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Maui Dive Report Lahaina Divers & Ed Robinsons Diving Adventures
Day 1 (Lahaina Divers):
Location: Manta Point
I boarded the fairly large LD boat with approximately 15 other people. My DM for the dive was Chris. Chris gave us a LONG pre-dive briefing. The boat was nice and had all of the accommodations you could ask for.
I dont recall the names of the other DMs but there were at least two others as well as the Boat Captain.
This was my first dive in Maui. The initial dive took place a bit later in the day (5:00). We were told to cross our fingers and expect to see maybe 1 or 2 large Manta Rays. Everyone was surprised when we had multiple sightings of 16-20. It was absolutely fantastic. They were really easy to see as it was obviously still light out.
Chris was great about pointing out various critters and did a good job of leading the dive.
Location: Mala Pier
We again received another great pre-dive briefing.
This was their once a week night dive trip. It took place at the old Mala Pier that had collapsed onto the sea floor. This was a great environment for all types of critters.
This was more of an individual type dive without any real direction. Being that this was my first time to this site and because it was night, I would have preferred a bit more direction but none the less, it was an alright dive. I came across at least one White Tip Shark and a couple of turtles but not much more than that.
Too be honest, I was a little bored with the dive. I probably would have rather dove during the day. This wasnt any fault of LD, I just wasnt excited with the dive.
On both dives LD provided us with snacks and took care of our needs.
Day 2 (Ed Robinson):
Location: The Apartments
My first introduction to the Ed Robinson operation was by the Boat Captain Byrd and my DM Kim. Both have worked for Ed for years and years and really make you feel comfortable.
We were greeted at the boat launch by Ed Robinson himself. He was sure to introduce himself and actually spent a good amount of time introducing himself. One thing that I really remember about the conversation was that Ed said where do you guys want to go today? He then said, even more importantly, we want to make sure that we dont go anywhere where you guys dont want to go. This was fantastic and to be honest, Im not sure that Ive ever heard anyone else say it like that. I really felt like I had an option.
Nobody really spoke up of course but Ed started talking about our first dive location The Apartments. He made it sound fantastic so we all decided that we should head there first as its a deeper dive.
The dive didnt disappoint. There were rock formations scattered throughout the dive. Hence the name The Apartments. The dive was fantastic. We came across a Long Nose Hawk Fish and Yellow Stripe Coris. It was also cool to hear the whales singing.
Location: Molokini Back Wall
This was another great dive. There wasnt any shortage of things to see from huge lobsters to eels etc. We continued to hear the whales singing. For those of you that havent been to the back wall, its pretty cool. Its a straight drop down 250 or so feet. Based on what others on the dive said, there is always things to see.
Its a nice drift dive.
Location: Red Hill
This was our last dive of the day. At a max depth of 46 feet, its a pretty simple dive. This was probably my least favorite dive of the day but what do you expect for the final dive? Either way, there was a large pass-through type cave that we went through that was pretty cool but other than that there wasnt much too it.
I was really impressed with Ed Robinson Diving Adventures throughout the day. They fed us all and really took care of us. This was a true valet type dive. You didnt have to lift a finger with your equipment, camera etc. It was great. To be honest, the Ed Robinson team really made things seem like a family outing. They really take care of you.
Ive never seen a more thorough dive briefing, first from the Boat Captain Byrd and then by the DM. They complimented each other on what to look out for etc. They even broke out the book with pictures prior to the dive and reviewed the hand signals that they would be using for those particular fish.
Day 3 (Ed Robinson):
Location: Molokini Reef End
On the boat this day we were joined by Ed Robinson as well as DM Kim and Boat Captain Byrd. There was an additional DM named Tiffany and another gentleman that I cant recall his name. There were a total of 11 divers on the boat.
This was again another great experience in the way dive charters should go. Ed was sure to ask everyone where we wanted to dive and the places to avoid. The decision was made to head to Reef End off of Molokini.
This was a pretty good dive and had quite a bit of sea life. We were all joined by a white tip shark. They seem to be all too common on these dives?
Location: Hawaiian Reef
Because the dive area was fairly small for this dive the crew decided to turn our final tank of the day into a split dive. How many companies would do that?
This particular dive was fantastic as it had a TON of sea life. The great thing about this dive is that there are only a couple of large formations and because everything surrounding them is sand, the fish all stick to this one area. Great dive.
Location: Hola Point
This was our final dive of the day and was pretty good. There were a number of turtles but that was about it. It was a good dive to finish off the third tank.
This was my final dive all together with the Ed Robinson crew.
Day 4 (Lahaina Divers):
Location: First Cathedral (Lanai)
This was an awesome dive solely based on diving into the cathedral. It was absolutely beautiful.
The DM on this day for LD was Todd. He was great. Evidently, he owns his own diving shop on the North Shore. He was excellent, before, after and during the dives.
Location: No Name Reef (Lanai)
This was a pretty good dive as well. Lots of structures, out-croppings etc. I really enjoyed it. There was a good amount of sea life as well.
