If you had to pick just one.

So we are getting the chance to go and visit hawaii, and are experienced divers with many trips to Cozumel and we we live in Norcal which allows us to dive Monterey and the Mendocinco coast. So my question is If you had to to pick one island to visit for diving which one would you pick? Looking mostly at Maui but considering sidetrip to kona. Cheapest flights we could find to hop islands was $110.00 X 4 people, but that is a day of boat diving. looking for input about shore diving also. Maui vs. Kona

I just got back from Kona and I had a great time! I dove 14 tanks with big island divers and it was totally awesome.

Kona has mantas - which was a great dive - they have this one site - called garden eel cove - first you dive it at twilight - about 80ft deep - lots of eels in the sand, nice big deep wall to go up and down.

Then once night comes the place turns into Manta Ray Heaven - there is this big pile of rocks they call the campfire and they put a big torch in the middle, all scuba divers have their lights pointed up, all snorkelers have their lights pointed down - the mantas come and barrell roll all the plankton!

I also went down to 'Red Hill' south of Kona on a long range dive. Paradise pinnacle they call it, lots of coral caves, and totally different and awesome pristine coral and critters.

A really cool dive site is just outside the harbor at Kona - I dove it twice - you get about 75 feet deep before you start back up the hill and we saw so many dolphins, an eel the size of an elephant trunk.

Anyway - I can't recommend Kona as a town enough - you'll just love it. I think it's much less expensive with more non-diving stuff to do and see as well.

I'd pick Maui. From there you can boat dive to Molokini, Lanai and Molokai. The front and back of Molokini is very different. Lanai has the Cathedrals plus more advanced drift diving off one side. Molokai (Lahaina Divers) has the potential for blue-water Hammerheads.

You mentioned shore diving. It's much easier on Maui (entries and distance) and there's many more sites. Most Maui entries are off beaches, many Kona entries are over lava up to the waterline. Driving distance between sites is a factor also - it really is a Big Island. Compare them here: Scuba Shore Diving Region: Hawaiian Islands

My buddy dove in Kona recently. He did the Manta dive and shot some great video. There's also Pelagic Magic - the blackwater dive and one boat dive they did in south Kona they were joined by several hundred spinner dolphins. Many of the boats leave from a harbor just north of Kona so you may want to stay south of there. It seemed less expensive also - condos in that area are very reasonable - I was scheduled to go but plans changed a few weeks earlier.

Off Lanai, I've seen an estimated 500 Moorish Idols with the same number of Tangs nearby. Lots of turtles on both islands. There's also a Manta cleaning station off Maui that some operators dive. Reef sharks seem to be anywhere. Shark Condos off Molokini is aptly named.

There's more to do on Maui non-dive also. Certainly more shops/restaurant/activities. Also more mega-resorts and tourists. The only place I've ever been caught in traffic is near Kaanapali (Maui) one day. That and downtown Honolulu. Both islands have a volcano, you can watch Kona's erupt or bike down Maui's. If you can swing it, the helicopter flights show you areas you can't easily see/get to from the ground.

Hi all,

If anyone else has some more recommendations I would love to hear them as well. My partner and I are looking to fly to Hawaii for our honeymoon around March 2014. We have just done our PADI open water and plan on doing a few more dives this year. Obviously we will still be at a beginner level.

Thoughts on resorts/hotels/dive operators would be great.

Cheers,

Matt

I had the same question a few weeks ago.
I picked Maui for my next HI trip.
Next time will be Big Island or Kauai.
Agree on just staying on one island for 10 days...

Maui is great...but so is the Big Island. A few years ago I dived both at Kona [mantas...yeah!] and up the coast a ways with Kohala divers. It was a very relaxed fun dive [in fact, my first dives after OW certification], well away from the more popular [and busy] spots. And the Big Island has a lot more to explore inland as well, if that's your interest....but then Maui is _easy_ to get around. Do one first...then the other a year later. You really can't go wrong.

We have dove BI and Maui (once each). If you are boat diving I would say either is good.

As it was said the Manta dive on BI is amazing. It seemed we saw a lot more fish.

On Maui shore diving was a lot easier to get in. Smaller island meant less driving to sites. While we did see some turtles on BI you could not turn around without seeing turtles on Maui.

Well Maui it is. just booked flights today. No mantas this time but I am looking forward to it, who wouldn't. Now time to start looking for operators that fit our needs. Are there places to rent tanks and lead easy to find. Also looking for everyones suggestions about their favorite shore dives and why.

Check out scooter diving with Www.mauiscooterdivers.com


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In South Maui you can get tanks at Maui Dreams Dive Co, B&B Scuba or several of the Maui Dive Shops. Not all MDS locations handle scuba gear so check their website locator.

There's also two MDS locations in West Maui that rent tanks. The one at Kahana Gateway is convenient for north sites. I'm pretty sure Lahaina Divers rents tanks also.

The dive not to miss is Mala Pier in Lahaina. There's a more difficult legal entry and an easier illegal one. Ask about it at Lahaina Divers nearby. Mala Pier | Dive Maui with Lahaina Divers

They also have some general info on nearby sites: Maui Beach Diving

We also liked Old Airport Beach but it's shallow so we did it on scooters to get out into deeper water. Not with ^ but I'll be contacting him next time.

In South Maui, I personally like Wailea Beach - it's a good dive out at the south point. At one time there was a dive shack just next door at the Grand Wailea - you'll see it from the beach if it's still there. They rented us tanks. Makena Landing is probably the other dive to do there. Ulua/Polo Beaches also.

At most Maui shore dive sites parking is often limited. And fills up early. If you have a dive flag you can bring do so. Otherwise the shops rent them. I've never seen anyone check in West Maui but I've seen them twice on the beach in South Maui watching divers coming in.

---------- Post added May 29th, 2013 at 11:14 PM ----------

No mantas this time

Click to expand...

Not necessarily - http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/hawaii/370280-mauis-manta-point-carthaginian-dives.html