Last minute Maui trip- HELP!

[dldiver]

Hello All -

I just found out I will be in Maui Jan 28-31 (FLYING out on the 31st). I KNOW NOTHING about Maui and have never been there. I need help figuring out where to dive and who to dive with...and how much i can get in! I'm looking for a little more than a tourist level dive- I live in FLA and dive with the boats off the southeast coast nearly every weekend, just finished my MSD certification.

Anyhow, I hear its whale season and that there's a possibility of Manta Ray dives at night??!! Would love to do one of those. Looks like my best day to dive will be the 30th....maybe an afternoon/night dive on the 29th. (Wanna try and do the sunrise bike ride down the volcano the morning of the 29th since I can't do it after I dive)
I think I'll be staying at the Fairmont in Wailea Maui.

Any help would be incredibly appreciated as I dont have much time to research. (And i'll be more than happy to return the favor when you come diving in Florida!)

Thank You!!
D'Anne

 

[diversteve]

Contact any of these three:

Ed Robinsons
B&B Scuba
Mike Severns

All are in Kihei and leave from the boat ramp - not 10 mins. from your location.

Get someone to take you to do the Molokini Backside. If there's whales out there, you'll hear them - maybe see one if you get really lucky. It's some excellent advanced diving also.

My buddy did the twilight/night dive combo with Robinsons. They had two Mantas circle overhead for about 15min. Ed somehow guessed they'd be there.

Might also PM kidspot here. Tim(kidspot) is the Maui SB Local Guide.

 

[KrisB]

I'd love to go diving with you also!

PM me for contact info if you're interested... I'm on the South side (in Kihei, near Wailea) so it might be easier for me to meet you than Tim.

I also have some opinions on boat operators, but would rather discuss those in private.

 

[dldiver]

Hi again!

Thanks for all of the info so far! I've been looking it all over an dwill probably make plans soon - I know for sure that my day to dive is Tuesday the 30th and would really like to get out to the backwall, hopefully as part of a 3-tank trip!

I also would love to sneak in a night dive on Monday the 29th ( I am the only diver of 4 of us on the trip so I welcome the oppty to dive with a local buddy!)

Also...can anyone explain the difference (and distance) between Wailea and Lahania areas? Still finalizing lodging plans. Its a group of 4 friends looking to have fun....not honeymoon!

thanks again for all your help!!

 

[diversteve]

Also...can anyone explain the difference (and distance) between Wailea and Lahania areas? Still finalizing lodging plans. Its a group of 4 friends looking to have fun....not honeymoon!

It's at least a 45min drive between the two. Wailea has the Grand Wailea resort complex and 3 golf courses. And other resorts/condos in the same area.

Adjacent to the north is Kihei, more of a residential area. Much more laidback, lots of local beaches, less tourists, etc. There's a couple nicer restaurants in a smaller high-end mall in Wailea and some good places to eat in Kihei.

A lot of rental properties in Kihei are on the other side of the main road from the beach if that's important to you.

Lahaina is the classic Maui tourist area. Shops in town, art galleries, the "famous" chain restaurants - Bubba Gump, Hard Rock etc. No one really stays in Lahaina though, there's only one or two older small hotels there.

Most people stay in the Kaanapali area, it's where a lot of the bigger hotel/condo resorts and several golf courses are. Lots of traffic in that area.

And Kaanapali is near Whaler's village a nice shopping area. Most - but not all - of the other touristy things to do - jet skis, parasailing, glass bottom boat/submarine etc. are based in the general Lahaina area also.

Farther north of that area is Kapalua, a pricier resort area. There are nice accommodations in that area but for most other things you'll drive down to the Kaanapali/Lahaina area.

Some of the dive ops in Lahaina are Lahaina Divers, Extended Horizons and Pacific Dive primarily. Some leave out of the Mala Ramp north of Lahaina, others out of Maalea which is a 10-15min drive south. Pacific Dive doesn't have their own boat so I don't know who they book on. They do local shore dives in that area, we did a scooter dive with them at Old Airport Beach a couple years ago. Nice people...

