Makena Landing shut down...what's next?!

[captjohno]

Unless the gloves come off and the business owners unite to fight tooth & nail, Makena Landing will no longer be an option for safe guided tours for our tourists and locals...wether it's scuba diving, snorkeling, or kayaking! They've already closed commercial activity at La Parouse and Ahihi...and now they're working their way North. WHAT'S NEXT?!

We all know the marine industry revolves around weather conditions. You want to take your customers to a location where the conditions are the best...and that changes daily or even hourly! If commercial operators are forced to use Ulua beach (for example) everyday, there are many times when the conditions are better and SAFER at another location...like Makena Landing. Now the operators options are being eliminated one by one, which forces them to try to reschedule their customers or cancel all together...that makes it tough to pay your permit fees.

By shutting down Makena Landing, commercial operators will be pushed further North...congesting other locations; which could eventually lead into talk of shutting down those locations as well due to UNNECESSARY high impact. Where does it end? When all the best sites are shut down? Eventually you leave the tourists with one option...rent your gear and do it on your own and hope they come back safe, especially at night! What about our local population that want to get certified, or take their visiting family members on a guided kayak tour?!

The Kihei boat ramp is not an option, there are no comm. launch permits available...as far as I know, and you can't take a group of shore divers out through the channel markers amid constant boat traffic. So...Do what you gotta do to unite and stand up and FIGHT! Take the gloves off!!

I'd be happy to help if I can...let me know.

Aloha, Captjohno Dive & Sea Maui -Why Us

 

[Busdiver]

Yeah that's safe. So if my wife and I return to Maui (which we will) we cannot dive out of this site with a guide? Hmmm, for a state that makes it's living off of tourism it sounds like someone did not think that through. Image the spouse and I heading out to sea never to be seen again. That would be helpful. Imagine the postings in the "accidents and incidents" section.

 

[Trixxie]

That sucks man, I have dove those spots many times.... hope it works out for the best for divers.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

Maui is run by idiots sadly. The people with power have zero business sense and it appears zero common sense. But in this day and age it's not a problem unique to Maui. Just a shame.

 

[ScubaSeanMaui]

Why don't you visitors give them a call and express your outrage:

Department of Parks and Recreation

Mail: 700 Halia Nakoa Street
Wailuku, HI 96793
Phone: (808) 270-7230
Fax: (808) 270-7934
E-mail: parks.dept@mauicounty.gov


Mission: To provide high-quality, cost-effective recreational experiences for the residents and visitors of Maui County.

 

[Busdiver]

email sent, phone call to follow later today (it's like 4:30 in the morning Hawaii time).

There are many points here that need to be addressed. Our nation is in the economic toilet right now. Why would you limit the ability for your residents to generate income? The other one is safety. My wife and I love diving in Hawaii but at no point would I feel comfortable without a guide. It's your waters, I would like you to show them to me.