recommendation for Maui SCUBA

[stevenq99]

To the original poster have a great time Maui diving is great! Let us know how your trip went.

 

[Shaka Doug]

I don't think it's really fair to compare private prices -- unless your prices change if more than one person is booked in.

The better bet is to select the lowest "group" price, because chances are, if only one diver signed up with Doug, yet they were willing to go as part of a group, they'd get this price (not the "private") price.

Thanks KrisB! You've made a good point here.

In case anyone is wondering, I do offer "Private Dive Excursions". I only charge 50% EXTRA for a "Private Dive". This guarantees that there will be no other divers in the group to "interfere" with your dive. I will charge you that extra 50% of the fee if you request to be on a private tour. Although I like to take a minimum of two people per tour / lesson, I will take out single divers (if that's all there is) and I only charge my regular (very reasonable) rates for those dives.

Most Dive Ops will offer a "Private Charter Rate" for their boat. For some people/groups this is worth it and they are happy to pay and get the Private Servicing. Some Dive Ops have a minimum head count to run a tour. Many times, if you are willing to pay extra on a low head count day, you can get the boat to go out regardless of the number of people on board. That's kind of how I operate.


At Shaka Divers you always get "More Bubbles for Your Bucks!!"

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

So far in '06, I have only dove with one pair of certified strangers, because they were inquiring about the scooter dive at the same time. They ended up buddies on more than that dive. Intro's and OW students are sometimes mixed, but days like Monday, with a family of 4 and 2 girlfriends, even the intro's were "private". If my certified dives are 99.9% private why would I compare to non-private prices? Many divers either do not want to shorten somebody elses dive or do not want their dive shortened by heavy breathing strangers and that wont happen with us.

I take guests to the St. Anthony 2-5 times a week, sometimes twice in the same day. Guests that get the straight out and back do not express nearly the excitement as guests going on the circuit. The reason for the circuit is to see a greater variety of life, in natural environs, like Damsels, Lionfish, Scorpionfish, big Morays and Hawaiian Squirrelfish at numerous cleaning stations. If you want to spend more time at the wreck why not do it as a boat dive? We do not get too many Northern divers at the Renaissance, but our usual guests express more than just verbal gratitude.

When swells wash out Ulua (and most of South Maui), our only shore dive is the scooter to the wreck, IF we can get out past the break. In those instances we may be able to put together single tank trips to Molokini for the Intro divers, and second two-tank trips for the extra certified divers. We will be so busy this summer that I look forward to the swell's, to rest and catch up on my photo's. The night dives and off property dives, like Makena Landing, do have 2 person minimums, with possible negotiations like Doug describes above.

Also, as the Renaissance is our "business location", it is legal for us to answer all questions, make bookings and take payment from walk-up's. I have attempted to answer Kyle's questions and civily respond to the Canadian Inquisition. There are a whole bunch of instructors in South Maui and I am now not supprised that only a handful take part in this forum.

Aloha

 

[KrisB]

So far in '06, I have only dove with one pair of certified strangers, because they were inquiring about the scooter dive at the same time. They ended up buddies on more than that dive. Intro's and OW students are sometimes mixed, but days like Monday, with a family of 4 and 2 girlfriends, even the intro's were "private". If my certified dives are 99.9% private why would I compare to non-private prices?

Here's why. Let's say two separate people ask to go diving at your 1:30 dive tomorrow. Do you book them together with the same DM? If yes, you're offering the same service as Doug (and most other dive ops) do -- filling a group at a certain price.

If you book them with separate DMs on different dives, then it's a fair comparison to Doug's private prices.

Many divers either do not want to shorten somebody elses dive or do not want their dive shortened by heavy breathing strangers and that wont happen with us.

That's probably a correct statement. However, as a diver, I like to meet other divers, especially in tropical areas. The reason is two fold -- one is that I like meeting new people; the other is that I like being able to just "buddy up" and go diving, paying only for tank fills. Truth is, many of the "unguided" dives I've done have been much more interesting than those where a DM takes a small group on a tour.

I take guests to the St. Anthony 2-5 times a week, sometimes twice in the same day. Guests that get the straight out and back do not express nearly the excitement as guests going on the circuit. The reason for the circuit is to see a greater variety of life, in natural environs, like Damsels, Lionfish, Scorpionfish, big Morays and Hawaiian Squirrelfish at numerous cleaning stations. If you want to spend more time at the wreck why not do it as a boat dive?

We could debate that one... but the bottom line is that scooter dives are usually cheaper, not to mention that (IMHO), most of the cool stuff out there is surrounding the St. Anthony -- something that a lot of boat divers miss.

We do not get too many Canadian divers at the Renaissance, but our usual guests express more than just verbal gratitude.

I've been trying to come up with a nice way of answering this, but given your closing statement, I've decided that it doesn't need too much polishing.

Let me start with a story. Four years ago, I was standing with my dad waiting for my mom and sister to exit a store on Front St. (Lahaina). We were approached by a timeshare salesman (big surprise, I know).

