Maui Hotel/Resorts w/on-site dive operators?

[rypark1999]

Hi everyone,

My family (myself: diver w/200+ dives; wife: nondiver; and one yr old daughter) is heading to Maui in November. I've been to Maui before and its my wife's first time. (My last trip to Maui was a dive trip and consisted of all boat dives. Obviously, pre-marriage/baby)

My wife is allowing me 2 days of diving with the proviso that I return by noon so we all have lunch together. So I think I'm limited to one or two tank shore dives off a house reef or a site relatively close by. (I may be able to get her to let me do a couple night dives, but that remains to be seen.) I also think it'll be "faster"/more convenient to be able to just rent my tanks from an on-site operator and either hire a guide for the morning or buddy up with someone on the spot and jump into the water straight away.

With the above restrictions, I've checked shorediving.com and saw that the southwest side of the island (makena/wailea) seems to have more quantity, "better" quality (although beauty is in the eye of the beholder) and closely clustered advanced shoredive sites. (However, I am open to opinions for the northwest side of the island (lahaina to kaanapali).

I have not yet booked our hotel.

So here are my question after all that:
On scubaboard, I found only these hotels with onsite dive shops:
1) Five Star SCUBA at Sheraton Black Rock, Hyatt Regency, Marriott's Ocean Club, Westin Kaanapali, Honua Kai Resort
2) Charlie Dolfun Scuba at Grand Wailea

Am I missing any hotels/resorts with onsite dive shops? (please give me the name of the hotel & dive operator, if possible)
Any opinions, good or bad, on either of these dive operators, or any that others might list?
Any opinions, good or bad, on the above hotels, or any that others might list?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ChrisM]

Can only speak to the Grand Wailea, as we got married and certified there 20 years ago this August. Going back on our anniversary. We can only afford two nights there... wicked expensive! But a splurge. Wailea beach has a decent dive site.

If you went out on B& B (Kihei) boats you will be back at the dock by 10 am. You'll get one Molokini dive plus a near shore dive. You could also just pick up rental tanks from B&B or Maui Dive Shop and hit the shore dives. Shore diving is good, but Molokini is the signature Maui dive.

 

[diversteve]

Black Rock isn't what I'd really call "advanced". I also like Wailea Beach, it's interesting out by the south point. Most of the dive sites off both West and South Maui are too shallow to be advanced. Some options: http://shorediving.com/Earth/Hawaii/Maui/index.htm

From Kihei, Ed Robinson's, B&B Scuba or Mike Severn's will all be back before or around noon after 2 tanks. B&B meets at the Kihei boat ramp at 5:45am. From Severn's website:

Meeting time is 6:00am and we typically return between 11:00 and 12:00. If you're wondering why we meet so early, the almost daily tradewinds start to pick up around 11:30 or 12:00 and this allows us to be underwater or on our way home when they start.

The Molokini Backwall dives might be considered advanced. Or some of the sites near the point - like Shark Condos.

Contact [user]Shaka Doug[/user] - he does escorted shore dives in the Kihei area. Has scooters also. So does Maui Dreams Dive Co.
Depending on the sites chosen, 2 dives should be possible before noon - you meet at the MD shop at 7AM then drive yourself to a site nearby.
Welcome to SHAKA DIVERS Web Site! Home of Maui's Coolest Shore Dives!
Guided Dives General Information - Maui Dreams Dive Co

 

[Tunaman68]

+1 for staying in/around Kihei and using Prodiver or B&B, you'll be back by noon and get two nice boat dives in. Also, you can shore dive around there, and Kihei has some good affordable accommodations if you don't need fancy resorts.

Shaka Doug is great too if you can make it work with your schedule.

Have Fun!

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

+1 for staying in/around Kihei and using Prodiver or B&B, you'll be back by noon and get two nice boat dives in. Also, you can shore dive around there, and Kihei has some good affordable accommodations if you don't need fancy resorts.