Today was a little negative as I checked in at the shop first thing this morning and was greeted by someone with a less than stellar attitude. I asked her if I needed to get my wetsuit and she acted like I was a jerk for being there. Granted, I didnt walk in, introduce myself and explain the whole story but at the same time, it wasnt the best customer service I had seen, believe me. We finally got to the point to where I needed to get my wetsuit and she told me that I would need to go back and get it, pointing to the backroom of their shop where they keep their rental equipment.
I wasnt overly impressed by the experience and it really put a bad taste in my mouth from the get go.
The day did get better though as I realize that her negative attitude wasnt shared by everyone at LD, especially Todd.
Day 4 (Lahaina Divers):
Location: Fish Rain (2x) (Molokai)
Diving Molokai was fantastic! Just as the name indicates, it literally rained huge schools of fish.
The ride out there was particularly rough and took about an hour or so. However, it was well worth it after seeing multiple Hammerhead sharks.
What a fantastic dive. I couldnt have been more impressed with the dive crew. My DM was Todd. As mentioned earlier I dove with him earlier in the week. Hes great.
Not only is he incredibly friendly, hes extremely knowledgeable and is clearly interested in making sure that you have a great dive and have all of the knowledge possible.
In Summary ..
Ed Robinsons Diving Adventures is an awesome operation. I cant think of a single negative thing about the entire trip. As mentioned before, they really made the adventure seem like a family trip. They treated me absolutely fantastic. They treated me so well, I wanted to help, hopefully that makes sense. I watched them interact with the other divers as well and I saw the same consistently great service with everyone.
Ed has clearly set the standard. I interacted mainly with Kim and Byrd. Both have worked for Ed for a LONG time. I know Kim mentioned something like 18 years. (BTW, she mentioned that she has logged over 9,000 dives!) Both were great folks and although Im sure they get tired of dealing with customers like anyone does in the customer service industry, they never showed it. They were so knowledgeable and helpful, I cant say enough.
I would highly recommend them to anyone.
As for Lahaina Divers. I was also impressed with their folks. They were really friendly and helpful. In comparison to Ed Robinson, Id have to say that LD is more interested quantity verses quality. Now, that doesnt mean that I had a bad time nor does it mean that I wouldnt dive with them again. Im simply comparing them side by side with Ed.
I really enjoyed all aspects of LD and was especially impressed with the DMs. They had excellent briefings, both pre-dive and post-dive. I really enjoyed my experience with them and would recommend them as well.
I can almost promise you a good time if youre with Todd or Chris. They were excellent.
I will add though, on our trip to Molokai there was only like 8 or so divers, so the quality verses quantity comment certainly wouldnt apply to that trip.
**-Ive attached some pics from my trip. Im not a photographer and dont pretend to be. But this is what I got.
Day 1 (Lahaina Divers):
Location: Manta Point
I boarded the fairly large LD boat with approximately 15 other people. My DM for the dive was Chris. Chris gave us a LONG pre-dive briefing. The boat was nice and had all of the accommodations you could ask for.
I dont recall the names of the other DMs but there were at least two others as well as the Boat Captain.
This was my first dive in Maui. The initial dive took place a bit later in the day (5:00). We were told to cross our fingers and expect to see maybe 1 or 2 large Manta Rays. Everyone was surprised when we had multiple sightings of 16-20. It was absolutely fantastic. They were really easy to see as it was obviously still light out.
Chris was great about pointing out various critters and did a good job of leading the dive.
Location: Mala Pier
We again received another great pre-dive briefing.
This was their once a week night dive trip. It took place at the old Mala Pier that had collapsed onto the sea floor. This was a great environment for all types of critters.
This was more of an individual type dive without any real direction. Being that this was my first time to this site and because it was night, I would have preferred a bit more direction but none the less, it was an alright dive. I came across at least one White Tip Shark and a couple of turtles but not much more than that.
Too be honest, I was a little bored with the dive. I probably would have rather dove during the day. This wasnt any fault of LD, I just wasnt excited with the dive.
On both dives LD provided us with snacks and took care of our needs.
Day 2 (Ed Robinson):
Location: The Apartments
My first introduction to the Ed Robinson operation was by the Boat Captain Byrd and my DM Kim. Both have worked for Ed for years and years and really make you feel comfortable.
We were greeted at the boat launch by Ed Robinson himself. He was sure to introduce himself and actually spent a good amount of time introducing himself. One thing that I really remember about the conversation was that Ed said where do you guys want to go today? He then said, even more importantly, we want to make sure that we dont go anywhere where you guys dont want to go. This was fantastic and to be honest, Im not sure that Ive ever heard anyone else say it like that. I really felt like I had an option.
Nobody really spoke up of course but Ed started talking about our first dive location The Apartments. He made it sound fantastic so we all decided that we should head there first as its a deeper dive.
The dive didnt disappoint. There were rock formations scattered throughout the dive. Hence the name The Apartments. The dive was fantastic. We came across a Long Nose Hawk Fish and Yellow Stripe Coris. It was also cool to hear the whales singing.
Location: Molokini Back Wall
This was another great dive. There wasnt any shortage of things to see from huge lobsters to eels etc. We continued to hear the whales singing. For those of you that havent been to the back wall, its pretty cool. Its a straight drop down 250 or so feet. Based on what others on the dive said, there is always things to see.
