Aloha,
I am headed to Maui in two weeks and wanted to get some feedback from fellow divers. Quick summary of my situation...I will be staying in Kihea for 8 days, am Advanced Open Water certified, have gone on approx 40 dives, and will likely be going with Maui Dive Shop due to its proximity to where I am staying. Was looking for feedback on the following:
Not only does Maui Dive Shop depart from the Kihei boat ramp, but so does every other Kihei operator (Mike Severns, B&B, Ed Robinsons, Pro Diver, Dive & Sea, Makena Coast Charters, etc....all good choices BTW). If you're catching a MDS boat out of Maalaea Harbor, that's not as close to Kihei as the Kihei boat ramp.
- Would love to see hammerheads. Does any other dive shop besides Lahaina Divers have scheduled dives that go out to Molokai? Is now a good time of the year for hammerhead sightings? Will I be throwing up the entire boat ride over?
Lahaina Divers is the only operation that goes to Molokai, so if you want a guaranteed trip to hopefully see the Hammerheads, that's your only option. There isn't a "season" for hammerheads, you might see 0 or you might see 100. The trip can very VERY rough, so if you're smart, you'll take seasick meds prior to departure just in case the crossing is rough.
- Am planning to go on 3-4 dives time permitting. After doing some initial research online, I'm leaning towards the Lanai Cathedrals, Molokini Backwall, Turtle Reef, and the Molokai Hammerhead dive. If you were me, what would be the three dives you would go on?
First important thing to know is that there is no such thing as "Turtle Reef." Turtle Reef is used by boats to refer to ANY inshore site they take you to where there might be turtles....which is basically along the entire coastline of Maui. IMO some of the best diving Maui has to offer are inshore sites. So depending on where you boat takes you, the conditions, and the viz, this dive could be the best one you do. You could also save some money and instead of taking a boat to "Turtle Reef," hire a local guide (like Shaka Doug) and do a couple of shore dives.
For any trip to Lanai, you're going to be FAR better off driving to Lahaina and going with with Lahaina Divers or Extended Horizons. The crossing is much closer and much shorter than departing out of Maalaea Harbor. It can be a rough crossing to Lanai, particularly when returning to Maui, which is why we prefer to dive with Lahaina Divers for the Cathedrals. Keep in mind as well that nobody will guarantee that you can dive with the Cathedrals. If conditions aren't favorable, you'll be diving other Lanai sites, but it's an unusual day that you can get to ONE of them.
Nobody can guarantee that you'll get to dive the Backwall of Molokini either. If conditions aren't favorable, every dive operation will scoot around inside the crater and you'll dive there instead. We've done dozens of backwall dives and honestly it isn't my favorite. IMO there are much better Molokini dives than the backwall, but I've yet to meet a first time Maui diver who doesn't want to go there. Some folks love it, some come back unimpressed, but until you do it, you won't know which one you are.
- Any other suggestions or tips?
How much experience do you have diving in the ocean? You mention AOW and 40 dives. Frankly, that means nothing by itself since there are folks who have advanced training and hundreds of dives in a quarry, who I would call beginning divers in the ocean. If you have no experience doing a blue/mid-water safety stop, and boarding a live boat (not moored or anchored) in rough water, please do not consider the Molokai charter. The Molokini Backwall charter would potentially be a problem as well.
People have the impression that diving in Hawaii is easy because of the clear, blue water. Yes, it can be very easy, but it can also be some of the most challenging boat diving you will do. It can be extremely disorienting to do a mid-water safety stop in a "blue room" where all you can see is blue around you...no land, no bottom. I've seen many "advanced divers" be unable to hold their safety stop since there's nothing to hold onto, nor anything to fix your eyes on to stay in one place.
Additionally, winds can pick up quickly and suddenly, causing a lot of surface chop. You can drop in with flat water and return to the boat 45 minutes later with 3' seas. I've seen many divers have extreme difficulty reboarding a boat in rough seas and later remark that they were told Maui diving was "easy."
All of the boat operators provide water and some kind of snack between dives, and some even have towels on board. Not all have good dry storage space, so leave your big bag at the condo/hotel and bring your gear in a mesh gear bag. If you have items that must stay dry, invest in a dry bag or put your smaller items in ziplock bags.
Above all, if you've never been diving in Hawaii, remember that it is an island chain in the middle of the Pacific...the most isolated islands in the world. Because of this there are some amazing endemic creatures that you'll literally see nowhere else in the world...IF you have a great dive guide who can show them to you. An excellent dive guide is critical to inexperienced Hawaii divers since the topography is hard....hard coral and lava rock. Anything soft is small and stuck to the hard surfaces, so you won't see big sea fans, gorgonian coral, soft coral, big sponges, etc. What a good guide will show you is how much marine life there is, if you know what to look for. If you don't know what you're looking for, you'll see some fish and a lot of hard coral and rocks.
If you're interested in seeing a good representation of what you could see in Maui, check out my husband's photos:
http://divetraveladventures.shutterfly.com/maui Keep in mind that my husband shoots with a 60mm macro lens and most of those nudibranchs are less than 1/2" long.
Most of all, have fun!
