Certifying in Maui

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I'm thinking of going to Maui next month (November) to get my PADI open water certification. Is this a good location for learning, and how are the diving conditions during this time of the year? can anybody recommend a diving shop?
Due to limited time, Bonaire is unfortunately not an option :(

Thanks!
 
If you can, try to do all your class and pool work in your hometown so you have time to learn the material and get used to being in the water in a confined environment (AKA a pool) and then do your certification dives in Maui. (Sometimes called a "referral" dive.)

If you want to do everything while you are on the island, my recommendation would be Maui Dreams Dive Company in Kihei. They are a small company that does a lot of shore diving off Ulua Beach, which is very calm. I wouldn't try to get certified with a boat-based company or at a resort because they will rush you through the training. If you go with MDDC, make sure to set everything up well before your vacation so you make you get into a class and that it's guaranteed to run and get you finished within your time frame.

Aloha!
 
Shaka Doug (Shaka Divers) is another option in the Kihei area. Although I often recommend MDDC also. If you were planning to stay in West Maui (Kahana/Kaanapali/Lahaina) that would be about a 45min. daily drive.

In that case I might pick one of the Lahaina based ops instead. My choices would be Tiny Bubbles or Lahaina Divers. Tiny Bubbles is all shore based but Tim has a very good reputation. LD is the bigger boat operator but I believe they do their instruction on shore then your last dives are off their boat in near shore shallow conditions. Bigger boats are flatter/stabler and you're more likely to have other students in your class so there's a higher likelihood of having one. I believe Doug does one->one training also if you can't find a class the week you're there.

It's not a bad idea to learn how to fall off/reboard a boat also under the eye of an instructor.

Go with PADI and do the e-learning/referral process. That way you won't be spending vacation time in a classroom. Although you will do skills in a pool. Most of the shops/operators on MAUI are PADI so you won't have to mess with an awkward referral process for both you and the instructor if you picked NAUI or SSI.

Maui's a good place to learn - as much as everyone likes all the shore diving on Bonaire, entries there are typically a lot harder unless you're diving off the resort docks. (which are good dives also) Better to get some easy beach entry experience off Maui first. Plus most of the operators there expect new/refresher/vacation divers as part of their routine business.
 
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I've used Lahaina Divers twice. I like their staff and operation, plus is closer to Ka'anapali where I usually stay. Makena/Kihei is just a little further down the road and while it's not too far the 20-30 minutes it would normally take to drive is the difference between leaving the hotel at 6 to make Makena or sleep in little longer to leave at 6:40.
 
If you can, try to do all your class and pool work in your hometown so you have time to learn the material and get used to being in the water in a confined environment (AKA a pool) and then do your certification dives in Maui. (Sometimes called a "referral" dive.)

Do note that this approach may very well DOUBLE your cost to get certified...

  • Many "local/home" shops charge the same for an OW course whether you do the OW dives with them or not. (Sometimes it might be a few bucks cheaper, but not much; though I've also heard of those shops charging you a few dollars to process the referral paperwork.)
  • Most "resort" dive ops (especially in Hawaii) charge about the same (or sometimes more) for referral dives as your "local/home" shop charges for the full OW course.
In fact a quick google search reveals...

  • Bamboo Reef Scuba in San Francisco charges $349 for the full course, including four OW dives.
  • Lahaina Divers in Maui charges $349 for just the four OW referral dives.
So if you do the full course at home it will cost you $349 to get certified. However, if you do academics and confined water at home, and then do referral checkouts in Maui it will cost you $698 to get certified.

Personally, I would consider fully completing your full OW course at home, and then simply DIVING when you get to Hawaii. When I got certified years ago, I had planned to do referral dives in Hawaii. However, after talking to a few folks I decided that instead of "wasting" great Hawaiian dives doing mask skills, CESA's, etc I opted to get certified BEFORE going to Hawaii. Then, when I went to Hawaii I did my AOW in Maui...

Ray
 
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Do note that this approach may very well DOUBLE your cost to get certified...

  • Many "local/home" shops charge the same for an OW course whether you do the OW dives with them or not. (Sometimes it might be a few bucks cheaper, but not much; though I've also heard of those shops charging you a few dollars to process the referral paperwork.)
  • Most "resort" dive ops (especially in Hawaii) charge about the same (or sometimes more) for referral dives as your "local/home" shop charges for the full OW course.
In fact a quick google search reveals...

  • Bamboo Reef Scuba in San Francisco charges $349 for the full course, including four OW dives.
  • Lahaina Divers in Maui charges $349 for just the four OW checkout dives.
So if you do the full course at home it will cost you $349 to get certified. However, if you do academics and confined water at home, and then do referral checkouts in Maui it will cost you $698 to get certified.

Personally, I would consider fully completing your full OW course at home, and then simply DIVING when you get to Hawaii. When I got certified years ago, I had planned to do referral dives in Hawaii. However, after talking to a few folks I decided that instead of "wasting" great Hawaiian dives doing mask skills, CESA's, etc I opted to get certified BEFORE going to Hawaii. Then, when I went to Hawaii I did my AOW in Maui...

Ray

Great advice. You will basically double your costs and waste valuable dive time on Maui doing basic drills.

With Monterey just a couple of hours down the road, and usually great diving conditions in the fall, it really is your optimal choice.

Besides that, getting certified in Monterey will give you your first dives with an instructor in your local conditions.

I don't know if you are planning to dive locally in the future or not... But you should be!

As another bonus, it is much easier going from Monterey diving to Maui diving than the reverse.

Whatever you choose, good luck!
 
Maui is a great place to get certified and any time is a good time. Agreed that Maui Dreams is an outstanding choice for any instruction. If you want to do your cert dives from a boat, Lahaina Divers is your best (and might be only) option for that.
 
+1 for Doug @ Shakadivers.com. He certified my wife on a referral in 2006. It was a very good experience. This was shore diving, not from a boat which seems more the norm on Maui.
 
I did my book and pool here and opern water dives and final certification in Maui many many years ago. The conditions will be fine. There are countless competent instructors, some independent, some affiliated with shops. All thos mentioned above are reputable, as is the Maui Dive Shop which has several locations. If you know where you are staying, you will be able to find a dive operator near year with instructors on staff. I suggest you focus your inquiries that direction- to the operators on Maui. You will learn all you need to make a good selection.

DivemasterDennis
 
n fact a quick google search reveals...

Bamboo Reef Scuba in San Francisco charges $349 for the full course, including four OW dives.
Lahaina Divers in Maui charges $349 for just the four OW referral dives.

Except it's in Monterey - a several hour drive from most of the Bay area. So you have to factor in some sort of oricier overnight accommodations or a lot of travel time and some gas money

And if we compare apples to apples, the Bamboo Reef dives are shore dives off San Carlos Beach. Sanctuary Charters offers boat dives in Monterey at 2/$92 - I didn't look at the others.

Things are more expensive on Maui no doubt. With Lahaina Divers they're all 4 boat dives as well.

One option is do the whole program thru Shaka Divers - it's $399 for everything.

Or $420 total with Maui Dreams Dive Co. if you do the e-learning first - I think with PADI you book it thru the shop you're using but I'm not certain. $520 if all done there.
 
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