Its a nice drift dive.
Location: Red Hill
This was our last dive of the day. At a max depth of 46 feet, its a pretty simple dive. This was probably my least favorite dive of the day but what do you expect for the final dive? Either way, there was a large pass-through type cave that we went through that was pretty cool but other than that there wasnt much too it.
I was really impressed with Ed Robinson Diving Adventures throughout the day. They fed us all and really took care of us. This was a true valet type dive. You didnt have to lift a finger with your equipment, camera etc. It was great. To be honest, the Ed Robinson team really made things seem like a family outing. They really take care of you.
Ive never seen a more thorough dive briefing, first from the Boat Captain Byrd and then by the DM. They complimented each other on what to look out for etc. They even broke out the book with pictures prior to the dive and reviewed the hand signals that they would be using for those particular fish.
Day 3 (Ed Robinson):
Location: Molokini Reef End
On the boat this day we were joined by Ed Robinson as well as DM Kim and Boat Captain Byrd. There was an additional DM named Tiffany and another gentleman that I cant recall his name. There were a total of 11 divers on the boat.
This was again another great experience in the way dive charters should go. Ed was sure to ask everyone where we wanted to dive and the places to avoid. The decision was made to head to Reef End off of Molokini.
This was a pretty good dive and had quite a bit of sea life. We were all joined by a white tip shark. They seem to be all too common on these dives?
Location: Hawaiian Reef
Because the dive area was fairly small for this dive the crew decided to turn our final tank of the day into a split dive. How many companies would do that?
This particular dive was fantastic as it had a TON of sea life. The great thing about this dive is that there are only a couple of large formations and because everything surrounding them is sand, the fish all stick to this one area. Great dive.
Location: Hola Point
This was our final dive of the day and was pretty good. There were a number of turtles but that was about it. It was a good dive to finish off the third tank.
This was my final dive all together with the Ed Robinson crew.
Day 4 (Lahaina Divers):
Location: First Cathedral (Lanai)
This was an awesome dive solely based on diving into the cathedral. It was absolutely beautiful.
The DM on this day for LD was Todd. He was great. Evidently, he owns his own diving shop on the North Shore. He was excellent, before, after and during the dives.
Location: No Name Reef (Lanai)
This was a pretty good dive as well. Lots of structures, out-croppings etc. I really enjoyed it. There was a good amount of sea life as well.
Today was a little negative as I checked in at the shop first thing this morning and was greeted by someone with a less than stellar attitude. I asked her if I needed to get my wetsuit and she acted like I was a jerk for being there. Granted, I didnt walk in, introduce myself and explain the whole story but at the same time, it wasnt the best customer service I had seen, believe me. We finally got to the point to where I needed to get my wetsuit and she told me that I would need to go back and get it, pointing to the backroom of their shop where they keep their rental equipment.
I wasnt overly impressed by the experience and it really put a bad taste in my mouth from the get go.
The day did get better though as I realize that her negative attitude wasnt shared by everyone at LD, especially Todd.
Day 4 (Lahaina Divers):
Location: Fish Rain (2x) (Molokai)
Diving Molokai was fantastic! Just as the name indicates, it literally rained huge schools of fish.
The ride out there was particularly rough and took about an hour or so. However, it was well worth it after seeing multiple Hammerhead sharks.
What a fantastic dive. I couldnt have been more impressed with the dive crew. My DM was Todd. As mentioned earlier I dove with him earlier in the week. Hes great.
Not only is he incredibly friendly, hes extremely knowledgeable and is clearly interested in making sure that you have a great dive and have all of the knowledge possible.
In Summary ..
Ed Robinsons Diving Adventures is an awesome operation. I cant think of a single negative thing about the entire trip. As mentioned before, they really made the adventure seem like a family trip. They treated me absolutely fantastic. They treated me so well, I wanted to help, hopefully that makes sense. I watched them interact with the other divers as well and I saw the same consistently great service with everyone.
Ed has clearly set the standard. I interacted mainly with Kim and Byrd. Both have worked for Ed for a LONG time. I know Kim mentioned something like 18 years. (BTW, she mentioned that she has logged over 9,000 dives!) Both were great folks and although Im sure they get tired of dealing with customers like anyone does in the customer service industry, they never showed it. They were so knowledgeable and helpful, I cant say enough.
I would highly recommend them to anyone.
As for Lahaina Divers. I was also impressed with their folks. They were really friendly and helpful. In comparison to Ed Robinson, Id have to say that LD is more interested quantity verses quality. Now, that doesnt mean that I had a bad time nor does it mean that I wouldnt dive with them again. Im simply comparing them side by side with Ed.
I really enjoyed all aspects of LD and was especially impressed with the DMs. They had excellent briefings, both pre-dive and post-dive. I really enjoyed my experience with them and would recommend them as well.
I can almost promise you a good time if youre with Todd or Chris. They were excellent.
I will add though, on our trip to Molokai there was only like 8 or so divers, so the quality verses quantity comment certainly wouldnt apply to that trip.
**-Ive attached some pics from my trip. Im not a photographer and dont pretend to be. But this is what I got.
