Newbie Places to Dive for Newbie Lahaina Area

[Ric L]

Hello all,
I received my PADI certification last year in the Bay Area but did my two cert dives in Maui at Airport Beach. My only other two dives were in Puerto Vallarta later in the year. I'll be back in Maui next month early May and was looking for an easy no or low current dive when Im down. Any recommendations near Lahaina? It can either be by large boat or shore.

I do not like wearing tight wet suits. Do people dive in just a wet suit vest or is the water in May too cold?

Thanks in advance,
Ric

 

[Montana Diver]

Try this link; Aloha Shore Divers
I don't dive much up near Lahaina, but there are very few bad spots.
I have dived with both Lahaina Divers and Extended Horizon Divers. Both are good.

I dive from the Kihei boat ramp when I am there. I use Ed Robinson and always love the critters they find when I dive with them. If you are going to do Molokini, the Kihei boat ramp saves a lot of time!

Not certain of the water temps in May, I always go in Feb.

 

[Altamira]

My computer showed 76-77 degrees in Maui, early May a couple of years ago. Whether or not you will need a wetsuit depends on your personal tolerance to that temperature. I was comfortable in a 3mm full suit for both dives, and one guy in our group was in a rash guard and board shorts, but got chilled during the second dive. I don't know why you would need to deal with a tight wetsuit. Buy or rent a wetsuit that fits you comfortably. My preference is to always use a wetsuit, not only for protection from stingers, but I can always cool off if I get a little too warm, but warming up in the water without a wetsuit is not an option.

 

[diversteve]

Lahaina Divers afternoon boat will generally be easy dives as rgey do their DSD's and new cert dives then.

Extended Horizons does shore diving in the afternoons or try Scuba Mike. In Ka'anapali there'salso Tiny Bubbles - all they do is shore dive nearby.

Sheraton Black Rock is an easy shore dive - go off their beach and surface swim over to the cove. It's not very deep..Another shore option could be Kapalua Beach - it's a shallow low current dive.

Almost all the Kihei or Wailea beaches are also shore dives if you want to drive down there - contact Shaka Divers or Maui Dreams Dive Co.for a guide - all they do is shore dive the area.

Molokini where the Kihei Boats go is low-current since meny dives/moorings are protected by the crater. I recommend Mike Severns also but you will have to drive down real early - they like to leave around 6am. From Lahaina plan for an hour - even then there's traffic as the resort workers drive in. IMO Ed Robinson's often gets a more advanced group so they might do more complex dives than you'd want.

Maui in May I'd be in a t-shirt but it could be brisk at depth then - was once off Lanai.

 

[tdallen]

I did Lanai with Extended Horizons out of Lahaina in September 2016. Highly recommended - but the dives were somewhat deep for a newbie (60-75') and the water was mid-70's at depth which would be much too cold for me in a rash guard. I would definitely dive with them again, though.