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I am an American PADI MSDT, gas blender, and marine biologist with several years experience in guiding and training. I have been involved in most aspects of diving from retail to repair work, from guiding to teaching up to and including DMs, and have worked on everything from 20' rigged...

The southern coast of Maui generally sees water temperatures around 72 in the winter up to 77 in the summer. We have tradewinds consistently in the afternoons (often claim to set our watches by them) so you want to be in the water early and out around 11:30. Sometimes after a rain groundwater...

Maui is usually calm in the morning before the tradewinds pick up, especially in the summer. If you want to be on and off the boat quickly try Makena Coast Charters as they leave from Kihei boat ramp at 6:30 and usually get back around 11:00. But that limits you mostly to only diving Molokini...

There are lots of dive charters in Kona, but I think my favorties are Kona Dive Company for boat diving, and Jack's Diving Locker for shore diving. Jack's has a solid deal on tanks and the staff there are generally very friendly and helpful. Any gear you want I HIGHLY recommend picking up before...

If you want to see some places most people don't go try getting on an afternoon dive with Maui Dive Shop on Mondays and Thursdays. They do DSDs in a couple coves along the inaccessible coastline on the way between Maalaea and Lahaina. The dives are cheap to do and most people never get a chance...

Cool video. With all the dive lights it really does look like a crazy stadium concert down there. Also, dolphins! Looks like you guys had a lot of fun.

Stay south in Kauai. As for the Big Island, there's a ton of awesome diving all over the Kona side. Check in with any of the local shops and they can point to some easy spots. I recommend Jacks Dive Locker and Kona Dive Company. Honaunau, aka Place of Refuge is about the easiest entry/exit you...

3/3/2006<---

I'm a PADI OWSI who took the IE back in September. I'm currently living on Maui and looking for P/T or F/T work. I've done about 15 DSDs since being certified an instructor, and I'd like to get into more professional diving. I've got a bachelor's in marine science, and have lived in Hawaii for 6...

There are a lot of issues here, specifically: Duty of care - The divemaster has a duty of care to his divers via their payment for leading the dive. The divers also have a duty of care to the divemaster via their signing of the standard liability release form. Jill and Bob share a traditional...

Courses have several roles in preparing you for diving. The first is to provide a standard by which everyone can measure. If you have a card, ever other diver knows you have some level of experience and know the basics. Staying with a buddy. Breathing at all times. Diving conservative limits...

I would recommend doing shore dives while you're in Lahaina. Almost everything up there is easily accessible and you'll save yourself $100/day/person in boat and crew fees. Black Rock, Airport, Mala Wharf, and Olowalu are all hop-in-and-dive spots. To dive Molokini, you can't go wrong with...

It all depends on what you really want to do. Your best bet is to use different operators if you want to see different things. For shore diving I would recommend using Maui Dreams in Kihei. They've got a great staff who are willing to talk shop and local conditions, and they are located in a...

According to the article, the DLNR retains authority over everything below water at Molokini. So, unless the DLNR changes specific policies regarding the islet, there shouldn't be anything different about diving there. Dive/Snorkel operators do not associate with anything above water, and it has...

A purge valve is worth the extra $10-15 you might pay for on a snorkel, and a purge valve isn't usually much bulkier than a regular J-tube. If you're snorkeling too you might want a splash guard, though with the purge it's not absolutely necessary. Also, if you are getting one with a splash...

A couple of things I felt I should reply to: 1) The list is LONG. It was never meant to be a "worry about every last thing" list. I'm sure as most of you have gotten further along in diving things begin to come naturally to you. It's second nature to glance at the surf, sometimes you don't even...

Great comments. Especially great suggestion for the underwater gear checking Charlie99. I know that leaving a trail of bubbles is a common problem, especially for new divers who haven't gotten used to adjusting their tank valve. However, with a solo diver you have no buddy to watch your back and...

I find the slippery slope whenever I think about underwater photography. The camera, then the strobe, then dual strobes, then a better camera for the strobes, it never ends! I suppose that's the same for all sports, as you get better you need better equipment. I often find, though, that I'd...

I've always found that no matter how long I can hold my breath on dry land, I never seem to get even close to holding it that long underwater. I figure I can usually go about 1/3 as long underwater. I do about 4 minutes on land, but only 1.5 underwater. It's really annoying, but there's so much...

I'm a bit new to solo diving, but I've found it far more pleasant and, to be honest, convenient than diving with a buddy. I know the topic of a good solo diving book has been going around the forum, and I wanted to add my two cents. I made up a list of things I commonly think about before...