condos and saw plenty of reef sharks and then wnt to martys reef where we saw an octopus. I highly recommend them.

[lairdb]

agstreet once bubbled...
Ed Robinson and Mike Severns diving are two top notch operations.

http://www.mauiscuba.com/erd1.htm
http://www.mikesevernsdiving.com/



Definitely recommend Ed Robinson; they were my first call when I realized I could make a 4 day weekend out of Labor Day (fly Friday, dive Sat and Sun, return Monday.)

Haven't dived with Severns, but have been on their boat and talked to their people at the dock (Kihei boat ramp, where Robinson's puts in as well); all seemed consistent with the usual good reviews people give them.

Unfortunately, these reccomendations may not do you much good -- Lahaina is at the other corner of the island, and it's a ways from Lahaina to Kihei. Though Lahaina is pretty, and offers similar access to central Maui (hiking etc.), have always stayed in South Maui (Kihei/Wailea) to be closer to Kihei-based diving.

STRONG recommendation for the book "Maui Revealed" -- good, unbiased, bunt, informative, and humorous one end to the other. Don't leave home without it.

Other quick silly Maui hints: there's a Costco right next to the airport. If you're a member, stop off and buy staples (snacks, bottled water, etc.)

--Laird

Oh yeah -- Important Safety Tip: http://www.mauiscuba.com/divefly.htm

[konohiki]

Costco is a good recommendation, also the open air markets for fruit (I think they are in Honokowai on Tues/Thurs and Kihei Wed/Friday or vis-a-vis), and get to the Swap Meet for sure on Saturday in Kahului (closes at 12:00). For diving, Lanai is a must and Extended Horizons is one of the better operators going there from Lahaina. I have not been diving with Robinson or Severns but will try them out next time I'm in Kihei or want to do Molokini or LaPerouse Bay.

[Shaka Doug]

Aloha Marisa,

The boat diving and shore diving should be good when you get here. I can help steer you in the right direction for some fun dives. I live here on Maui and know what's what. There are caverns and caves that are accessible from shore that are really cool. Best to do with a guide. I hope you have a great trip. You'll definitely want underwater photos so either bring a camera or plan on renting one or having the DM take pics for you!

Aloha,

Shaka Doug