Top 10 Maui shore dives

[ccredifo]

I'll be diving in Maui the first week of March 2009. I've booked three days of boat dives and will also be doing three days of shore dives.

What are the ten best shore dives in Maui? I checked Scuba Shore Diving Site Listing for: Maui, Hawaiian Islands but some of the sites haven't had updates in quite a while.

In no particular order, here are some of the sites we're considering.

Kahekili Beach (Old Airport)
Mala Wharf
Black Rock
Ulua Beach
Makena Landing
Pu'u Olai Beach
Ahihi Cove
Ahihi Bay
Five Caves
Marriott Reef
Kapalua Bay
Olowalu
Papawai Point
Wailea Beach
Polo Beach
Haloa Point

Please comment on your experiences. I love reading stories about frogfish, eagle rays, eels, scorpionfish, etc. This is your chance to embellish! Let's hear it.

P.S. - if anyone wants to join us they're more than welcome! BYOT (bring your own tank)

Thx, Chris

 

[ppo2_diver]

I dove airport beach once. It was rather uneventful. I was tagging along with an instructor doing a discover scuba diving. I did snorkel with my wife at Marriott reef. It was pretty nice with nice coral and marine life.

 

[bobmaggi]

Our favorites are Ulua, Makena/5 Graves. We dove Mala Wharf for the first time in 2007 ( with Kidspot and Sea Nmph) and really enjoyed it. Bob also dove Black Rock for the first time then, too and enjoyed that as well. We have also dove La Perouse Bay, as well and enjoyed that, too.

We have tended to do more boat dives, but I am sure this next trip we will be doing lots more shore dives.

a quick question, I am confused with Ahihi. I have been reading various posts and I thought Ahihi was closed now? can someone clear this up please? Thanks. We dove Ahihi Bay in either 2005 or 2007/ or both. We enjoyed that, as well, BUT the walk over the lava to the beach in the boots was NOT comfortable. More comfortable to wear our sandals there, then switch to the boots.

Another site we have dove both by boat, and shore is Red Hill. We dove this by shore in 2005, but the road was closed off in 2007 due to the earthquake (the previous fall) making the hill rocks unstable. But we did dive this w/ B & B by boat in 2007.

Hope this helps. We will be out there in Maui the same time you are. . . from mid FEb. thru the first week of March. Maggi

 

[kidspot]

While it's certainly not exhaustive, here are some of my favorite sites with related info - might help you out.

Aloha Shore Divers

Aloha, Tim

 

[TSandM]

My favorite Maui dive is the Mala Wharf dive. Although the entry and exit are annoying if you do them legally (on the left side of the pier), the dive is worth it. The structure is beautiful and lends itself to nice photographs. There are tons of opportunities for swim-throughs. The shelter the structure provides attracts large schools of snapper and other fish, and there is almost always at least one reef shark in residence. We have seen nudibranchs here, as well. It's a shallow dive, so air lasts forever and deco is not an issue. Apparently currents can be a problem here, although we have not experienced that. I would guess that, if the surf is up, the entry would be dicey and the viz would be poor.

We also like to dive Ulua Beach. Parking can be an issue there, especially if you don't arrive early in the morning, but you can drop gear off at the end of the turnaround and go back up to park (sometimes there is NO parking, though). There are restrooms and showers there. The reef that comes out from shore is excellent for snorkeling or shallow diving, but there is another reef about forty or fifty feet further offshore that is extensive, but still relatively shallow. We have seen reef sharks and turtles there, as well as hermit crabs and a variety of reef fish. Navigation is pretty simple.

We have done Makena as well. Going from the easy parking/easy entry side, it would be quite a long surface swim to reasonable diving (we used scooters). I looked at the other side's entry (which I haven't done) but the water would have to be pretty calm for me to brave the rocks.

Parking at Ahihi Bay can be problematic. The entry is down a boat ramp, which can be slippery. We've only done it twice, and the viz wasn't very good either time -- Don't know if that's a characteristic of the site, or just the days we hit it. The reef and fish populations were similar to other sites.

Honolua Bay is also a nice dive. It's a long walk from where you park on the road, and the entry is over large, round rocks. It's great in calm water; I wouldn't try it if there was any surf to speak of. The dive goes out along a wall on the left-hand side of the bay, and if the water is very calm, you can return over the top of the reef, in very shallow, sunlit water, full of reef fish. There have apparently been some break-in problems at times with cars left up on the road.

In general, we've found that using the Maui Shore Dives book, we've been able to go and dive the various sites without incident, although we don't always find what we're looking for (ask my husband about the hour long sand inspection tour at Ulua . . . )

 

[Maui Bound]

Because we stay on Kaanapali we find it convenient to dive at Old Airport, while it may not be the most impressive, it beats a 42degree quarry in CT and we always get at least a 70 minute dive. Also, Black Rock is a really nice dive, but not as easy to get gear in and out.

