Maui and Big Island with non-diver wife

[ebyron]

My non-diving wife and I are going to two Hawaiian Islands in Feb.

Can anyone recommend dive boat opperators in/near Kihei on Maui and Kona on the Big Island?

I'm a newly certified AOW diver, with 30-40 dives lifetime, primarily with Sandals/Beaches resorts in the Caribbean and have no experience with smaller boats.

Do any boat operators allow non-divers to ride along and/or snorkel?

IIRC there is one shop that goes out a bit earlier and returns earlier to shore.

I am also interested in night diving and perhaps getting wreck certified.

Thanks
Eliot

 

[Wildcard]

Not many wrecks in either place, a few but not many. There a number of operators that will allow a snorkeler along. Did you want a cattle boat or a six pack? Lots of the boats do night manta dives also. Let me know exactly what you want on the Big Isle and I'll find it for ya! Enjoy your trip.

 

[colonelchuck]

My non-diving wife and I are going to two Hawaiian Islands in Feb.

Can anyone recommend dive boat opperators in/near Kihei on Maui and Kona on the Big Island?

I'm a newly certified AOW diver, with 30-40 dives lifetime, primarily with Sandals/Beaches resorts in the Caribbean and have no experience with smaller boats.

Do any boat operators allow non-divers to ride along and/or snorkel?

IIRC there is one shop that goes out a bit earlier and returns earlier to shore.

I am also interested in night diving and perhaps getting wreck certified.


Eliot

My wife is also a non diver and we spent a week each on Maui and the Big Island last March so I share your experience.

On Maui we stayed in Kihei. I dove with Mike Severens and had a great time. They launch early from the Kihei boat ramp along with Ed Robinson and Maui Dive Shop. Robinson and Severens are usually listed as the top operations and my experience - along with that of a number of friiends - confirms that. On the Severens boat, the dive masters quickly assessed the experinece level of the divers and formed two groups based on experience. Briefings on the dive sites and especially the critters were excellent. We were back and on our way by noon. Severens and Robinson do night dives - check their web sites. I suggest diving several days with one of the with a 3 tank dive for more experienced divers at the end of the series. Back wall at Molokini is a great goal if you feel up to it.

On the Big island, I dove with Jack's Diving Locker for a day two tanker and the night manta dive. Both were professionally done and the crews and dms were excellent. My wife went along on the night Manta dive

Hope that helps

 

[Alfredo]

My non-diving wife and I are going to two Hawaiian Islands in Feb.

Do any boat operators allow non-divers to ride along and/or snorkel?

Thanks
Eliot

B&B Scuba out of Kihei allowed my son and wife to snorkel while my daughter and I enjoyed our dives. We of course had to pay for them to come along and it was worth every cent.

Have fun.

 

[colonelchuck]

B&B Scuba out of Kihei allowed my son and wife to snorkel while my daughter and I enjoyed our dives. We of course had to pay for them to come along and it was worth every cent.

Have fun.

As Alan points out, many operators will be happy to take snorkelers along and some take ride alongs if there is room. Our experience is that few sites are great for diving and great for snorkeling so ask a lot of questions. Web sites have lots of info.

 

[ebyron]

Thanks for the quick replies and keep them coming.

What are the advantages/disadvantages to the 6-pack over the cattle boat?
Price? service? entry/exit? ride comfort? briefings? time in and out of shore?

Are there other aspects about either type i should consider?

I guess I would be leaning towards the smaller boats, if only because I have never experienced them.

Due to the short time we will be on Maui and Hawaii, I will only have 2-3 days to dive in each place. Are there recommended dive sites my wife would be able to snorkel while I dive?

I will need to rent BC and REGs too if that is any consideration..... my wife has her own snorkel gear.

Thanks
Eliot

 

[mossym]

smaller boats are better, better service, more personalised attention, i doe with ed robinsons for a week when i was in maui, they take time to find out everyones skill level and what they want to see, and do their best to show you that. For instance, we were on the boat a few days and my girlfriend hadn't seen any turtles, the same dive masters had been with us and knew she wanted to see some, so they took us to St anthony's on our last day to see some turtles, i was really impressed

Molokini Crater is a must, but what is good about there is that is where all the dedicated snorkel boats go anyway, the dive sites and the snorkel sites are a little different, but i'm sure if you call some of the boats they will let you know if it is doable.

Ed Robinsons is great, i'll use them every time i go back.