Looking for Maui dive buddy early November and shore dive advice

[kogara]

Hi All,
My wife and I are travelling to Maui on Halloween - trick or treat! We are celebrating our 25th anniversary while there but I also want to get in as much diving as I can while not stopping the marriage streak at 25. My wife is a certified diver but if I can get her under water two or three times on the trip, I will consider myself lucky. So I am looking for a dive buddy or group for some day and night shore dives Nov 1st - 7th. I also plan on doing a two tank boat dive to Molokini. I am advanced open water certified soon passing 250 dives and have all my own gear. I am comfortable to lead dives if you are newer to diving but also would love to dive with someone who knows the Maui reefs well. I like to photograph so I prefer slow diving instead of underwater races. We are staying at a condo on Honoapi'ilani Hwy in Lahaina and will have a car so most any shore dives on the island will work. If you are visiting at the same and have a non-diving spouse we could dive together while the spouses relax on the beach. Anyone out there who can recommend some shore dives - easy ones I could take my wife on, good ones for night dives, and the best on the island, please let me know. All help would be greatly appreciated. Anyone up for diving with me, please let me know. Thanks for the help and counting the days - to our anniversary of course.

 

[H2ODoc]

We dove there last December. Thoughts:

Mala Wharf was great. Lots to see, dive at your own pace, whale sounds in the distance. Plenty of turtles. Right in your backyard (Lahaina).

Head south and dive with Shaka Doug. Great experience.

We really enjoyed Molokini. Superb vis, nice boat ride, excellent day. We used Dive and Sea - very personalized service. Hard to beat.

 

[kogara]

Thanks H2ODoc! You'll love Bonaire - shore diving paradise. Rent the truck, grab the tanks, find the yellow rock - enjoy! When we were there we tried to night dive one of the 3 or 4 sites we dove during the day. I highly recommend it.

 

[surfinusa555]

While you are there, pick up the free dive magazine inside Maui Dive & Surf in Lahaina. It details many dive sites, their difficulty, directions to get there and route to take underwater. I found airport beach in Kaanapali to be a very easy dive. If you are willing to go south, then Makena Landing is also a very easy dive.

 

[DiveMaven]

Black Rock at the Sheraton on Kaanapali Beach is one of the easiest, best West Maui shore dives IMO. Shallow, easy navigation, great critters (normally), long bottom times, and great for day or night diving. Also one wonderful site for leaving a spouse on a gorgeous beach with all sorts of amenties nearby.

The only pain involved is getting your gear from the parking lot to and from the ocean. I've sworn that the next time I dive Black Rock I'll be renting AL63s instead of 80s.

 

[scubahawk27]

Aloha,

We are always diving on the south side. Places like Makena Landing, 5 Graves and several other really great sites. If you would like to try scooter diving we have 4 of them. We often go out to an isolated reef off of Mekena Landing at 60'. Plenty of photo ops. My wife and I are both Master Divers so let us know if you would like to join us while you are here. We also can do a night dive or two.

 

[Mark Derail]

Sylvie & I were in Maui from Oct 7 through 17th 2011.

Sylvie & myself wanted UW pictures, so I got Halemano can double as both guide & photographer.

- skip Molokini altogether not worth the $$$ and trip time, compared to other great sites "scubahawk27" talked about.
- Molokini - better diving elsewhere - it's a tourist trap
- Molokini - if you *still* want to do it, go outer rim
( I saw more variety & life snorkeling & freediving between Little Beach & Big Beach than I ever saw at Molokini )

- Cathedrals is a fun trip (1hr from Maala Ramp in Lahaina) with Extended Horizons.
- Cath 1 & 2 - now this place was awesome. Lava tubes FTW !!!

Since you're celebrating, splurge !!! Not just in diving.
Sylvie & I contracted Grins2Go photographer (I recommend JT tell him Sylvie & Mark sent ya!).

Grins2Go have a kiosk at Whalers (off of Kaanapali Parkway, $ parking, good dining), so you can take a look at the pictures before you buy.
We paid 50$ for a session that lasted a good 30+ minutes, JT uses top-notch Canon equipment for *gorgeous* sunset pics.
Then we bought the CD option to get all 83 pictures.
Cheaper if you just buy two or three.
​

The sunset cruise with Teralani. Maui Sunset Sail | Maui Dinner Sail | Sunset Dinner Sail on Maui | Maui Luxury Sails

Luau's ! We did The Feast At Lele (505 Front Street Lahaina) at 112$ / per person, table service, beach-side. Old Lahaina Luau, also on Front street behind Canery Mall, is 95$ and is a buffet. Didn't go there, but both are great from comments we got from other tourists.

Mama's Fish House just a bit past Paia, expect to pay over 200$ though, great food & ambiance.

Road To Hana - we *survived it* right to the Seven Pools (Gulch). However, trip wasn't worth it, since we started at 7am and got back at night at 7pm. Just do 1/3 of the trip to the very first, beautiful, beach in the bay. Then head back, and travel to the top of the volcano. Also, visit the Lavender Farm, AKL Maui, and take the guided tour.

The road to Hana is crazy! Be forewarned. The Lavender farm is a treat. Do the farm on your Airplane Flight Out day, or on Day #1, if you don't want to get bent, it's at 4000 feet.

Be sure to visit Turtle Town for snorkeling and/or diving. Visit Kihei, and go past down South to Big Beach and *little beach* :mooner:.

We dove chartered with Mike Severns (10/10) and Extended Horizons (10/10), though the first fully explains Marine Toilet Use and the other assumes you already know how or will ask how. Both are top-notch charter dives.

If you can, on chartered, pay the extra 5$ for steel tanks and get a longer bottom time. Adds 10 minutes for me! Steel me, and Al-80 for Sylvie, and we get to the same "Time To Go UP" point almost at the same time. Cuz, us guys have bigger lungs !

 

[Scubaarchery]

I am new to this board and just joined today. My family and I are heading to Maui on 11/15 to 11/22. I am a single diver since my wife and children do not dive. I have the Maui Dive shop magazine and plan to do some beach dives at Black Rock, Uluha Reef and other places. If anyone plans to dive during that week, please let me know I would love to dive with someone else vs. diving by myself.

Thanks in advance!

Eric

 

[Steve Eady]

Eric
My wife and I are coming to Maui the 14th thru the 23rd. My wife does not dive either. I will be doing 2 to 3 boat dives but also looking for a dive buddie to do some shore diving. Would like to do Kapalua bay and black rock for sure. Let me know if you are interested. I am a advanced diver with over 50 dives.

Steve

 

[Scubaarchery]

Steve,
Sounds great! I am definitely interested. I will send you a PM with my contact information. Reach out to me and we can try to plan some itineraries. Since I have the family with me, I plan to do a bunch of beach dives while they check out the on-shore stuff.

Sincerely,
Eric

Eric
My wife and I are coming to Maui the 14th thru the 23rd. My wife does not dive either. I will be doing 2 to 3 boat dives but also looking for a dive buddie to do some shore diving. Would like to do Kapalua bay and black rock for sure. Let me know if you are interested. I am a advanced diver with over 50 dives.



Steve