What came next was a bit of a surprise -- he asked where we're from, and we replied BC, Canada. He shut down pretty quick and explained that he can't sell his activities to Canadians, as we're "too smart" to buy the timeshares there. He'd offer his prices, if we'd put a deposit or something down, but other than that, it was pointless.

Perhaps your statement relates here. Us Canadians are just "too smart" to go spending more money than we have to for good products and services.

I'm not criticizing your business practice -- if I could sell $100 cups of lemonade, I would! But if questioned, I would have a hard time justifying the price -- more than 10,000% markup is just a bit extreme.

Also, as the Renaissance is our "business location", it is legal for us to answer all questions, make bookings and take payment from walk-up's.

Not sure what you're getting at here.

All I can say is that I have been to your "business location" two years ago, and wasn't impressed. I arranged to go diving with somebody I met there (buddy dive), and when he didn't show the next morning, I got a song and dance from whoever was manning the booth that boiled down to talking the guy out of it.

I'm sorry... but that wasted *my* time, especially because most of the stuff the UltraDive guy told him was related to conditions, which were looking pretty darn good, considering. And then, the UltraDive guy tried to sell me a guided tour.

So tell me... why were the conditions OK to take a paying customer on a guided tour, but poor enough to discourage someone to go diving with a buddy?

I have attempted to answer Kyle's questions and civily respond to the Canadian Inquisition.

Oooh... that wasn't the Inquisition -- it was merely some friendly questions. Just ask Doug -- he'll vouch for that!

There are a whole bunch of instructors in South Maui and I am now not supprised that only a handful take part in this forum.

Well, what you're seeing is that people on this board don't take kindly to unabashed commercial promotion... especially when you dodge some friendly questions.

BTW -- you still haven't mentioned your prices, aside from how they compare to Doug's.

 

[pterantula]

We will be in Maui 7/3 - 7/11, staying in Wailea. Eight of us are divers, two very new divers. Any great recommendations for where we should go? Also, my 9 year old wants to try SNUBA.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Kyle

Call Mike Severns Diving (mikesevernsdiving.com) - they are the best. They dive Molokini primarily, and Mike and Pauline literally wrote the book on the place.

Second, call Extended Horizons (extendedhorizons.com) in Lahaina; good folks and a professional yet fun crew, but beware - the moorings by Lanai (where they concentrate) are CHOPPY (take those Dramamine!).

Third, there are MANY other dive companies from which to choose, but they are mostly cattle cars, and I've seen them act in questionable manners.....

Cheers!

 

[rmeeks]

I was in Maui almost 2 years ago. I had a great time with Maui Dive Shop on a couple of night dives to the Molokini crater and over to Lanai (Cathedrals). I also went out a couple of times with two other outfits (no shops) right from the Kihei boat ramp (5 mins from Wailea) that were also good. I think one was Makena Charters but I'm not sure. The other I don't recall. Anyway, I had no bad experiences so its more about whether you want lots of frills and a big group (the big shops) or want a more personal experience with a boat and crew that might be a bit rougher but will take you where you want to go and spend a little extra time if everyone is good.

And, I was by myself (on business, yeah I know, rough!) so I had to go with the shops. But I saw several divers walking right through my hotel (the Wailea Marriot)and going in right off the lawn just north of the hotel. But I can't say whether it was any good.

 

[Charlie99]

Third, there are MANY other dive companies from which to choose, but they are mostly cattle cars, and I've seen them act in questionable manners.....

There are only a couple of operators that have more than 12 passengers on the boat. The only operations even close to being cattle boat operations are Lahaina Divers and Maui Dive Shop, and if one is prone to seasickness, then Lahaina Divers is the preferred operator for trips to Lanai. Maui Dive Shop runs both 12 pack boats out of Kihei boat ramp, and larger boats out of Maalea.

 

[Charlie99]

Maui has lots of good dive ops and the old "pick a random name out of the yellow pages" approach will work. Many of the dive ops have a particular personality that make them better suited for particular types of divers.

Harbors and Boat Ramps
Lahaina Harbor and Mala Ramp are in West Maui, just a few minutes from the popular Kaanapali resort area. This is the best departure point for going to Lanai. While some operators do run from Maalea or Kihei to Lanai, it's a long boat ride that will seem even longer on the return trip after the tradewinds kick up the seas in late morning. Similarly, Kihei boatramp is the closest to Molokini and driving to there is better than taking the longer boatride from Lahaina to Molokini.

Maalea Harbor is the closest departure point to Molokini for larger boats that don't run out of Kihei boat ramp.

Kihei Boat Ramp is the closest departure point for Molokini. Several 6 passenger and 12 passenger boats depart from the boat ramp.

Figure on taking about 50 minutes to get to Kihei boat ramp from Kaanapali in the morning(This assumes you stay on the highway to Keonekai Rd, just after MM9, rather than going the length of S. Kihei Rd).


Dive Operators
It's hard to find a bad operator on Maui. The choice of dive op is more a case of finding the one that best suits your personality and dive style. The character of the trips is set by both the crew and also what sort of clientele that dive ops has.

