Wide Angle Underwater Photography in Maui

[Cheryl Goh]

Hi everyone!

I am flying from Malaysia to Maui the first week of September would like to know which dive sites are great for underwater photography. I use a DSLR and have done close to 700 dives.

Back home, we have lots of green turtles and mantas but I’d love to photograph a monk seal, larger sharks, wrecks (especially planes) and sites with interesting topography.

Could someone recommend
1) dives sites
2) photography friendly dive operators

I might do a shore dive or two and am also looking for dive buddies who knows the sites well. Happy to pay/tip!

Thanks so much!

 

[Deinonych]

Monk seals are few and far between on Maui in my experience. Best opportunities for photographing them is out on Ni'ihau and to a lesser extent, Kaua'i. Same goes for larger sharks; you'll mostly see Whitetip and Grey Reef Sharks on Maui (and more frequently out on Molokini).

As far as wrecks go, there are a few in South Maui - Triple Anchors, St. Anthony and Helldiver are three notable wreck sites easily accessible from Kihei. The Carthaginian II wreck is a short boat ride out of Lahaina on the west side. As far as operators go, I'm partial to Ed Robinson's. The owner is a photographer and they are very accommodating to fellow photographers. They offer more advanced dives a few days of the week for divers who want to see less frequently dived sites. Highly recommended.

 

[DiveMaven]

There are a couple of other wrecks from WWII known as Tank and Landing Craft in S. Maui. I don’t know who all goes there besides Ed Robinson’s though. A dive site called 85 would also be an great site for wide angle shots as it’s a large rock pinnacle out in the middle of the sand. Very picturesque and beautiful, though deep (85 feet) so Nitrox is highly recommended. When conditions allow, Ed Robinson’s goes there on the 3 tank days, and sometimes on a Friday Adventure day where they’ll split the 2nd tank be going to 85 for 1500psi or 20 min, then a shallow site like Red Hill to finish the tank.

 

[Cheryl Goh]

I’ve emailed Ed Robinson’s twice but they didn’t reply. Let me try again, maybe 3rd time is the charm.

Thanks for the feedback guys. Super excited

 

[DiveMaven]

Try: Robyn@mauiscuba.com Robyn does all of the bookings, etc. be aware that they just left for 10 days in Wakatobi so it might be a bit before you get a reply.