Dive reservations needed in Maui?

[cburdick1]

Hi everyone,

My wife and I will be returing to Lahaina in 2 weeks (16th) and will be there for 10 days, and we are looking to get in a fair bunch of diving. We'll drive down to Kihei to get in Molokini dives, and possibly do Lanai with someone out of Lahaina. Shore diving would be nice as well. Thanks to the Scubaboard, I've got lots of information on dive operators, so I don't really need suggestions as to who to dive with.

So, here's the situation: My wife and brother (who will be joining us) are hesitant about making a bunch of reservations in advance in case we decide to change our schedules. So, here's my question: will we be SOL if we don't book way in advance? I ask because we were able to get space last year with only 2 days notice on a 2 tank AM trip. I don't want to get to Maui and find that everything is booked, but my wife and brother want flexibility to do other stuff if we so decide.

So, book in advance or last minute reservations? Opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks y'all. Less than 2 weeks till warm water, yippee!

 

[beepbird]

Hi,
I'll be on Maui from 1/16-1/23 too. I already made a booking for the 17th to dive the Cathedrals from Lahaina. It appears I was the only one who has made a reservation. Will try to dive from Kihei in between attending a conference in Wailea.

PM me if you want company diving during the week especially in the afternoons. I'm not familar with the area as I have only been there once.

Happy Bubbles!

Lindy

 

[Gombessa]

Anecdotally, I was in Maui last year around mid-December. I called a week in advance to make some reservations, and every single place was booked (for the standard Molokini/Cathedrals dives), and I ended up just doing a single shore dive. Contrast this with Oahu--I've been there several times and have never had a problem getting a spot the day prior to a dive.

 

[DiveMaven]

We just got back from 2 weeks on Maui (Christmas and New Years) and the dive ops we spoke with talked about business being way down.

Since you're going in January (very low season), I'd bet you could call a day or two before and get space. Just to be safe, have a couple of choices of operators so if one's busy you can call another. One thing is sure, if you're not super picky about who you go to Lanai with, I'd be shocked if you couldn't get on Lahaina Divers' boat since they carry 22 divers.

 

[cburdick1]

Cool, that's what I wanted to hear. As for Lanai, we'd take Extended Horizons (PLUG: They are awesome)as that's who we dove Lanai with last year. We are all novice divers and need to rent BC/REG/OCTO/WEIGHTs so we will probalby do a bunch of shore dives with either Shaka or Lahaina divers, rather than go on our own. We also don;t know our way around, so having someone to guide us would be sweet too.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Shaka Doug]

Biz is slower than usual this year so it's really up to you. Most ops have a 24 or 48 hour cancellation policy (mine is 24) so if you're likely to be spur of the moment than just wait. I would suggest setting up the dives for the beginning of the trip rather than the end. That way you get best diving opportunites in case the weather isn't in your favor.

I've been having some awesome dives lately. When you go with someone who knows the area you will be much more relaxed and able to really take it all in. Check out the sea turtle that tried to eat my fin yesterday in a different post I just added minutes ago.

 

[cburdick1]

Thanks Doug. I think that we are going to book our first few dives before we leave and then see how it goes. I'm thinking that a shore dive first to "get the rust off" is the best way to go before heading to Lanai or Molokini. I'll be in touch soon.

 

[Shaka Doug]

Thanks Doug. I think that we are going to book our first few dives before we leave and then see how it goes. I'm thinking that a shore dive first to "get the rust off" is the best way to go before heading to Lanai or Molokini. I'll be in touch soon.

That's a really good idea. Get a relatively easy dive in first to get your feet wet then you can be better prepared for the boat. You'll get much more enjoyment from your time in the water doing it this way. Guaranteed!

I've met countless other divers who don't do this first and they end up problem solving most of their first boat dive and missing all the fish and cool stuff. Don't let that happen to you!

 

[Nomadess 2012]

I work in Kihei and it is slower than usual for this time of year, however it has been steady since Christmas. It is always a good idea to make a reservation in advance. It helps both the operators and the tourists in the long run. Happy diving!!!

 

[KrisB]

Another point to consider when it comes to booking boat charters -- almost all the boats have a minimum number of paying customers require in order to go out. For some it's as high as 6-8, others as low as 2-3. If you wait until the last minute to book your charter, you may find they've already rescheduled the next day's charter due to insufficient bookings.