Diving in Maui - - Is it good?

[WarmWaterPursuit]

Hi There... I have the opportunity to potentially come to Maui over the next few months and was wondering how the diving is?

I've dove in Oahu, Kauai and in Kona.... The diving was pretty good....

Just curious if it's worth my time to come or to fork over the huge bucks and fly to Fiji?

Thanks!

 

[KrisB]

I found diving off Maui to be vastly superior to Oahu
I haven't dove the Big Island or Kauai, but I'm told Maui pales to the Big Island, and is about on-par with Kauai.

 

[diverdiane]

I love the diving on Maui. The boat diving is great but there is also plenty of shore dive opportunities

 

[Charlie59]

Diving Maui includes access to Lanai, Molokini , and Molokai. The back wall of Molokini is definitely worth seeing.

Best thing about diving in Hawaii is being in Hawaii. If that is not enough motivation, you may be disappointed.

Pics of diving last week at Picasa Web Albums - Raymond. Dove with Lahaina Divers and Ed Robinson's. Prefer ERDA.

 

[TSandM]

As far as warm water goes, I've dived Coz, the BVI, Australia and Indonesia, and Maui and a couple of dives off the Big Island.

Hawaii diving is hard coral, and not very colorful. The big attraction is that many of the species are endemic to the islands. You will not find soft corals or big schools of fish (or at least, over four years, I haven't). You will find turtles and reef sharks, and I was fortunate enough to dive with a monk seal, too (although that's one dive out of many).

The shore diving reefs off Maui are often not in very good condition, and I have seen them deteriorate over the last five years -- it's sad that the change is great enough that I can see it, but it's also been documented by official studies.

It's warm water, and access to the ocean is easy and there are many shore diving sites. There are good charter operators, and my favorite, Mike Severns, has shown me some animal which are rare even in the islands.

Still, if I were going to spend limited vacation time looking for a mind-blowing diving experience, it wouldn't be in Hawaii. JMHO.

 

[DiveMaven]

We dive Maui every year and absolutely love it...but we only boat dive, no shore diving. IMO if you can do Fiji, you should JUMP at the chance.

 

[WarmWaterPursuit]

I appreciate everyone's response. I actually found a flight from Seattle for $380. Vastly different from the $1200+ flight to Fiji. And, for this trip anyways, it made a but more sense.

I plan on diving with "Lahaina Divers" as I'm somewhat familiar with them and they come recommended.

I plan on diving:

Lanai
Molokini Crater
Turtle Reef
MoloKa'i
Molokini Backwall

It seems like those are the places to go (not sure about "turtle reef" as that may be run of the mill, but it's combined with another trip). I may try and do a night dive with someone as well, but I'm not quite sure. Are these indeed the spots to go?

I'm a "fairly" experienced diver and have done most of my diving in Hawaii so, I'm not trying to dive to simply pile on the dives, but I'm looking to get in some cool dives....

Thanks!

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

I plan on diving with "Lahaina Divers" as I'm somewhat familiar with them and they come recommended.

I plan on diving:

Lanai
Molokini Crater
Turtle Reef
MoloKa'i
Molokini Backwall

Looking forward to hearing how that goes for you!

 

[Charlie59]

Looks like a good bunch of dives. Hope you see hammerheads on the Molokai dive.

Never turn down a chance to dive at any spot during whale season. You don't know what you'll see.

P.S. go for the 100 cf tanks when on the shark dive, you'll be glad to have the extra time.

 

[DiveMaven]

Regardless of your tank size, your Molokai dives will be limited by the biggest breather in the group. It is pure group diving with everyone in the groups getting in and out together, regardless of how much air or NDL time you might have. Pray there aren't any air hogs in your group.

As far as night diving, I know Lahaina Divers tries to do Manta Point (a cleaning station) as a first dive, and Mala Wharf as a second. Both excellent spots. If you're staying in the Lahaina area, Black Rock is an excellent night dive and you can easily go out with the dive op at the Sheraton if you don't have your own buddy.

As an experienced Maui diver, I prefer to catch a boat out of the Kihei boat ramp for Molokini and S. Maui dives (and drive from Kaanapali to do so). IMO Lahaina Divers misses some of the best dive sites on Maui by not going to S. Maui sites. As a matter of fact, I prefer most S. Maui sites to Molokini crater. Additionally, I prefer going with an operator who is geared toward the independent and experienced diver, which is why I choose Ed Robinson's. However, Mike Severns and B&B are also very highly recommended here as well.

We use Lahaina Divers for trips to Lanai, but nowhere else anymore. We're interested in the Molokai trip, but the rough crossing and the group diving has put us off enough that instead we wind up doing a 3-tank charter with Ed Robinson's on the same day.