Maui Dive Report

[landlubber]

I have dove maui extensively in the past but not in the last 6-7 years.I could fit one dive in my week there and besides the tsunami day and the crappy trade wind days that followed, it ended up being the thurday after tsunami saturday.I usually go out with MAUI DIVE+SEA but john and emi didn't have anyone else booked that day and recommended MIKE SEVERNS i took there advice and for the 1st time went out with them. they have a nice large boat that easily accomodated the 12 divers we had on board the crew was ALL extremly helpful and friendly.On the way to molikini they asked everyone what dive they would like to do this not being my 1st rodeo out there I suggested reefs end finishing over the back wall(my favorite!)most of the other divers shrugged there shoulders as this would be their 1st dives out there,so then when our divemaster started doing an instruction on garden eel behaviour i knew we were going to dive the inside sand flats of the crater.....sure enough we descended over the sand this is when i realized i was on a newbie charter as everyone else had trouble descending and severe bouyancy issues I'm not cousteau mind you but i was compared to these guys....we found 2 resting whitetips in a small coral cave right away and as the rest of the group went to play in the sand i scooted over to admire the wall of damsels and angels that hover everywhere over the descending edge of the reef even after 6-7 years the fish are still plentiful and large at molikini it was good to see.after most of the group finished mucking about in the mud i found a Large yellowmargin eel out hunting.I admit when we got on the boat i was steaming a bit as I didn't like paying $160 to go out to molikini to spend 20 mins watching garden eels in the sand.....after talking with some of the crew i realized that i just ended up on the wrong boat as everyone elses experience level on the boat didn't warrant a more advanced dive...luck of the draw i guess...definitly no fault of mike severns crew.
of course what happened 5 minutes after we surfaced a mother, baby and escort humpback cruises right over reefs end and then headed out for deeper water close but no cigar.we headed over to our next dive kamaole 1 +2 the conditions allowed access to this dive,on the way over we ran into a pod of at least 100 spinner dolphins.
this dive site had a turtle cleaning station ran by these back + purple damsel(or surgeon?)fish they were having quite a feast on the shells of 3 green sea tutles 2 males rivalled the largest i have ever seen,while cruising around we discovered a little octopus this reef was quite healthy even with the proximity of shore.
After diving with Mike Severns I would reccomend them they were spectacular with the newer divers,but after being spoiled by john and emi(Dive an Sea) for so many years it was tough to be patient and have to settle for subpar dive sites.
On a personal note John and Emi donated there boat and time to my family for a funeral at sea the day before I still can't thank them enough.

 

[TSandM]

Wow -- I think that's an unusual experience. When we have been out on the Mike Severns boat, there have always been enough experienced divers to make one group of them, and another group with whatever novices are on the boat. Sorry that wasn't true for you!

But I can always make a nice dive out of whatever they give us to do, so long as I don't have to go up with the novices when they run low on gas. That has never been the MS policy; has it changed?

 

[landlubber]

no they let me use almost a full tank both dives,they sent the super-suckers up way
before me,they were great just dissapointed in the molokini dive

 

[TSandM]

You know, the first dive I did in Molokini was magical. I remember rolling over and looking up through what seemed like a kaleidoscope of fish. I don't know if I hit an unusually wonderful day, or if things have changed, but none of my subsequent Molokini dives have been memorable, which is why I do a lot of shore diving on Maui.

 

[Buttons]

landlubber & TSandM,

I will be on my honeymoon in Maui for a week and Oahu for a week during September of this year and have been looking through posts to find good Dive Tours for those Islands. I just googled Maui Dive and Sea (Is this the correct one your talking about?) to find more information and it says "Place Closed". Is this true? Could you provide their contact information? Any other Dive Tours you would recommend for Advanced Certified divers with about 35 dives under the belt? Thanks.

~ Can you tell... I'm new at this ~

 

[ScubaTim]

I think you have to point out what experience you have and what you are looking for way before getting on the boat. Speaking as one who has done his first open water dive in Maui and 200th dive off Maui. Ed Robinson walked us through both situations and sent groups where we were comfortable - and most important the dive masters were ready for our experience. You pay way too much to not be taken safely care of when so many opps will just take of you - ask lots of questions! they will respect you for asking!

 

[DiveMaven]

Having 35 dives and advanced certification doesn't tell anyone much. Where those 35 dives have been is important information. For instance, there was a lady on a Maui dive boat who went on and on that she had over 200 dives, but nearly ALL of them were in an aquarium and in less than 30 feet of water. She had never been in the ocean and never dived off a boat (and freaked out). We were also on a boat with a guy who talked about being an "advanced" diver, only to find out that yeah, he had over 100 dives....all in an Indiana quarry!!

There are dives on Maui that require you to be familiar with boarding a live boat (not tied or anchored) in potentially rough water, be comfortable with mid-water safety stops (no line), leaving the group and doing your safety stop in your buddy pair, being responsible for your own depth/air/time management (independent diver), and be comfortable waiting on the surface for potentially 10 minutes waiting to be picked up.

If you aren't experienced enough or comfortable with these factors, you need to tell your dive operator so they can either accommodate you, or so you can pick a dive operation better suited to your needs. You also might want to consider shore diving with a guide. The most commonly recommended (Kihei) Maui dive operators are: B&B, Mike Severns, and Ed Robinsons for boat diving; or Shaka Doug for shore diving.

I'd say (based on what's been posted previously) that B&B is the better choice for the less experienced diver than Mike Severns or Ed Robinsons.

 

[landlubber]

hello
no they are not closed in fact they have a new 12 person boat that rivals any other dive boat in kihei, their ph#808-874-1952 I have dove a lot(probably 60-70 dives)with dive and sea and cannot reccomend them enough they will dive(conditions permitting)where you want and if you are not sure they will take you to a place beffiting your experience.they let you use your tank of air not when the 1st person is done everybody up,an added bonus is john and emi are 2 of the best underwater photographers I have seen.maui for a honeymoon is a great choice,most people stay in kaanapali but it usually rains a bit there,kihei is where the best beaches are and rarely rains the drawback is the trade winds can pick a bit in the afternoons(in kihei).

 

[landlubber]

tsandm is that a borg cupcake???
thats awsome!!!

 

[Buttons]

DiveMaven,
Thank you much! You brought up many excellent points which I hadn't even thought of. Just goes to show how inexperienced I am.

landlubber,
Thank you for the info.