Diving Maui and The Road to Hana

changinlat · Jun 2, 2004

We are going to be in Maui for our wedding and honeymoon Aug. 29 - Sep. 4, 2004. My fiance wants to drive the road to Hana one day, horseback ride down into the volcano one day, and go diving for two days.

Obviously, we will need to do the volcano horseback ride before diving. My question is about the road to Hana. Looking at general maps, it would appear that the road stays very near the shore and does not go very high. Is that the case?

Are there any places along the road where, when stopped to take in the view, we may be higher than would be safe after diving for two days? In short, are there any reasons why we should schedule our drive on the road to Hana to take place before we go diving?

This may be a stupid question, but I have a coworker that got DCI from driving over a 5000 foot mountain the morning after a dive. Better safe than sick. Thanks.

headhunter · Jun 2, 2004

Congratulations to you and best wishes to the bride!

Welcome to ScubaBoard!

The entire road to Hana stays about as close to sea level as it gets. The only sickness you'd have to worry about on that road after diving is motion sickness. It's a REALLY windy road.

I recommend that you get one of those self guided tours of the road to Hana on cassette tape. It's been a while since I was there, so it's probably on CD now.

Have fun!

Christian

Jerryg · Jun 2, 2004

If you drive it the only one that will see everything is the passenger. There are plenty of places to stop, but there also a lot of things to see while driving. The road at many times is single lane, with single lane bridges. It is beautiful, but take a tour bus and enjoy yourself. If you find the right guide you will learn more than ever thought possible. I now know how they harvest sugar. Good luck on your decision, you will enjoy it no matter how you decide to see it.

Al Mialkovsky · Jun 2, 2004

The road to Hana poses no dangers to divers, unless you get in the way of a fast moving local. There aren't many of those.

Stay off that volcano. Do that before you dive.

My favorite dive boat is at B&B Scuba and I hope you get a chance to do the back wall of Molokini with them.

cdiver2 · Jun 2, 2004

The road to Hana is ok I drove it after diving with no problems, lots of places to pull over and take in the view

changinlat · Jun 3, 2004

Thanks for all the input. We'll definitely do the volcano thing first, but it helps with the schedule to be able to drive the Hana road after diving.

Thanks for the link to B&B scuba. I will have to research that some more. Thus far we've been looking at ProDiver Maui, Maui Dive Shop and Extended Horizons. We were hoping to dive the Cathedrals II one day, but it seems difficult to find shops that go there. Anyone have any suggestions on diving the Cathedrals and on other dive shops in general? Thanks for the help and the warm welcomes to ScubaBoard.

BDub · Jun 3, 2004

Judging from the shops you've mentioned (Pro Diver, Extended Horizons), it sounds like you'll be staying in Lahaina.

Pretty much every shop in Lahaina runs to Lana'i as it is just across the channel. Are you sure they said they don't do Cathedrals II? Or did they say they couldn't guarantee it? The channel crossing can be extremely rough and all dive site decisions are determined the morning of the dive, according to conditions.

I'd call and talk to the shops again. Both Cathedrals are Lanai's signature dives and the ops go there daily if conditions allow it.

I think you'll have a tough time finding a shop that will guarantee it though.

changinlat · Jun 3, 2004

Thanks Wingnut. We are actually staying in Kihei. I spoke to ProDiver Maui on the phone. The gentlemen there said unequivically that they do not offer trips to Lanai. He said there were sights closer and easier to get to that are "no better and no worse" than diving the Cathedrals.

Extended Horizons does offer trips to Lanai, but I need to do more research on them. Maui Dive Shop offers a Lanai trip, but I believe it is only offered one day per week, and off the top of my head, I don't think that day fits into our plans correctly, which is why I was inquiring about other shops. I apologize for the obscurity of my post. Typing in a hurry and all... Thanks for the input.

koi · Jun 3, 2004

We just got back from Wailea. If you've never dived in warm water before, I would highly recommend a shore dive (with Maui Dreams if you need a DM) to get properly weighted. That way, you can maintain proper buoyancy at your boat dive sites. That said, I know Ed Robinson (great crew) does boat dives to Lana'i but only one day out of the week. I believe they also offer a South Maui/Molokini, Lana'i, and night dive package that they can work with you on.

BDub · Jun 3, 2004

If you're staying in Kihei I'd have to second Koi's suggestion for Ed Robinson's. I've dove with them numerous times and they are a great op. They do go to Lana'i only once a week, Wednesday, if you are available that day I would highly recommend using them for your trip to Lana'i. We have done Cathedrals I and II on the same trip with them before.

I'd also second Koi's comment about Maui Dreams. They are a great shop with friendly staff who are very knowledgeable about the local shore dives. They even have underwater maps of some of the shore dives there. I think their tank rentals are $4 and weights are $4 per day if I remember correctly.

Diving Maui and The Road to Hana

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