Flexible, Advanced Profile Dive Operators on Maui?

[KTOde]

Hi Everyone!

My fiance and I are avid divers - both certified as Assistant Instructors/Dive Masters and love to travel and dive as much as possible on our trips. We are now planning our honeymoon on Maui but would love some feedback on dive operators.

From my research so far it sounds like many Maui operators make you stick with the guide and dive as a group, so when the first person runs out of air the whole group has to surface (some people say after 30 min!). We DO NOT like the sound of this! We sometimes stick with the guides but often go off as our own buddy pair and surface when we are low on air. Even when we do stick with the guides, if we return with the group and still have a lot of air we usually poke around close to the boat and come up when low.

It looks like some operators, like Ed Robinson's, have advanced dive charters - but Ed's "Adventure X" is only run one day per week!

Is this just how all Maui dive operators run their dives? Or can anyone reccomend a more flexible operator that would let us dive our own profile? Or at least a less rigid one?

No cattle boats either please!

Thanks so much!

 

[StuartT]

That hasn't been my experience with Mike Severns, Ed Robinson's, B&B, or Pro diver. Yes the boat dives are guided but you pretty much are asked to let them know when you have around 700 psi to go up for a safety stop. In fact I don't recall doing that just starting an ascent when getting low on gas. You are given a pretty long leash once they determine your ability. Ed's does a 3 tank charter on Tuesdays and would recommend nitrox for it or you tend to run out of time on dives 2 and 3. On one charter a couple of years ago our second dive on the backwall(first was there too at the other side) the DM ran out of time(diving air) waived goodbye after 25 min or so and we did the rest of the dive (55-60 min) on our own. You should consider doing lots of shore dives as there is as much if not more to see than boat diving. The exception would be no grey reef sharks or the topography and viz at molokini and the topography at Lanai. Just go really slow and you will find lots of eels, nudibranchs,frogfish,turtles, possibly eagle and manta rays, white tips, etc. The other thing is most of the shore diving is follow the reef out and back and max depths around 40 ft. Al 80's should get you 80-90 min dives. Maui dreams in Kihei is great for tank, flag, and weight rentals if you are staying in South Maui. Have fun

 

[diversteve]

All the operators put a DM in the water with you, I believe it's required in their license. I've dove with maybe 1/2 dozen different operators and all did. Some use two to keep the group together, while you'd think that might allow longer times/profiles, in our case it didn't as the back DM took the first people back up - everyone else surfaced a few minutes later with the lead DM. I'm pretty sure that was with Maui Dive Shop. From Kihei, I think B&B would offer more latitude also.

Once with Lahaina Divers, my instabuddy and I were allowed to do a more advanced dive off the back of Lanai while the DM took the group closer to shore. From what I understand that's the exception with them. Usually the amount of divers they take won't make that likely - in our case mid-week in the afternoon there were 9 of us total.

Besides Robinson's try one of the shore dive operators, it's possible you'd be their only business so could control the dive time. Most sites aren't overly deep though so all you're gaining is more time. Some to contact: Shaka Divers ([user]Shaka Doug[/user] here) Scuba Mike, Maui Dreams Dive Co, [user]scubahawk27[/user] for scooter dives. Shaka Doug and Maui Dreams have scooters also. Scuba Mike advertises all dives are an hour in water. There's somebody with a zodiac that does more advanced dives along the north shore - can't recall their name. They're more tec/rebreather oriented.

There's also quite a few shore dive sites - you can get tanks at Maui Dreams, many of the Maui Dive Shops. Scuba Shore Diving Site Listing for: Maui, Hawaiian Islands

 

[fisheater]

I had no problem staying as long as my air would last with Extended Horizons out of Lahaina. Folks ascend as their air would allow. It could easily get into contest between you two and your DM.

Plus, on guided shore dives, it may be just you two and the DM to begin with.


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[DiveMaven]

Ed Robinson's runs advanced charters on Sundays, Tuesdays (3-tank), Wednesdays, and Fridays. Although nitrox is expensive, I'd recommend it for the 3-tank charters since often the second dive is at a deep site with a square profile.

I will say that although we don't need dive guides either, a good guide can make the difference between an okay dive and an excellent one. They know how to find things that the inexperienced Hawaii diver simply doesn't know exists. With so much endemic life and such a different type of topography than anywhere else in the world, unless you know what you're looking for, you might miss seeing just about everything out there that isn't swimming right in front of you.

We've been diving with Ed Robinson's since 2005 and find that the guides simply lead the dive (so you don't get lost) but rather than baby sitting, they're hunting for critters to see. We've also never had the experience of being sent up when the first diver is low on air. As divers get low on air, they're sent back to the boat and everyone else keeps going. We've also had exactly the same experience as Stuart T with the guide going back to the boat and leaving divers at the site to continue their dive.

The only times our dives have been less than about an hour is because of NDLs or me getting cold!

 

[levergun]

Just returned from Maui, 13 dives 11 of them shore dives.
Lahaina Divers boat Twilight dive daylight Carth and night dive Mala Wharf. We had 72's, eight divers and one DM.
Carth directions were follow the rope down stay near the ship, at a 1000 psi head up and 3 min at 15 feet. No stay with me directions from the DM.

Night dive at Mala. Follow me (DM) if you want, or buddy up. Find the underwater strobe, or diver lights on the surface to return.
At 35 minutes dive time, the DM wrote on the slate 20 min or 600 psi return.
I was the third one back to the boat, and the DM was already onboard.
I thought it was a pretty relaxed, diy dive.
Would dive again.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I have found in more than a dozen trips to Maui that if you have DM credentials AND current insurance and a dive buddy, many operators will allow you to dive your own profile. Paperwork is involved. You will be expected to stay in the vicinity of other divers, but not handcuffed to them, and a "back on the boat" time will be given. For a real adventure, do the hammerhead shark dive off the east end of Molokai, boat ride over from Maui with Lahaina Divers. Pricey but worth it. Conditions vary from calm to very rough, but it is what you are looking for. They are also an operator that has given me and Debbie lots of "dive freedom" off their charters- with DM credentials and current insurance. AND lots of diving with them. Have a conversation with the dive shop, have your pro card and insurance card, and you will get to dive pretty much the way you want. Also, Maui has great shore diving on the West end. If you don't want to be restricted, rent some air and lead ( and dive flag- strict laws there) and go diving!
DivemasterDennis

 

[KTOde]

Thanks so much everyone for all the great advice!!!!