Molokini back wall

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pdxgal

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Location
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How advanced really is Molokini? I have done some drift diving in Cozumel and Belize, and deep dives in Saba.

Signed,

Only 20 dives under my belt (but deep diving certification is one of them)
 
What makes the back wall an advanced dive is the condition of the unknown currents that can change or be a bit swift. If you have a good dive operation they will not go if the current is too swift. With the clear blue water divers often find themselves going way deeper than they anticipated. If you have good buoyancy you probably wouldn't have an issue.
 
I had trouble in Sept 2013 on the surface recovery post-dive, with the current/swells pushing me nearly into the submerged rocks &'reefs at far end of the backwall crater. The dive boat had to throw me a line and tow me out some ways before coming back around to pick me up safely. Impressively clear & deep visibility wall-dive though, with good schooling fish and marine life all around. . .
 
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You need to pay attention to the dive briefing and do what they say, especially since it will be a bit of a unique dive. There can be interesting and strong currents, so you need to pay attention and be competent in that situation. And as Kevrumbo describes, getting out can be tricky. The idea is to get yourself far enough away from the wall because they can't bring the boat too close, in the interest of avoiding smushed boat or divers. We were told to do this underwater, basically do our ascent at an angle kicking away from the crater, rather than coming straight up then trying to swim away. When we did it people ascended in teams as they ran low on air and the boat picked up as folks popped up, it wasn't a herd ascent.

We actually temporarily lost someone on this dive, no fault of the op - they carried no signaling devices, surfaced alone, freaked out that they weren't picked up immediately, and instead of waiting as told swam towards one of those big snorkeling cats that was nearby. Her husband was back on board and had no idea where she was. Once they started looking it wasn't too hard to guess where she might be (then the other boat signaled.) Conditions were rough enough by then that we couldn't easily transfer someone (and possibly they didn't trust her not to mess up again.) We had to meet back near the shelter of the main island to get her back on the right boat.

Aside from the scenery, flying around the crater was way cool.
 
One of the most amazing dives ever for me was scootering all the way around the crater as the first diver in the morning. We must of seen at least 30 different sharks that morning of different species. I agree with Damselfish, you need to get away from the wall and swim out into the open ocean when you get to 700 psi and deploy your sausage and wait for the boat to pick you up. Some people are not comfortable with going up by themselves. It is a good idea to coordinate with your dive buddy to just go up with who ever gets low on air first.
 
Thanks all. I have 6 days in Maui and was considering doing it but only if it's worth the hassle....meaning getting up at 7am while I'm on vacation, fighting the difficulties of the site and so forth.
 
I think ultimately what makes it an advanced dive is the combination of live boat diving and amazing visibility. The challenges of live boat diving at Molokini mean that you're required to do your safety stop out in blue water, potentially without any land reference and definitely without any lines. Boats cannot moor out at Molokini, so there's no line to follow to the boat, and in order to be picked up safely, you have to swim away from the crater, often losing sight of it during your safety stop. Without experience and excellent bouyancy control, this skill can be a nightmare for folks.

Then there's the super clear water that is so deceptive we've seen divers drop below 100' (or more) without realizing how deep they are. Again, without good bouyancy control, you can find yourself starting a dive at 60' and within minutes you're at 100' and don't realize it.

Another thing about getting on a dive boat is that most out of the Kihei boat ramp will do Molokini for the first dive (not always the backwall, depends who you go out with) and the second dive is somewhere along the shore line of S. Maui. There are some excellent dive sites in S. Maui that IMO are better than Molokini, so keep that in mind when you're considering whether or not to book a charter or two.

Oh and pdxgal, you wouldn't be getting up at 7am to dive Molokini...think more like 5:30 or 6:00. But with the 3 hour difference between Portland and Maui, it really isn't as painful as you might think. Plan a dive charter or two at the start of your trip and you won't feel like you're getting up at a crazy early hour. :wink:

IMO, getting on a charter with an excellent dive guide in Maui is a "must" for anyone who hasn't dove there before. Second best would be to hire an excellent dive guide for shore diving. And best of all would be to do a charter AND shore dive!
 
Oh and pdxgal, you wouldn't be getting up at 7am to dive Molokini...think more like 5:30 or 6:00. But with the 3 hour difference between Portland and Maui, it really isn't as painful as you might think. Plan a dive charter or two at the start of your trip and you won't feel like you're getting up at a crazy early hour. :wink:

IMO, getting on a charter with an excellent dive guide in Maui is a "must" for anyone who hasn't dove there before. Second best would be to hire an excellent dive guide for shore diving. And best of all would be to do a charter AND shore dive!

Haha. I am doing 4 tanks on the Big Island at the start of the trip!
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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