Maui Charter for Divers & Snorkelers?

[SmashMonkey]

Any advice appreciated. I dived Maui 25 years ago (w/ Lahaina Divers) and I'm going back with family and friends in August. We're staying in Ka'anapali. We have a mixed group of divers and non-diver snorkelers. Is there such a thing as boat charters for both divers and snorkelers on the same boat? Which are the best sites for both divers and snorkelers? I'm guessing a lot has changed underwater in a quarter of a century.

 

[kinoons]

Lahaina divers has an option for a non-diver to accompany a diver. You could call/email to see if that non-diver would
Be allowed to snorkel.

 

[Skunky]

depending on how many of you there are, you can charter an entire boat for 6 hours @ $2500 and have the boat all to yourselves (up to 20 i think).

 

[SmashMonkey]

Just returned from our Maui trip and we did not do a combined snorkel/SCUBA charter. However I did find out some information that might help others looking for the same thing save some time searching.

We did snorkel/SNUBA inside Molokini Crater and TBH compared to 30 years ago, the reef inside the crater is in sad shape. Not a lot of sea life and the coral doesn't look that healthy. Lanai or Mala Pier would have been a better spot for snorkeling.

- There are very few charters that will accommodate both SCUBA and snorkel on the same boat. There are many charters that will offer both SNUBA and snorkel. AFAIK it's a combination of licensing and liability.

- A DM I asked said they knew of one: Alii Nui out of Maalea Harbor

Maui Water Activities | Signature Experience | Alii Nui Maui

Discover the best Maui water activities with Alii Nui Maui. Sail, snorkel, and make lasting memories on our luxury ocean excursions. Book now!

www.aliinuimaui.com

Alii Nui is a sister company of Maui Dive Shop and Dive Wailea

Maui Dive Shop | Official Site

Explore Hawaii's underwater wonders with Maui Dive Shop. From thrilling dives to exhilarating surface adventures, our experiences will captivate you.

www.mauidiveshop.com

Dive Wailea Resort Diving │ Wailea, HI

Explore the mesmerizing underwater world of Dive Wailea in Hawaii. Discover vibrant marine life and breathtaking dive sites. Dive into paradise today!

www.divewailea.com

We have no experience with any of these operators.

 

[Regulated]

Just got back from West Maui. There will be no vacation travel there for the foreseeable future due to the devastation from the fires. So sad.

My buddy and I dove one day with Island Style (successor to Mike Severns) before disaster struck. They launch from the Kihei boat ramp, almost an hour from Ka’anapali. There was a snorkeling spouse with us. First class outfit. Captain Javier is high energy for sure.

 

[Eric802]

Just found out I'm headed back to Maui on January 30 - last minute trip - and my snorkeling daughter will be joining us. First time back since the fires and the info in this thread was just what I was looking for.

 

[Eric802]

Just to update this in case anyone is looking for the info in the future - I had looked at Dive Wailea's website a few weeks ago and they were offering combined dive/snorkel trips to Molokini and a second, turtle-related site. Then their website went dark, and it reappeared today - and it re-directs you to Alii Nui's site. That does NOT offer any combined trips. So I called Dive Wailea, and was told they no longer had a boat, so the boat-dive side of things had been turned over to Maui Dive Shop. They DO allow snorkelers but charge a $299 "private guide" fee if there are snorkelers - so they're clearly trying to discourage snorkelers so they can focus on divers.

I asked the guy from Dive Wailea if he knew of any other ops that allowed dive/snorkel combos, and he did not.

 

[ChrisM]

Damn, that's sad to hear. There are already only a few choices

Going in a few weeks but as of now not even doing any boat dives