A few years ago, we did five caves. Long ride from Kaanapali and you probably want to get there early.

Did the Marriott Reef once - just because we stay at the Marriott Ocean Club. I might try it again this year since I am right there.

I have done Mala Wharf and Olowalu while out with Lahaina divers.

Kapalua Bay was pretty uneventful - I would maybe try it again.

Again - any dive in Maui beats the cold and low viz of New England.

Enjoy

 

[ScubaSeanMaui]

Here are my comments with a few other sites you left out. You can see my dive photos from many of the sites here:

Underwater Photography and Scuba News

Click on Dive Reports, Hawaii on left panel menu!

Kahekili Beach (Old Airport) If you miss the patch reef it's a sand dive for anything deeper than the shallow reef (which is nice). The vis is usually very good here. If you make it to the patch reef it's a great dive. If not it's a lot of exercise

Mala Wharf - If conditions are less than ideal it can be no fun. I have had great dives here (I saw a nice translucent Pearlfish here). They also have a group of Imperial Nudibranchs, Frogfish, and some White Tips... Lots of boat ops dive here so it can get crowded if at the wrong time.

Black Rock - I would say the best easy shore dive on Maui. Not much sand so the vis is nice. Pretty shallow, lots of turtles, nudis, eels, some schooling fish. I saw a larger Grey Reef shark here one night...

Ulua Beach - Good for night diving. The reef could be in better shape. Not too much going on during the day but you could get lucky and see mantas or eagle rays. Easy dive.

Makena Landing - Lots of turtles, some eels, some sharks in the caves. Some nudis. Some Harlequin Shrimp if you know where to look. Some stuff cruises by like Rays and sometimes Tony...Most snorkelers are hit here by sharks in the shallows. One guy was riding a turtle and it bit off his thumb... He claimed shark attack but the truth came out... I think the noise of bubbles scares off the sharks but they can be seen once in a blue Moon (I mean Tiger Sharks).

Pu'u Olai Beach - Red Hill looks like a major hike to dive from shore. It's a nice site. Sometimes you can see Mantas, Eagle Rays, some eels, Nudis... I'd dive it from a boat. Tigers cruise by here once in a blue moon. I have never seen one.

Ahihi Cove - I dove here a few times. I wasn't impressed with the site. I think it's closed anyway.

Ahihi Bay

Five Caves - Same as Makena Landing just a different entry. The finger is nice to dive.

Marriott Reef

Kapalua Bay

Olowalu - I have snorkeled here. Looks like a great reef with nice fish. Would be cool to scuba.

Papawai Point

Wailea Beach - An easy dive. Lots of snorkel boats. Large Eels, nudis, some fish.

Polo Beach - I think I'd dive Haloa before Polo. Look on the google map at the reef.

Haloa Point - An overhang with a shark sometimes... some nudis, harlequin shrimp, some eels... Saw a manta here fly through our group... good vis usually.

Maui Prince - really nice reef. Reminds me of Honolua a little bit. Easy dive shallow with gradual grade. Some different fish. a swim-through. I saw Stout Morays here a few times. Definitely top 5 shore dives since it's so beautiful...

Ukumehame - A difficult entry like Shark Pit or Mala. They are doing a Manta Research study here. We saw 5 mantas all together trailing one another. Worth diving but go with someone with experience... A nice reef too but we were looking for whales or Mantas. (saw the mantas, got close to whales but no visual).

I hope this helps.

Sean

 

[ccredifo]

Makena Landing - Some stuff cruises by like Rays and sometimes Tony...Most snorkelers are hit here by sharks in the shallows.


Tony, as in Tony the Tiger? I've never seen a Tiger shark. I'll certainly be taking my camera!

Thx, Chris

 

[ScubaSeanMaui]

I have never seen one but they do cruise by. I know some of our Maui veterans have seen them!
I don't mean to scare you but just don't snorkel in low-vis water during dawn or dusk! They could be at any dive site... chances are very slim though!

Good Luck!

Sean

 

[KrisB]

I don't have time right this instant to get into the rest of it, but figured I should correct some misinformation.

Ahihi is *not* closed. You can still enter either at "Dumps" or at that spot where the water touches the road.

Technically, it's only the land that they've closed off -- and, for the most part, it's only the "recent" lava flow that's included. That means you can't walk out to Fishbowl or Aquarium (though you could launch a kayak and paddle out, or enter at the south parking lot and swim out).

Ahihi can be nice. Of several dives, I've only come back from one of them saying "freaking amazing conditions" -- but since it's protected, you see some fish that you don't see much elsewhere. If you do dive there, be ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that you have a flag. Enforcement at that site is strict (which is strange, as no motorized boats are allowed anywhere you'd be diving).