I know the title of this thread sounds stupid (given I am posting this on scubaboard!), heres my dilemma due to work/personal reasons, my husband and I are going to travel to Maui on Dec 4-11 for a week, along with our toddler boy. This is a last minute trip (we just booked all the hotels and flight this week I usually ) My husband and I are both intermediate divers (around 50 dives), and my husband is into underwater photography. We are not advance divers (caves, big current, etc) and not the type that tries to get wet at all cost (meaning we enjoy diving, but we will only go if there is interesting stuff to look at) Weve dove Grand Cayman, Belize, Philippines (Bohol), Sipadan and Lembeh before (just to give you some perspective of what our expectation of diving before kiddo comes along when we go diving we try to go on dive-dive-dive only trips). Given our toddler son is coming with us on this trip, this will not be a dive dedicated trip. I am currently contemplating if its worth the trouble of arranging a baby-sitter for one day in order to go out for a morning of diving. Is Maui water like a washing machine in early Dec? Hows the vis? What are the chances of seeing good stuff (sharks, whales, rays, plenty of pretty fishes) in early Dec? Just to clarify, I am not a super dive-snob, I just dont want to haul my gear from NYC to Hawaii (along with rest of the baby stuff) to go on one lackluster dive (poor vis, surfy water and saw 10 small fishes) that will cost me an extra $150 because I need to get babysitting. If I am going to just feed fish and see nothing Id rather just stay at the hotel and drink a Lava Flow (if you know what I mean?) I will settle for pretty reefs but I dont think thats what Hawaii is famous for? Weve been to Maui several years ago before we got certified. Weve snorkeled Black Rock / Molokini / Turtle town once back then and I dont remember being super impressed. (Could be just a bad day) We will stay at the Fairmont in Wailea so we are looking for dive ops leaving from kihei if possible. Thanks!
Is 1 day of Maui diving worth the trouble?
- Thread starter Sharka
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Damselfish
Contributor
If you can get on the right dives and get lucky might be worth it. And it is the beginning of whale season. While I'm not a huge fan of Hawaii diving in general, I had more individually memorable dives on Maui than just about anywhere, generally involving big animals (lots of big turtles, sharks, mantas) including surprises that weren't expected.) And I think I only dove there like 3 days. Then again, you could get skunked...
Much as I prefer my own gear, for one day of diving I might consider leaving at least my BC and some less used niceties at home to cut down on weight and bulk. Don't know if this is still true, but seemed like many ops included gear or rented it very inexpensively anyway.
Much as I prefer my own gear, for one day of diving I might consider leaving at least my BC and some less used niceties at home to cut down on weight and bulk. Don't know if this is still true, but seemed like many ops included gear or rented it very inexpensively anyway.
Well, if you have snorkeled, then you know what the reefs look like. There are quite a few reef fish, but not in big schools. Even on shore dives, it's quite common to see turtles (sometimes a number of them) and occasionally reef sharks, depending on site. As long as the surf isn't up, the viz near shore is generally decent (40 feet or better) and Molokini would be better than that.
If I had to pay a sitter and gear rental and boat fees, I might elect to snorkel off shore instead.
If I had to pay a sitter and gear rental and boat fees, I might elect to snorkel off shore instead.
GrumpyOldGuy
Contributor
You may get lucky and see some cool stuff, but I rate Maui as a "B" location. The visibility is decent, water is warm and their are plenty of critters, but it over dived to some extent and not in the same league as some of you other locations. I definitely would not haul dive gear plus kid stuff for one day (been there, done that).
Shaka Doug
Contributor
You should definitely dive here. Sitters/sitting services aren't all that bad. I know some personally that could probably help you out. Sometimes I dive with folks in the same position as you and the parents take turns...one makes the first dive while the other watches the kid then we go out for another dive and switch out. I dive from the beach so it's pretty easy to pull that off and I don't mind being flexible...all I do is dive everyday so I want it to be easy for everyone I take out.
You never know what conditions will be like this far in advance but they could be awesome, like they are this week. I'd go with the recomendation to just bring the absolutely necessary gear. You will find plenty of decent dive gear in rental here on Maui. And set up your dive day for the beginning of the trip, not the end.
Fairmont Kea Lani is very close to some excellent shore dives too so you are in a great place. I wouldn't dive with the in house dive op unless you have money to burn. The reef out in front of the place is OK but definitely not great. I hope you have fun. Although it's not world famous for diving, Maui is a fantastic place to dive and you can easily have an awesome dive or two here.
Aloha and Shaka!!
You never know what conditions will be like this far in advance but they could be awesome, like they are this week. I'd go with the recomendation to just bring the absolutely necessary gear. You will find plenty of decent dive gear in rental here on Maui. And set up your dive day for the beginning of the trip, not the end.
Fairmont Kea Lani is very close to some excellent shore dives too so you are in a great place. I wouldn't dive with the in house dive op unless you have money to burn. The reef out in front of the place is OK but definitely not great. I hope you have fun. Although it's not world famous for diving, Maui is a fantastic place to dive and you can easily have an awesome dive or two here.
Aloha and Shaka!!
I like diving Maui and if I only was going to get one day, I'd call Shaka Doug and get out with him. Do a search for his reviews. he knows the spots and based on conditions the day you dive will probably get you the best bang for your buck.
DiveMaven
Contributor
I'd have to agree with Doug's recommendations. And Merxlin has the right idea...hire Doug and do a relaxing shore dive or two with him.
Compared to Lembeh, Maui will likely seem baren, however if you have the right guide who knows how to find the good stuff, you're more likely to see some amazing endemic creatures. Like all diving you never really know what you'll see...heck, we've been on a dive in Maui where we saw turtles, sharks, Eagle Rays, and Mantas all in one dive...and others where we felt lucky to see 10 Yellow Tangs. We also got extremely lucky last December and had a Humpback Whale swim by on one of our dives...talk about amazing! You just never know, which of course is what makes diving even more interesting.
Compared to Lembeh, Maui will likely seem baren, however if you have the right guide who knows how to find the good stuff, you're more likely to see some amazing endemic creatures. Like all diving you never really know what you'll see...heck, we've been on a dive in Maui where we saw turtles, sharks, Eagle Rays, and Mantas all in one dive...and others where we felt lucky to see 10 Yellow Tangs. We also got extremely lucky last December and had a Humpback Whale swim by on one of our dives...talk about amazing! You just never know, which of course is what makes diving even more interesting.
I usually try to go to Maui once or twice a year, and think it's usually really great diving. If you're staying in Wailea, your choice of dive departure points is a two tank dive from the Kihei boat ramp, Wailea shore dives, or do a scooter dive from Maui Dreams. The backside of Molokini is usually excellent, the inside can be great, good or just so-so. The second drive will almost always be in the Wailea / Makena / Kihei area. If you can do the helldiver bomber off Maalea, it's great to see even if you couldn't care less about wrecks. I like to dive with Mike Severns Diving. Shore dives pale in comparison to Molokini
stakanak
Guest
Short answer...YES!
Get Wet!
Get Wet!
Damselfish
Contributor
We did the inside of Molokini in the afternoon once, kind of exciting trip with the wind up in the afternoon but we spent much of the dive with 2 mantas circling just 3 of us. (Out of film, naturally.)
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