Maui trip report

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StuartT

Contributor
Messages
530
Reaction score
41
Location
Abbotsford, B.C. Canada
# of dives
500 - 999
So I managed to get 9 dives in on our trip to Maui over 15 days. 3 days with Ed Robinsons and 3 solo shore dives. I was able to rent a pony for the shore dives from Maui dreams. Saw a manta twice, lots of turtles, grey reef and white tip sharks, several frogfish, lots of eels, lots of nudis, etc. All in all a good trip. Did 2 of the days with Ed himself on Wednesdays. The adventure dives. Great dives.
 
Sounds really nice. On your shore dives, how far was the swim out, if any, and were you required to use a dive flag?

Richard.
 
No far swims on the sites i dived. Ulua inner and outer reef, white rock beach north side reef, and Keawakapu north reef. You are supposed to have a flag but I took my chances and no problem. Most of the shore dives the reefs are the edges of the beaches so not far at all. Also most shore dives max out at 45 ft or so allowing for nice long dives on Al 80's. Average depth is more like 25 ft

Sounds really nice. On your shore dives, how far was the swim out, if any, and were you required to use a dive flag?

Richard.
 
DLNR is known for writing tickets for divers without flags, particularly at popular dive sites. We won't take a flag if there is more than one in the water before we go out, otherwise we fly our flag.
 
Dive Maven is right. Big fines for diving without a flag if caught- it's not worth it. Good call on Ulua - great site. Did you go to the outer reef or the tugboat wreck there? Most people just do the inner reef, but there is a lot more at that site. Close to it is 5 caves, also called 5 graves, another excellent shore dive.
DivemasterDennis
 
Actually did did the outer reef and beyond. Turned out 2 dm.s from maui dreams and their wife's we're gearing up when I was so I tagged along with them. They had a flag so no need for me to have one also. Done 5 graves from both sides too. Great site. To me the flag rule seems a bit off. You can drop your flag say in 15 ft of water just after you descend then dive perhaps up to 4-500 yards away and as long as you surface within 100 ft of your flag then it's legal. The main purpose of a flag as far as I know is to signal to boat traffic a diver or divers are in the water. When I dived 5 grazes/makens landing on previous trips (with a flag) we left our flag about 100 ft out from the makens landing side and spent the next 90 minutes no where near the flag. We actually made it all the way to the mooring buoy at the lava finger at the 5 graves side and back. We came across our flag as we returned and towed it with us for the last 75 ft of the dive. So we did a legal(but not that safe) dive according to the DLNR law. Many boats do there 2nd dive there and there we were with our flag nowhere near us. Doesn't improve your safety in any way. Just my 2 cents. The flag law should be that you must tow it with you for your entire dive. Then in would be in the interest of diver safety.

Dive Maven is right. Big fines for diving without a flag if caught- it's not worth it. Good call on Ulua - great site. Did you go to the outer reef or the tugboat wreck there? Most people just do the inner reef, but there is a lot more at that site. Close to it is 5 caves, also called 5 graves, another excellent shore dive.
DivemasterDennis
 
I think the thought behind this besides the boat issue is that of you don't come back at least there will be some sort of marker identifying someone is in the water.


Greg Walker
Maui Scooter Divers
www.mauiscooterdivers.com
 

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