Little dive shop at Kaanapali Beach Club (aka Embassy Suites)

[adjuster-jd]

I own a timeshare there (maintenance fee has doubled in 5 years since we purchased!!!). The first time we stayed there I went in snorkeling from the beach and got in between the buoys thinking it was a nice clear path back into shore. I wondered why I was having such a hard time swimming back to shore. Then I saw the sign that warned about the rip current (guess I should have read the sign before running into the water)...

Maui Dive shop can be nice for tanks because of their multiple locations. At least as of my last visit you could buy a card for 10 air fills good at any location. The problem is that they may not have tanks available. I needed 63cf tanks for my daughter and that was an extra challenge to get from MDS. There is a Maui Dive shop at the plaza across the street from the resort entrance but that location didnt have tanks when I was there. We had to go to the Kahana store to get tanks (and they hassled me about getting tanks for my daughter who I was working on certifying despite showing them my instructor card)... The Cannery Mall location may have some tanks but best to call ahead.

Pacific Dive in Lahaina will definitely have tanks though.

As for locations, I'd suggest going a little south to Airport Beach just a short distance from you. Nice reef and lots of little patch reefs with interesting life on them too. It's a short walk from the parking area to the beach and they have showers and restrooms there.

Enjoy...

 

[AZjohn]

Thanks adjuster-jd for the info on where the best place to get tanks are at. Figure we would just load up the trunk of the rental car and park as close as we can to the door to the underground parking garage and sling tanks back and forth to the beach there. Sure would be nice if the new ownership of the dive shop just rented tanks there, but no big deal.

Yes, the maintenance fees keep going up as they are close to selling out the timeshares. I figure they have a large overhead there and have been subsidized for a long time from the company who sells the timeshares. But that subsidy is close to being over thus us owners will be paying more and more. I personally love it there and still consider it a bargain considering the going nightly rate at all the other resorts.

Thanks,
John

 

[muddiver]

The Maui Dive Shop at the Cannery has moved. They are now across Hanipalini Highway on the norht side in a new shopping mall, and a large store. Snorkle Bob's has taken the old shop in the Cannery. And no, the shop in front of the Star market still does not have any SCUBA equipment. You have to deive up the street to Kana to get tanks or weight.

Part of the reason the maintainence fees have gone up is the new management company. Sunterra was bought out by Diamond Resorts and the owner has dumped a lot of money into reserecting some of the other resorts that Sunterra had been loosing money on. I get the feeling this new guy is trying to run a resort, not a time share.

 

[adjuster-jd]

The problem with our resort is that the developer controls the votes on the board. If you look at the last budget votes it was 3-2 with the developer controlling 3 votes and the owners controlling only 2. So long as that continues we're at their mercy and they will continue to take us for a ride. There is a real owners web site Ka'anapali Beach Vacation Resort Owners which provides some more owner-focused information.
It's sad because this is not a bad place to stay, but for the cost of my $1050 maintenance fee I can rent a 2 bedroom place in Kihei. No more free cocktails in the afternoon and no more cheap breakfast buffets. The place just isnt the same. The location is ok but that's about it.

 

[AZjohn]

Boy, I read several people don't like it there anymore. We still love it and would be happy to trade our 2 bed lock out at Kahana Falls for a 1 bed Kaanapali Beach Club on even years (odd year we go to Kaanapali BC).
John

 

[timrollo]

Aloha to All - I am not very Savy on these chat lines/groups/forums so I didn't know what to expect. I just browsed through some of the comments and it seems like a lot of confusion and lots of misinformation. My name is Tim Rollo and I have the scuba shop @ Ka'anapali Beach Club. TINY BUBBLRES SCUBA ... We offer intro dives, Cert. Beach dives, Night dives, Scooter dives, and every level of certification classes. From Intro dive to Divemaster !
WE HAVE THE LOWEST PRICES OF ANY RESORT ON ISLAND ..... We do not rent tanks and weights, but we are willing to show you where to go if you have your own gear. Our dive site is one of the secrects of Maui Diving. Not many people know of it and not many divers , dive it. In a weeks trip here and on just a couple of dives I would guarantee that you could see Turtles, sharks, octopus, Tons o' fish, eels, and lots more. I have a website under construction and when it's up it will show you what we have to offer @ Tiny Bubbles Scuba @ Ka'anapali Beach Club..

If any questions :
Tim Rollo
(808)870-0878
timmerz@hawaii.rr.com
Tiny Bubbles Scuba

 

[adjuster-jd]

Hi Tim,
Thanks for posting and welcome to scubaboard! We won't associate you with the ogres of Diamond Resorts just yet. Although I've stayed there a handful of times since I started diving, I've never actually dove the reef at KBC. I'll undoubtedly do a couple dives there this summer. Perhaps I'll meet you then.

 

[AZjohn]

Hi Everyone,

We ended up doing several shore dives at KBC last month while we stayed at the resort. I think it was Tim (IÃÎ terrible with names) that I talked to at the shop the first day we arrived. He was very nice and gave us some great tips exactly where to go out and where to swim back in. After this it was a lot easier to swim back around the rip current.

Anyways, all the guys at the shop were nice and they do have a great little set up. Always seem to have a nice size intro group going from the pool out to the ocean (this is how I became addicted to diving). And Tim always seemed to have 2-3 people he would go scooter diving with every morning. Something I didnÃÕ do this trip but would like to try it next year.

Aloha,
John

 

[timrollo]

Aloha to ALL ... Tiny Bubbles Scuba has moved from the Ka'anapali Beach Club location. We are now a mobile company being able to dive the many dive sites of west Maui. We dive from Kapalua Bay to Olowalu and every site inbetween. We still offer all the same services just minus the pool. Our specialty now is "CUSTOM" Beach Dives ... You pick the site on west Maui and if the conditions are good then we be Divin' ... Look forward to Diving with you on your next trip to Maui .... Sorry to all who are not happy with the Ka'anapali Beach Club; TBS not being there anymore is just another amenity they have taken away. We are on the internet and also have a Facebook page if you want to see the latest and greatest of what's happening in Maui under water... ALOHA !

Tiny Bubbles Scuba
3350 L. Honoapiilani Rd. #215-481
Lahaina, HI 96761
(808)870-0878