AOW but still inexperienced.

[aquaman2005]

I am still, what I'd consider, an inexperienced diver. I am going to Maui next month and I want to (obviously) do a dive. So, I am looking for some advise on a "non-adventureous" dive. I found something on-line from Lahina Divers called Turtle reef and just wondering if anyone out there has done this dive, or knows about it.
I did my OW about 8 months ago and have done a few (2) dives since then. I Just finished my AOW certification. Believe me, I am not arogrant to think that this makes me a seasoned diver. So I want to be "cautious" but not to a point where I miss a good dive.
By the way, we did a night dive during the AOW cert class and I did learn that I never want to do that again. Kings Bay, Crystal River Fl. low vis, lost my buddy and instructor. Followed the plan of searching for one min and resurface. That worked just fine.

Aquaman 2005

 

[DiveMaven]

I would say that the only dives on Maui that you are too inexperienced for would be the Backwall of Molokini Crater. All dives on Maui are DM led, so you won't have to worry about navigation. Most coastal dives on Maui are called "Turtle Reef" so it's a generic term there.

Lahaina Divers is a very safe operation that runs the biggest boats on Maui. Some refer to them as a cattleboat operation because of this, but they don't fit my definition of cattleboat because although they carry up to 22 divers, they provide amazing personalized service, care about their customers, and divide their groups into 6-8 max. That said, we avoid their afternoon "Turtle Reef" charters due to the fact that this is when they put their Discover Scuba folks onboard, and the boats tend to feel more crowded since these folks don't usually have any boat etticut.

I would strongly recommend that you catch a 2-tank charter out of Kihei. The most recommended ops on this board are B&B, Ed Robinson's, and Mike Severns. All of them go to the inner crater of Molokini for their first dive (max depth is about 70 fsw), then do a S. Maui coastal dive afterward. I'd really recommend that you consider doing a Lanai charter as well and dive the Cathedrals (max depth is about 65 fsw)....an amazing dive that you won't soon forget! For that you can either use Lahaina Divers or Extended Horizons, both leaving out of Lahaina. The crossing to Lanai is shorter from Lahaina, and we prefer using Lahaina Divers for this charter due to their bigger and more stable boats (the ride can be rough), but a lot of folks like Extended Horizons better.

The good news is that there really aren't any "bad" ops on Maui, so choose with confidence.

 

[phhappy]

I did about 30 dives before I took my AOW last months. I am still consider myself an inexperienced diver. You need to a lot more dives before you become more confident about yourself. At least you need 20 dives before you get the basic of in control of the surrounding. You get your diving skill from divings more not AOW course. Try to do as much diving as possible before the trip. You will have more fun intead of worrying about your skill during the dive. The better your skill, the more fun you will have. Chao.

 

[jeraldjcook]

I dove Maui a year ago with Maui shop and enjoyed it. Again, another one of the cattleboats in which the DM leads, but you are pretty much free to do what you want. Dive Molokini, 5 graves (has a few different names starting with a 5, I saw multiple turtles everytime we dove there), Cathedrals was really cool as well but a long boat ride from Kihei. Since you are "advanced" you qualify for the backwall but since the bottom is 300ft don't dive it unless you can control your buoyancy well. There was a ton of surge when I dove it (they called the second dive because of the conditions) and it was pushing us up and down 6 or so feet with surge. My computer was going crazy. There is also good shore diving around Kihei and Kaanapali.

 

[k4man]

Congrats on the AOW and for your apparent sense of modesty in diving experience --it is refreshing!

Good luck on your upcoming dives and WELCOME to ScubaBoard!