Hammerheads/ Best Dives in October?

[Pat Sharman]

Is there much in the way of odds of seeing Hammerheads that time of year, and if so, which divesite(s)?

Besides the Manta night Dive, and Blackwater Dive, are there any other "must see" dives off Maui or Kona in Oct?

Should I be reconsidering Maui? Would one of the other islands be better?

I am looking for diversity of sea life, novel species, pelagic species, Cephalopods, and of course, Sharks.

 

[Keith.M]

I'll be on Maui from 9/24 to 10/11. I plan on diving the Cathedrals off of Lanai on 10/9.

But I think they are pretty successful at seeing hammerheads off of Molokai at that time of year.

Here is the back wall of Molokini at the same time last year.

 

[Pat Sharman]

Interesting. Do you happen to know if any of the Maui Dive Ops go to Molokai?

 

[Steve Eady]

Aloha
Dive Maui does a hammerhead dive on thursdays with GREAT results. Here is there website address www,goscubadivemaui. Great people and they are very laidback. I dive with them every chance i get. Tell them Scuba Steve sent you.

Mahalo
Scuba Steve
Maui Dive Connection
Www.maidiveconnection.com

 

[diversteve]

Dive Hammerhead - Lahaina Divers

There's a site off South Kona - actually a couple where the spinner dolphins are known to show up. The shops know it.

I've never dove Oahu but you'd be pushing it to dive Kauai in Oct. the best shore dive (Tunnels Beach) and the best all day boat trip (Niihau) could be shutdown till spring by then.

Plus with Maui you get 3(4) islands, ;Lanai. West Maui, Molokini and possibly Molokai. You may want to drive between the Kihei ramp and Lahaina to do the first 3 - it's that or a long boat ride down to Molokini with Lahaina Divers a couple times a week.

The farther west you dive Lanai the more the ride gets better. We dove Sharkfin once - there must have been 1000 Moorish Idols, several thousand butterflies and about a dozen white tips all holding in the current while we flew by sort of in control.

The signature Maui dives are the Cathedrals off Lanai and the Molokini Backwall. Sometimes you'll see Mantas at one site at Molokini or there's a cleaning station at Umekahame Beach - accessible by scooter from shore or Ed Robinson's goes there.

 

[divinh]

The Hammerhead dive requires going over open water between islands and when I went, there were 7-10 ft swells that made 1/4 of the divers sick before even reaching the site. The 1/4 didn't dive upon reaching the site. Definitely take motion sickness pills, even if you're okay on most boat rides. The waves launch the boat airborne and the subsequent landing is pretty hard on backs too.

At the site, the boat also goes up/down quite a lot, so timing to swim toward the boat is crucial. They'll explain it, but the gist is waiting on a line they throw out for everyone to hold onto, then making a swim for the ladder, one at a time, when signaled, fins off and climb up the ladder fast before the wave behind you slams you into the back of the boat.

A large camera rig is best left behind.

 

[Pat Sharman]

Aloha
Dive Maui does a hammerhead dive on thursdays with GREAT results. Here is there website address www,goscubadivemaui. Great people and they are very laidback. I dive with them every chance i get. Tell them Scuba Steve sent you.

Mahalo
Scuba Steve
Maui Dive Connection
Www.maidiveconnection.com

That's very handy info, thank you.

 

[Pat Sharman]

Dive Hammerhead - Lahaina Divers

There's a site off South Kona - actually a couple where the spinner dolphins are known to show up. The shops know it.

I've never dove Oahu but you'd be pushing it to dive Kauai in Oct. the best shore dive (Tunnels Beach) and the best all day boat trip (Niihau) could be shutdown till spring by then.

Plus with Maui you get 3(4) islands, ;Lanai. West Maui, Molokini and possibly Molokai. You may want to drive between the Kihei ramp and Lahaina to do the first 3 - it's that or a long boat ride down to Molokini with Lahaina Divers a couple times a week.

The farther west you dive Lanai the more the ride gets better. We dove Sharkfin once - there must have been 1000 Moorish Idols, several thousand butterflies and about a dozen white tips all holding in the current while we flew by sort of in control.

The signature Maui dives are the Cathedrals off Lanai and the Molokini Backwall. Sometimes you'll see Mantas at one site at Molokini or there's a cleaning station at Umekahame Beach - accessible by scooter from shore or Ed Robinson's goes there.

What is it that has the Kauai sites shut down over the winter? would that affect the other islands?

 

[Pat Sharman]

The Hammerhead dive requires going over open water between islands and when I went, there were 7-10 ft swells that made 1/4 of the divers sick before even reaching the site. The 1/4 didn't dive upon reaching the site. Definitely take motion sickness pills, even if you're okay on most boat rides. The waves launch the boat airborne and the subsequent landing is pretty hard on backs too.

At the site, the boat also goes up/down quite a lot, so timing to swim toward the boat is crucial. They'll explain it, but the gist is waiting on a line they throw out for everyone to hold onto, then making a swim for the ladder, one at a time, when signaled, fins off and climb up the ladder fast before the wave behind you slams you into the back of the boat.

A large camera rig is best left behind.

Doesn't sound too different from some other dives I've done, but good to know, thanks.

 

[mcohen1021]

Is there much in the way of odds of seeing Hammerheads that time of year, and if so, which divesite(s)?

Besides the Manta night Dive, and Blackwater Dive, are there any other "must see" dives off Maui or Kona in Oct?

Should I be reconsidering Maui? Would one of the other islands be better?

I am looking for diversity of sea life, novel species, pelagic species, Cephalopods, and of course, Sharks.

The hammerhead dive with Lahaina Divers was pretty cool, but the sharks don't come in as close as I would have liked. FYI - Lahaina Divers is the only operator that guarantees you're going to make it to Molokai.

Here's a Maui video I took:
if you want sharks sharks and more sharks, Socorro is the place for you. Here's my video from my trip in April 2019: