It's our anniversary

[caymaniac]

Coming to Maui in April, my bride doesn't want to get up at 4-5am to drive to the Kihei ramp since we will be at Kaanapali. Boats leave around 7 from Lahania, this sounds like a better time to tell her to be at the ramp. What are my choices? Am I making a big mistake by trying to find a op near our hotel?

 

[diversteve]

If I was staying up there, I probably wouldn't make the Kihei drive too often either.

Extended Horizons seems to get as good a review as Robinsons or Severns so they might be a good option in Lahaina. They leave from Mala Wharf.

Lahaina Divers may be a little more crowded but if it's an off day, that big boat is a pleasure with a dozen or so onboard - especially on the return when the trades pick up. I dove 1st Cathedral and Shark Fin with them with a group of about 8-10 mid-week, it doesn't get much better than that for Lanai diving.

They both also do PM dives around West Maui but I think I'd rather get up before 7AM to make the crossing to Lanai or Molokini.

 

[divebri]

I double-echo sjspeck's thoughts. I have heard great things about both of the ops you posted about, but going to Lanai can be a real adventure. Those big Lahaina Divers boats make the trip well. If you're prone at all to seasickness I would use them.

They are cattle boats, and they do hold your hand a bit, but to me the trade off is not puking over the side (or on my t-shirt).

Local dives, and molokini, I would probably make the drive to Kihei. It's a much faster boat ride, and I've been there when i didn't want to be as well.

BTW, I've been to Maui around 10-12 different times over ten years, and I prefer Kihei for Molokini, and Lahaina for Lanai. Much more comfortable that way.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

I woulddn't consider diving Molokini if you leave from up there. Go to Lanai. It's much faster by car than by boat

 

[DiveMaven]

We always stay up in Kaanapali (where our timeshare is) and find it totally worth it to get up early and drive down to Kihei to catch a boat.

We've done a lot of diving in the past with Lahaina Divers and have always found them to be an excellent, safe operation, but geared toward the less experienced or less skilled diver. I love their big 46' Newton dive boats for smoothness and comfort, and even when full with 24 divers, there's still plenty of room to move around since there are 3 areas to hang out in.

After our experience crossing to Lanai in a smaller boat (32' Munson), we won't be doing that crossing with anyone other than Lahaina Divers in the future! Feeling "beat up" is not an inaccurate description!!

On our charter to the Carthaginian and Mala Wharf with Lahaina Divers last month, we were able to dive by ourselves with only time to be a limitation by the crew. Due to the depths, the Carthaginian was a shorter dive, but we had about an hour at Mala and really enjoyed the dive.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

If you plan your Molokini diving for the first couple days of your visit, you are still on mainland time and the early hours are when you're waking up anyway. If you are leaving Kaanapali by 5:30 the drive to Kihei should only be 45 minutes or so.

 

[caymaniac]

If you plan your Molokini diving for the first couple days of your visit, you are still on mainland time and the early hours are when you're waking up anyway. If you are leaving Kaanapali by 5:30 the drive to Kihei should only be 45 minutes or so.

I'll be on Oahu the first day, and then 4 days on the Big Island, then to Maui. I can't stand the thought of diving with Lahaina divers again, at Molokini we were told to go up and after 43 min. I still had 1300lbs in my tank, why can't I get an hour underwater with them, but it may come to returning to them as their boat is nice and my wife does not want to get up at 5 to leave by 5:30.

You don't have a boat - do you?

 

[diversteve]

If you don't want limits then you'll probably want to drive to Kihei and dive with Ed Robinsons, Mike Severns or B&B Scuba. Maybe not Severns though as they meet/leave at 6AM.

Maybe we just got lucky - or it was the DM needing to spend more time with the newbie Japanese divers on the Lahaina boat, but I don't recall any time limits. My buddy and I did our own dive around the outside of Shark Fin - although we had to kick our brains out to get around it deeper so we may not've exceeded any time limit due to lack of gas...LOL

Part of it on your trip may've been their need to maintain a schedule for their later dives since it's a farther run over to Molokini for them. But I'm not trying to excuse it, I hate that also...

 

[bobmaggi]

we come to Maui every other year. We dive with Extended Horizons out of Mala Wharf, for the Lanai trips and with B & B for the Molokini trips. EH leaves around 7 am, tho you would want to get to the area by 6:30 ish for sign in and parking. Parking can be a problem there, not enough of it.

You could also PM Tim ( aka Kidspot) to see what his schedule is like. He loves meeting fellow scubaboarders. You might ask him to dive the Mala Wharf area w/ you. . . that's a nice dive right there!

where in W. Michigan are you? We live in St. Joe. I am fairly sure if you ever dive w/ people from Holland, or Kzoo, Battle Creek or the St. Joe area ( MUD dive club), you have met us, or at least Bob. Hope this helps. Maggi