Maui early October?

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qwimjim

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Location
Canada
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Planning on going to Kauai/Big Island at the end of September and will tack on a short trip to Maui just to get a taste. Will be there first or second week of October for 5 days. Would like to dive 2 or 3 days. Here's what I've decided based on reading a lot of threads here but please steer me differently if there are better choices, especially given the time of year I'll be there, I don't want any low vis dives :)

1. Lanai (Cathedrals, etc)
2. Molokini (Reef's End + Red Hill?)
3. Molokai Hammerhead dive

Is the molokai dive worth the effort and cost? It seems -highly- hit and miss unlike the manta dives on the big island? If I was to drop one of the three would that be the one? And finally it seems like Lahaina Divers would be best for the Lanai and Molokai dives, but would I be better off driving to a Kihei dive shop for Molokini?

Thanks!
 
And finally it seems like Lahaina Divers would be best for the Lanai and Molokai dives, but would I be better off driving to a Kihei dive shop for Molokini?
Feel like getting up early?

If you're staying around Lahaina/Kaanapali it's kind of a long drive.

Mike Severns says allow 50mins. from Lahaina/Kaanapali or 60min. if staying north of there. They check-in at the Kihei Boat Ramp at 6AM. B&B Scuba checks in at 5:45AM, Ed Robinson's at 6:30AM.

Lahaina Divers goes to Molokini Tu, Th, Sa with a 7AM check-in. If those the days work, I'd go with Lahaina Divers. Extended Horizons only goes to Lanai.

Everybody in Kihei leaves early since the boats are smaller so more affected by the tradewinds coming back.

Lahaina Divers generally doesn't have that problem since their boat is bigger and stabilized. I've been on it in slightly rougher water and except for holding on it wasn't a problem.

There's also the Maui Diamond II out of Ma'alea Harbor but that's most of the way to Kihei. Check-in at 6:15AM. The big Maui Dive shop boat leaves from there also but I don't recommend them personally - had an average to poor experience with them once.
 
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Feel like getting up early?

If you're staying around Lahaina/Kaanapali it's kind of a long drive.

Mike Severns says allow 50mins. from Lahaina/Kaanapali or 60min. if staying north of there. They check-in at the Kihei Boat Ramp at 6AM. B&B Scuba checks in at 5:45AM, Ed Robinson's at 6:30AM.

Lahaina Divers goes to Molokini Tu, Th, Sa with a 7AM check-in. If those the days work, I'd go with Lahaina Divers. Extended Horizons only goes to Lanai.

Everybody in Kihei leaves early since the boats are smaller so more affected by the tradewinds coming back.

Lahaina Divers generally doesn't have that problem since their boat is bigger and stabilized. I've been on it in slightly rougher water and except for holding on it wasn't a problem.

There's also the Maui Diamond II out of Ma'alea Harbor but that's most of the way to Kihei. Check-in at 6:15AM. The big Maui Dive shop boat leaves from there also but I don't recommend them personally - had an average to poor experience with them once.

But the boat ride from Lahaina would be at least an hour longer than from Kihei right? Just thinking it might be better to drive an hour each way than be in the boat an extra hour each way :) You seem to know a lot about Maui diving, any advice regarding which dives to prioritize that time of year?
 
I personally like boats so I'd rather have the longer boat ride and sleep an hour later. Drive an hour and Molokini is a 15min. boat ride. Either trip (Molokini or Lanai) Lahaina Divers still gets back at 12:30.

The drive in the morning is surprisingly busy also - we drove down to Ma'alea once from Napili. Tour buses doing all the sunrise activity pickups (biking, helo's etc), employees driving to their jobs etc. - all on the same road. Usually if we stay in Kihei (Wailea) we dive locally - same with West Maui.

You seem to have a good handle on the dive options. Ed Robinsons does some Advanced trips if that's of interest. Sometimes off Molokini conditions dictate what sites they'll dive when they get close. So you can request sites but it may not happen.

I did the Lanai Drift with Lahaina once, that was a good dive. Schools of fish, the DM estimated we saw about 500 Moorish Idols and 500 Tangs holding formation in one area. The other group on the boat went close to shore and found octopii along the wall. We both saw blacktips also.

I don't know anything about the Molokai trips except what I read here.
 
Don't discount shore diving. If the swell isn't up, the shore diving can be fabulous. One of the very best sites on all of Maui, in my experience, is the Mala Pier in Lahaina, which is a very reasonable shore dive, but also a superb night dive (but I'd do it at night off the Lahaina Divers boat, because the entry at night would be . . . interesting).

A lot depends on where you stay. The drive from the Lahaina area or north to Kihei is not much in miles, but can be annoying as all get-out from a traffic standpoint.
 
I would drop one of those dives and put this one at the top of your list Scuba Gear What a blast and Great people. Give it a try you will enjoy.
Steve
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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