Walking distance from resorts?

[mo4391]

Hi there. My wife and I are planning a last minute trip to Maui. We are not very familiar with the different areas and are trying to do a lot of research in a short amount of time. I was hoping some of the local experts here might be able to lead us in the right direction.

We're probably going to be staying in either the Lahaina area or Kihei. Are any of the resorts around Lahaina in walking distance to any of the dive operators? We were hoping to not have to rent a car. Same question for Kihei, though it is my understanding that there aren't really any "resorts" in Kihei.

Our main focus on this trip is to enjoy the beach and the local flavor and mix in probably 2 days of diving.

Thank you in advance for your feedback.

 

[StuartT]

Hi there. My wife and I are planning a last minute trip to Maui. We are not very familiar with the different areas and are trying to do a lot of research in a short amount of time. I was hoping some of the local experts here might be able to lead us in the right direction.

We're probably going to be staying in either the Lahaina area or Kihei. Are any of the resorts around Lahaina in walking distance to any of the dive operators? We were hoping to not have to rent a car. Same question for Kihei, though it is my understanding that there aren't really any "resorts" in Kihei.

Our main focus on this trip is to enjoy the beach and the local flavor and mix in probably 2 days of diving.

Thank you in advance for your feedback.

Maui revealed is an excellent resourse for everything Maui. You will definitely want to have a car in Maui as there is so much to do and see and the public transport is not the greatest and taxis are expensive. Car rentals are very cheap in the 150-200/week range. In the Kehei area most of the dive ops leave from the Kehei boat launch for their dives. There are condos but not hotels within walking distance. I guess you could stay in Lahaina and dive out of that area and probably get away without a car but having never stayed there can't really comment. Wailea is a nicer area than Kehei and there are lots of resorts there. Four Seasons, Grand Wailea, Fairmont, Marriot to name a few. You can shore dive right off the beaches in Wailea and those are usually the 2nd dive on most of the boat charters anyway. South Maui has some of the nicest beaches in the world. I usually rent tanks and weights from Maui dreams in Kehei who have great prices. Also Shaka Doug on this board does guided shore dives and would probably pick you up if you are staying in Kehei or Wailea(double check with him)

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Well for starters, there aren't really any resorts in Lahaina either.

What kind of diving are you looking to do on those two dive days?

IMHO, all decent beach resorts worthy of the title Beach Resort have a beach dive operator on site. There are really only 4-ish decent beach resort areas on Maui for divers; Kapalua, North Ka'anapali Beach, Ka'anapali Beach and Wailea.

In the summer, Kapalua typically has the best diving conditions, but the best diving is not really easy to access; scooter and kayak dives with the Kapalua Resort Operator are expensive but rewarding for the right divers. That said, Kapalua Bay is usually a very nice dive in/beyond the channel.

North Beach is easy diving for most, but there are times when guests to the North Beach Resort Operators have to fight some current to get back to shore; scooter dives are popular.

Ka'anapali Beach has the most resorts of any of Maui's resort areas, and may have more Resort Operators than any Maui resort area, but the only really good dive is Black Rock, and Black Rock is really only a good night dive for most experienced divers. Scooter Dives...

Wailea is more dive resort-ish, but still not. The Wailea Beach Marriot, which is not on any beach but is "close" to Wailea Beach, mostly dives just to the North of Wailea Beach (Three Sisters). This is the site of the most recent beach resort-ish development, Wailea Villas, and the toxic runoff from that construction pretty much killed the reef, but there are still turtles. The Grand Wailea is smack dab in the middle of Wailea Beach and takes students/Intro's North to Three Sisters and takes experienced divers South to Wailea Point. The Four Seasons is at the South end of Wailea Beach and takes most of it's divers to Wailea Point. The Kea Lani, which is now managed by Fairmont, takes most of it's divers North from Polo Beach.

Maui Revealed is reviled by many Maui adventurers. The recommendations in that silly book have caused numerous areas to be closed to the public. Many of the "trails" described are across private property and due to tourists blundering around looking for hidden waterfalls many private landowners have shored up their fences and blocked previously secret locals only access.

One extreme closure is the 'Ahihi-Kina'u Natural Area Reserve. This area is closed to humans because of Maui Revealed!

`Ahihi-Kina`u — Department of Land and Natural Resources

 

[mo4391]

Thank you for the feedback. So if I'm reading into your post correctly halemano it sounds like the resort dive operations don't really provide the best diving experiences.

As for the type of diving we're looking to do, I was thinking more towards boat diving, though I wouldn't rule out shore diving. From what I've read so far it sounds like a trip to Molokini is a must. I'm thinking I want to stay away from the scooter diving on this trip. This will be our third dive vacation. We spent the first one getting OW certified and the second one getting deep dive, night dive and drift dive certified. We kinda want to avoid having to do any reading/test taking on this trip.

As I've researched a bit more today I should probably adjust my original post. I should have said hotel or condo on the beach rather than resort. I know this is getting more into asking for trip advice than dive advice, but any feedback would be greatly appreciated. We're looking for a nice beach somewhere where we can experience a bit of the local flavor rather than just the touristy/resort scene. We will be renting a car now so walking distance to the dive boats isn't a necessity anymore, but we'd like to still be close by considering the 6:30 am boat launches. A nice shopping and restaurant scene close by would be good too. From what I've read I though Lahaina or Kihei fit that description. Am I correct in that assumption?

Thank you again for any input that can be provided.

 

[TSandM]

If you're interested in Molokini, I'd stay in the Wailea area. There are a lot of condo complexes along the beach, and you'll be close to the Kihei boat ramp for the early departure for the crater. There is also very good shore diving in the Wailea area -- Ulua Beach is a very good one for relatively novice divers, and if you want a guide, Shaka Doug here on this board does professional shore dive guiding in the Wailea area.

 

[pjhansman]

Most of the condos in Kihei aren't on the beach, but it isn't really an issue. There are nice condos in the south end of Kihei that are also walking distance to the boat launch.

However, I would also agree that you definately want a car for any Maui visit. There's lots to see and do besides diving (blasphamous as that may sound ).

 

[diverdiane]

You will save a lot of money by staying in a condo rather than at a resort. Check out VRBO.com for good last minute deals.

 

[mo4391]

That you everyone for your feedback. We actually made the decision to go to Playa del Carmen/Cozumel for this trip rather that Maui. We needed to make our reservations quickly and didn't have the time to research Maui as well as I would have liked. I will definitely keep this information in mind when we do get to making a trip the Maui.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Thank you for the feedback. So if I'm reading into your post correctly halemano it sounds like the resort dive operations don't really provide the best diving experiences.

As for the type of diving we're looking to do, I was thinking more towards boat diving, though I wouldn't rule out shore diving.

Not that it matters to the OP now, but for all those lurkers who are following this thread;

The original post asked about dive operators in walking distance from Lahaina and Kihei resorts; I answered that question as closely as possible. There are some experienced Maui vacation divers who will ONLY dive with Paul at Kapalua Dive. Nearly every resort operation has guides with similar, satisfied, regular cliental. :kiss2:

Everybody is different and every day underwater is different. I have been told a number of times that my customers thought their Wailea shore dive(s) were better than their Molokini boat dives. Some days the worst dive site in Maui County (Three Sisters?) has THE MOST cool animals! And a resort guide rarely hits the water before 7:30 AM, which is nice after listening to Willie K the night before.

There are plenty of Wailea resort guests who are not bothering with boat diving because the shore diving is good enough. Summer is when the big surf swells come from the South, so sometimes shore diving South Maui in the Summer is not good enough, then Molokini is better.