Shaka Doug is great too if you can make it work with your schedule.

Have Fun!

I would concur. Sometimes doing a single morning dive works good with the wife, you can be back before they are fully awake and shore diving is easy on the budget.

 

[scubahawk27]

I was able to my dive master course on B&B boat and still be at the office at 10:00 after two dives. Its a great life here but someone has to do it. Oh if you want to do a scooter dive we take people out in South Maui, Mainly either Red Hill or Makena Landing. both Dives are amazing. Let me know. PM me.

 

[Damselfish]

Dive boats in Maui usually leave and get back early, to beat the winds that typically kick in midday. So boat diving may work out better for you than you might assume.

 

[freewillie]

You need to find out which of the Westins you are interested in staying. There is the Westin Hotel in Ka'anapali, then there are the Vacation Club resorts little farther north but just south of Napili. The Vacation club resorts are time share units more like condos than hotel rooms. We like them because they have full kitchen in the larger units and with kids much more convenient. They have a very small ocean center but have beach dives and you can rent gear there. Don't quote me but I think the dive including gear is $80 for single tank.

You may also want to look into whether or not the Maui Ocean center still has their shark dive. My dive instructor did that dive in the aquarium and said it was a blast. Included in the cost of the dive is a guest pass for your wife into the aquarium. You can do your dive and your wife and kid can actually watch you in the tank. The aquarium restaurant overlooks Mala harbor and would be great place to have lunch with the family.


Good luck, have fun, dive safe.

 

[rypark1999]

ChrisM, Diversteve, Tunaman68, Scubahawk27, Damselfish: Thanks for reminding me that boat dives come back prior to or at 12pm due to the trade winds. I had forgotten about that. Its been a long time since my last Maui dive trip. I think it was about 6 yrs ago. I did Molokini, both inside the crater and Shark Condos on that last trip. This time, I think I'll just stick to the shore diving and really get into "Hawaii time" (slow things way down) I'm not to keen on having to wake up prior to or at the crack of dawn to get to the boat ramp. I'd still like to sleep in a little on my "vacation" (however, my little one will determine wake up times on this trip - hahaha).

ChrisM: Congrats on your 20 yr. I hope my wife and I will get there too. We're noobs and only have 2 yrs in, so far. I agree GW is crazy expensive.

Diversteve: I mis-wrote. Didn't mean to say "closely clustered advanced shoredive sites". Shoulda taken out "advanced". I meant was that shorediving.com's reviews on most southwest shoredive sites were rated very highly for advanced divers (ie: yellow, green, cyan color for the "A" box). I agree Black Rock is not "advanced" - I snorkeled it on my last Maui trip.

Diversteve & Scubahawk27: Scootering sounds fun. I may look into that for one of my alotted days. Thanks for the tip.

Freewillie: Thanks for the advice. Yes, I did see the "time share"/"condo" rooms at the Vacation Club (Westin) and I think Marriott's Ocean Club is the same thing - condo setup. I agree that having a kitchen/kitchenette makes it much more convenient with a little one. I'm keeping that option in mind. And thanks for the tip about Maui Ocean Center. Thats an awsome idea!!! - Sharing the scuba experience with the non-divers. I'll definitely look into that. Plus, that won't burn one of my two alotted ocean dive days - hahaha. SNEAKY!! I LOVE IT!!

 

[DivemasterDennis]

The Sheraton Kaanapali will NOT rent you air, but there is a Maui Dive Shop about 5 minutes away that will. Morning dive boat excursions out of Lahaina with Lahaina Divers return between 12 and 1:30 depending on sites. Old airport is a good site from shore, a couple miles north of Kaanapali. That site has a nice beach, a park with grass, flush toilets, fresh water showers, covered pavillion- take the family! If you stay in the south part of the Island, Ulua aby has similar (but not quite as good) facilities. In the South, rent from the Maui Dive Shop in Kihei.
DivemasterDennis