any place to stay on Maui that is reasonably priced?

[Al Mialkovsky]

Last winter was a bit unusual with the huge surf. I was surprised at the damage cause to some of the Coral such as at Ulua.

 

[DiverDebbie]

It is a shame when folks come all the way over here and have bad weather... I had some friends that ended up doing about the same thing - 12 days on Maui with 2 dives... one was a refresher in 3ft surf, the other was a 15 min. dive to 18ft before they ran out of gas... oh well

High surf can definitely ruin a good day diving...Personally I don't even try diving when the surf gets much over 2ft...

Oh no Tim! Bad weather in Maui! ...say it isn't so!
Does the high surf tend to corresond with the rain (wind?) I read that mornings tend to be best for calm seas?
What does the rain do to the viz?
Quite frankly I'm pretty much a die hard when it comes to rain. Here in Vancouver if we stopped diving when it rained we wouldn't dive most of the fall thru spring! ..and anything beyond 20 foot viz. is a 'good' day
So if the weather is bad I'll have to see if I can find another cold-water freak to dive with... lol (kidding somewhat... I mean... won't dive if it's unsafe!)

 

[kidspot]

it's usually only when you get swells that I stop diving - wind blown waves don't have as much effect at depth (once you get a hundred yards off shore or so) and it just depends on how much it's been raining - run-off can ruin the vis, but usually not everywhere.

Even when the waves are up from a swell, it is usually only one side of the island. So the times when there is nowhere to dive are rather unusual ... like when a big storm system comes through, etc..

Lahaina is a great place to be, because you can head north a little when the south swell is up and find nice diving at Honolua and the surrounding areas, or when the north swell is up you go the west facing shores.

You'll have a great time here though... and I'm game to go diving as long as the surf isn't dangerous... of course when 30ft vis is a bad day, it's hard to appreciate 10ft vis

Aloha, Tim

 

[DiverDebbie]

it's usually only when you get swells that I stop diving - wind blown waves don't have as much effect at depth (once you get a hundred yards off shore or so) and it just depends on how much it's been raining - run-off can ruin the vis, but usually not everywhere.

Even when the waves are up from a swell, it is usually only one side of the island. So the times when there is nowhere to dive are rather unusual ... like when a big storm system comes through, etc..

Lahaina is a great place to be, because you can head north a little when the south swell is up and find nice diving at Honolua and the surrounding areas, or when the north swell is up you go the west facing shores.

You'll have a great time here though... and I'm game to go diving as long as the surf isn't dangerous... of course when 30ft vis is a bad day, it's hard to appreciate 10ft vis

Aloha, Tim

That's great news! We can just plan our dives according to the weather... but it's going to be nice, sunny and calm when I'm there
Thing about diving in temps as low as the mid forties, and viz as bad as 6 inches... it makes a diver more appreciative! I sure loved Australia ...and I know I am going to love Maui too. I'm already bouncing off the walls here (figuratively... lol... I don't mean I am destroying the local dive sites... hehe)

 

[Charlie99]

Does the high surf tend to corresond with the rain (wind?) I read that mornings tend to be best for calm seas?
What does the rain do to the viz?

There is a big difference between chop/waves and swells. The winds kicking up more in the afternoon and generate short period chop and waves, but that doesn't reach down as far, so they don't have a big effect on visibility.

Swells, OTOH, are the longer period stuff that reaches further down and stirs things up. Swells are usually generated by storms, sometimes greater than 1,000 miles away. The forecasts for swells are pretty accurate, since they are monitored by buoys way offshore. Because the swells come in from so far away, there are many days when it's absolutely beautiful and sunny, but with large surf from the swells. Great bodysurfing and boogie boarding days!

Rain will mess with the viz in some areas, usually around creeks/canals,etc. For example, a good thunderstorm up in the hills above Maui can wash a lot of gunk down the canal next to Mala Wharf, and there is a drainage ditch in central Kihei that dumps a lot of crud during downpours. The effect of rain on viz is usually pretty localized.

Molokini and Lanai will usually have great visiblity, even when the shore sites suck.