Need Maui Dive Locations and Operator

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divebomb

Contributor
Messages
201
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0
Location
B'ham - There's no ham like Birmingham
# of dives
50 - 99
Hello,

My wife & I will be in Maui next July on vacation. We are TENTATIVELY looking at staying at North Kihei on Sugar Beach.

I'd like to find out if 1) Whether of not this is a good location for diving/snorkeling, and if YES 2) Could you give me the names of some good dive operators.

If this is not a good location for some reason, could you recommend another area to stay in?

Thanks, Beck
 
There is great diving around the Kihei/Wailea area. Sugar Beach is a nice beach, but I doubt the snorkeling is very good there. There are many great shore dive sites within a 10-15 minute drive of where you're staying. This book is a necessity for shore diving on the island. Also, take a look at the link nn provided.

As far as stores/ops go, you'll be right up near B & B Scuba, which is recommended by many on this board. Maui Dreams Dive Company is in Kihei as well. They are the people to see regarding shore dives. They are very knowledgeable and friendly and know the shore dives very well. They also can provide underwater maps of a couple of the shore dives. We use Ed Robinson's for all of our boat dives. You are about a 5-10 min drive from the Kihei boat launch, where the ops depart.

Hope this helps.
 
It's been a couple of years, but location-wise, North Kihei is just about the best; pretty much at the crossroads for the Lahaina/Kaanapali resorts, county seat of Kahului/Wailuku, and the south resorts of Kihei/Wailea. The only exceptions are when you want to go to Hana, "upcountry" Kula/Makawao, or Haleakala; to get to those places, you'll have to backtrack to Kahului. (There used to be a shortcut to Ulupalakua Ranch from Kihei, but it's been closed for years; I don't know if it's been reopened or not.) Do try to get in some horseback riding in upcountry; there used to be a stable just past the protea farms and homes, within the first half-mile or so of turning up into Haleakala National Park; there are other stables in Makawao and Olinda.

Good snorkeling can be found at Olowalu which is a drive toward Lahaina. You'll drive past a rocky cliff coastal road which dips to a fairly long sea-level stretch. Olowalu is just past that stretch, at a major bend in the road with a lot of big trees, an old sugar mill, and a line of trinket shops and such housed in an old building. The only caution I will add is that the area has a sharky reputation (possibly because the area is so healthy and can support apex predators) -- tigers in particular; what the eggheads call "large individuals"; there have been fatalities.

Mike Severns runs one of the two best dive ops out of Maalea Harbor (they might also launch out of the Kihei Boat ramp in the middle of South Kihei). Ed Robinson runs the other, out of the same places. Both are real old-timers and just don't get bad reviews. They don't run "cattle boats" and prefer that you be reasonably current in your skills; bring your logbook just in case -- I don't think they'll take casual snorkelers. I remember that B&B Scuba in the Azeka Marketplace (which straddles the main road, B&B is in the "makai" or seaward half) does tech-stuff and supplies tri-mix. Lahaina Divers has been around a fairly long time but it's been many years since I went with them.

The Kihei beaches in front of the condos are pretty much a disaster. Long ago, before the tourist boom, those beaches were gorgeous. However, some good snorkeling and diving can be found beyond the Wailea/Makena resorts; La Perouse Bay and that area is nice. A good idea is to bring your own rinse water; I use a SunShower. There're a number of other good spots along the whole southern coast but they' usually require humping over steep lava fields in lonely places; these are used mainly by freedivers/spearfishermen.

I never had much luck from the shore up in the Kaanapali/Kapalua area. The winds and current were always moody and I never got a break.
 
B&B scuba and Ed Robinson are the way to go from myexperiance. Plan on diving early in the morning. The seas are really calm in the morning and can be nasty in the after noon.

I just got back a week ago. I did 4 days of diving when there.

you can see my photos @

homepage.mac.com/dolkart

ignore the first page they are above water pictures.

Send me an email if you look at the pics.
 
Sugar Beach is a place I've stayed. There isn't much of a reef there but that shouldn't be a problem. If you enjoy long walks in the morning there are miles of beach with a condo just a few feet north of Sugar Beach.

Yes as mentioned go a mile or so south to do some diving with B&B Scuba. I am an instructor in Oregon and this is where I send customers and students. I want to be a good resource and I wouldn't send them anyplace other than the best.

We most likely will be on Maui during your next visit. During my stay my shop is sending over a group of people and I'll lead them on local dives including a couple of dives on the B&B Scuba boat
boatoverhead.jpg


You'll enjoy diving along some Kihei spots from shore also and make sure you head north to the West Side to dive some quality sites.
 
Just last week we needed to do some shore diving and went with Shaka Divers.
Doug is great. Good at pointing out the critters and also wanting to be sure everyone has a great time.

www.shakadivers.com

If we ever make it back to Maui, I know that we'll be contacting Doug. :dazzler1:
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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