IAmJimbo
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We had a great trip to Maui! Thought I'd post up some experiences for others...
We snorkeled a few sites on the south shores on Tuesday (saw the Scuba Bus with Shaka Doug and a couple torpedos walking down for a dive so we knew we were probably in a good spot, although my mind has blanked and I can't think of the name of the place we were.)
We rented gear from Maui Dive Shop for shore diving on Wednesday. They were friendly and helpful on telling us some extra details about some shore dive sites. Gear was fine. Had a very nice dive at Mala Wharf (my wife's first post-certification open water dive!) and half a dive at Black Rock as it was getting dark while we were in the water so we high tailed it back to shore while we had some light left.
We were scheduled to go out with Makena Coast Dive Charters on Thursday to Molikini. I was pretty disappointed when I got a phone message left at 7pm the day before our 6:30am dive saying they were cancelling it (ok I wasn't disappointed, I was pretty ticked off!). That was our one and only day left for diving and they just about ruined it for us. Fortunately I called Maui Dive Shop just before they closed and they got us on their boat for Molikini the next morning. Sadly, I had researched who I wanted to dive with and picked Makena Coast, but now after all my research I was stuck going with whoever I could find at last minute and paying whatever price they wanted to charge. Also, a bummer is that Makena said they had tried to find another boat to get us on but couldn't find one... odd that one of the biggest dive companies on the island had space available when I called at closing time, guess Makena just forgot to call that one! Anyways, my recommendation has to be to avoid Makena, but we had a good time with Maui Dive shop. Nice boat, very nice crew. Good diving, although maybe a little more "tame" than I personally would prefer, but it worked out well for us as my wife is a new diver. After watching the video from the first dive, we figured out in time for the second dive that the cameraman is the guy to follow... he knew where all the cool stuff is...
Other than that, above the water, getting the convertible was really worth it. So fun on the north coast roads from Kapalua Bay all the way to Hana and around the south east coast! Maui Revealed was a great guide book for the outdoor exploration. We visited a number of the "Real Gem" spots only to find them really being real gems! Go figure... We camped a few nights at Olowalu campground and had great snorkeling (maybe scuba too, but it woul be a long swim) right from our campsite and kayak rentals available in the campground. Whale watching from the beach at nearly every meal was nice too... We stayed three nights in Kaanapali at one of the many places, I don't remamber or much care which one, but our experience was fine for what it's worth (I liked being out of the tourist zone better...). We also spent a few nights at Maui Lu in Kihei. As long as you are just looking for a bed to sleep in at a good price, it was great (we spent the bare minimum necessary time to sleep in any of our lodging places). Friendly staff. Staying there gave us great access to get anywhere on the island (well, except Hana) pretty quick and easy. Nice beaches south of there a short bit.
What a great trip...!
Jim
We snorkeled a few sites on the south shores on Tuesday (saw the Scuba Bus with Shaka Doug and a couple torpedos walking down for a dive so we knew we were probably in a good spot, although my mind has blanked and I can't think of the name of the place we were.)
We rented gear from Maui Dive Shop for shore diving on Wednesday. They were friendly and helpful on telling us some extra details about some shore dive sites. Gear was fine. Had a very nice dive at Mala Wharf (my wife's first post-certification open water dive!) and half a dive at Black Rock as it was getting dark while we were in the water so we high tailed it back to shore while we had some light left.
We were scheduled to go out with Makena Coast Dive Charters on Thursday to Molikini. I was pretty disappointed when I got a phone message left at 7pm the day before our 6:30am dive saying they were cancelling it (ok I wasn't disappointed, I was pretty ticked off!). That was our one and only day left for diving and they just about ruined it for us. Fortunately I called Maui Dive Shop just before they closed and they got us on their boat for Molikini the next morning. Sadly, I had researched who I wanted to dive with and picked Makena Coast, but now after all my research I was stuck going with whoever I could find at last minute and paying whatever price they wanted to charge. Also, a bummer is that Makena said they had tried to find another boat to get us on but couldn't find one... odd that one of the biggest dive companies on the island had space available when I called at closing time, guess Makena just forgot to call that one! Anyways, my recommendation has to be to avoid Makena, but we had a good time with Maui Dive shop. Nice boat, very nice crew. Good diving, although maybe a little more "tame" than I personally would prefer, but it worked out well for us as my wife is a new diver. After watching the video from the first dive, we figured out in time for the second dive that the cameraman is the guy to follow... he knew where all the cool stuff is...
Other than that, above the water, getting the convertible was really worth it. So fun on the north coast roads from Kapalua Bay all the way to Hana and around the south east coast! Maui Revealed was a great guide book for the outdoor exploration. We visited a number of the "Real Gem" spots only to find them really being real gems! Go figure... We camped a few nights at Olowalu campground and had great snorkeling (maybe scuba too, but it woul be a long swim) right from our campsite and kayak rentals available in the campground. Whale watching from the beach at nearly every meal was nice too... We stayed three nights in Kaanapali at one of the many places, I don't remamber or much care which one, but our experience was fine for what it's worth (I liked being out of the tourist zone better...). We also spent a few nights at Maui Lu in Kihei. As long as you are just looking for a bed to sleep in at a good price, it was great (we spent the bare minimum necessary time to sleep in any of our lodging places). Friendly staff. Staying there gave us great access to get anywhere on the island (well, except Hana) pretty quick and easy. Nice beaches south of there a short bit.
What a great trip...!
Jim
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