Most of the boat dives from the Lahaina area will typically go to Lanai and dive the Cathedrals and other sites. Since it's a straight crossing. Most run to Molokini just once a week as it's farther. Most of the diveops in Kihei will more often dive Molokini.

IMO if you were staying near Lahaina and wanted to dive Molokini, I'd drive down and go with one of the ops I mentioned in my earlier post, it's probably easier to drive 45mins. vs. more time on the boat. More diving is done in the morning as the trades pick up later and make for rougher crossings back.

On one of your trips north/south make a stop at the Maui Ocean Center. It's worth a look. And you can dive their tank with the Tigers...

For golfers, either the Kapalua Bay course or the Wailea Gold are epic.

I've stayed in Wailea most often also just south of Kapalua, and once near Lahaina. Looking to "have fun" and get a quick feel for Maui - I'd stay near Lahaina.

Edit: I hope I fixed most of the things corrected by Halemano below. Funny how you remember things differently than they really are. And I was just there recently...

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

I have no problems discussing boat opinions publicly

I send everyone I know, all, students to very experienced divers to B&B and not a single complaint.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

A few corrections/clarafications to sjspeck's posts;

Wailea to Lahaina is 45min - 2hr+, depending on season, time of day, events, whales off the pali and traffic accidents. Kaanapali to the Kihei Ramp is ~40min at 5am. All the Kihei charters mentioned are 12-pacs, Prodiver is certified for 12 but only takes 6 divers and many people like that arrangement.

Kihei, Wailea, Makena is the South Shore (moving south east), not west Maui. There are quite a few rooms/condos in Makena, as well as 2 golf courses. Lahaina, Kaanapali, Kahana, Napili, Kapalua is West Maui (moving north). Kahana and Napili have some less exhorbitant rooms.

The Grand Wailea is one of 5 Oceanfront resort hotels in Wailea. The Wailea Golf courses (3) are seperate from those resorts and there are other resort accomodations both Oceanfront and on the Golf Courses. The Shops at Wailea is an upscale focal point but I've never heard any particular property called the base of Wailea.

Kaanapali's jet skiing and parasailing have not been available during whale season for many years and I think that continues this year. Lahaina Harbor is where the glass bottom boat and submarine tours depart. Mala Ramp is walking distance north from Lahaina Harbor (20 minutes?), not south. Mala Wharf is a dive site, knocked down by surge from Hurricane Iniki ('92).

Kapalua has 3 good to great golf courses and Kaanapali has 2 lame to good courses so most of the West Side golf courses are not in Kaanapali.

Maui Ocean Center is the name of the aquarium, located at Maalaea Harbor. The web site lists the aquarium dives as beginning at $199 plus tax. There are probably condos in Maalaea (centrally located).

During busy seasons all the Kihei charters mentioned have second charters to Molokini and only the nastiest conditions cause cancelations. Photography is better on a second, as the sun is up for the first dive, and many divers feel the backside of Molokini is not their favorite Molokini dive.

an actual maui tour guide!

 

[KrisB]

There are probably condos in Maalaea (centrally located).

Yup, but you probably don't want to stay there... very windy, and it's the first place you'll notice the ash and smoke from the cane field burning.

 

[dldiver]

ok - since i have the attn of a few tour guides here...can anyone recommend a bike tour for the volcano sunrise downhill ride?

And does anyone know how long it takes to get from Wailea to Haiku?

thanks!!

 

[KrisB]

ok - since i have the attn of a few tour guides here...can anyone recommend a bike tour for the volcano sunrise downhill ride?

And does anyone know how long it takes to get from Wailea to Haiku?

thanks!!

D'Anne,

I asked around for you today, and the one that was recommended by my friends is the Haleakala Bike Co..

It's self-guided, so you can take the speed you want and don't have to worry about others keeping up (or not). They give you a ride up the hill from their shop in Haiku, then you just have to get back on bike... to get your vehicle and return the bike.

http://www.bikemaui.com/

To get from Wailea to Haiku, you should plan on about an hour to an hour and a half... depending on time of day.