Lahaina Divers, departing from Lahaina harbor, and Maui Dive Shop (Maalea boat and check-in for the big boats; and Kihei outlet store check-in and Kihei boat ramp departure for the 12 passenger boats) are the biggest operators, with multiple boats. Lahaina Divers has the biggest boats going to Lanai and are best for those prone to seasickness. Lahaina Divers is used to working with new and occasional divers. If you are prone to seasickness, then the large Lahaina Divers boats are the preferred trip to Lanai. Maui Dive Shop runs a 1 tank trip to Molokini backwall from Kihei boatramp. Although other dive ops frequently do the backwall, this is the only trip that specifically targets it. Lahaina Diver and Maui Dive Shop are by far the biggest dive charter companies. Since there is not the same level of owner involvement in the day-to-day boat operation that you see with the smaller operators, there will be more variation in atmosphere and how things are run.

Extended Horizons is a 12 pack out of Mala Ramp. The owner often Captains the boat. They spend a lot of time talking to the divers on the trip over to Lanai in order to assign divers to 2 groups by experience level. My favorite dive op for Lanai.

Hawaiian Rafting is another 12 pack going to Lanai from Mala. The boat is not as nice as Extended Horizons ... a lot bumpier ride, and getting back onboard involves more degearing.

Mike Severns is run by Pauline, a biologist, who often DMs on her 12 passenger boat. My personal favorite. Outstanding briefings on the flora and fauna you are likely to see on each dive. Pauline is the person the other dive ops go to with their questions about marine life. In addition to the standard Molokini and S. Maui coral dominated dive sites visited by others, Mike Severns often does the 80' sand and algae dives like the tank and landing craft. If you are a fish nerd, this is definitely your boat. The captain and mate go diving during your SI, so you will have a nice long SI. They also do a lot of exploration to find new dive sites. DMs don't rush you out of the water, and I've done lots of 60+ minute dives with them, both at Molokini and S. Maui. Highly recommended.

Ed Robinson Dive Adventures runs two 12 passenger boats out of Kihei boatramp. Another class operation. They tend towards more aggressive dive profiles than other operators. Their 3 tank dive trip typically starts off with a drop down to 130' to either check out some black coral and a shark condo, or to another spot to see some long finned anthias. I've also hit those same spots a couple times with ERDA on their normal 2 tank trips. As with other 12 px boats, they split into two groups of 6 based on experience level. They also run from Kihei to Lanai a couple times per week, but I prefer to drive to Lahaina and take the shorter ride with Extended Horizons.

ProDiver Maui has a full-sized 34' boat run as a 6 pack. It changed ownership in mid-2004. Under the former owner-operator it was my personal favorite, but I stopped using them while the new owners and DMs climbed the learning curve. Also, unlike the previous owner that actively discouraged bookings by inexperienced divers, the new owners seemed to book anybody that came along. On a 6 pack, where everyone on the boat dives in the same group, this is more of a problem than on a 12 px boat that gets split into two groups by experience level. Earliest departure. Often returns as early as 10:30-11AM, which works out well for divers with non-diving spouses.

B&B Scuba runs a 12 passenger jet-boat out of Kihei boat ramp. B&B is the #1favorite of many others on Scubaboard, but in my list comes in as a close #3, right behind Mike Severns and Ed Robinson. Generally departs a while after ProDiver, but it's a tossup as to who gets to Molokini first. There are usually several DMs and instructors onboard. This boat does well with new divers and infrequent divers. Dives tended to be about 45 minutes long.

Scuba Shack also runs a a 12 passenger jet-boat similar to B&B. Both Capt Darryl and the owner, Charlie, are interesting characters. Due to crowded boat an awkward exit gate, and weird vibes from the owner, it isn't one of my favorites.

Dive and Sea Maui is a 6 pack owner-operator boat, smaller than ProDiver, running out of Kihei boat ramp. Unlike Prodiver, it doesn't have a head. I had a good time on the only trip I've taken with them.


Maui Diamond II runs out of Maalaea Harbor. I've only been on this boat one time, and didn't return after 2 lackluster dives from the same mooring buoy inside the crater with a DM that seemed to be lost. Maui Diamond II is also the boat that left 8 divers in the water for 5 hours after a Molokini dive in Feb '03.

The snorkel excursion boats such as Teralani and the Trilogy boats offer diving on their excursions to Molokini and Lanai. Often, the divers are non-certified divers doing a "discover scuba" dive, so the dive spots are chosen for depth and safety instead of attractiveness. When taking houseguests or family out on these trips, I just snorkel with them rather than going diving.

--------------------------------

All dive ops will have good days and bad days. Different people weight different aspects of a dive trip differently. Many posts on SB are simply "XXX dive op is great!", without comparison to others. The above comments are an attempt to highlight the differences between the various operators.

Charlie Allen

 

[kidspot]

Charlie - that is probably the best write up I've ever seen on the Maui boat ops - worth saving for future linking too IMHO.

Mahalo, Tim

 

[pterantula]

That ruled, Charlie, thanx for the breakdown (and nice to know I'm right about Pauline & MSD! They rock.). When I was planning my trip I was basically throwing darts at a phone book, but a friend of a friend works for one of the boats I booked, and I had great dives (10 in 6 days).