Maui dive op & site suggestions for middle of March

[spoolin01]

I've liked both Lanai and the Molokini back wall, thought the inside the crater dive @80' was nothing special, maybe less than average. But only dove there one day. If it was me I'd pick Lanai for the longer dive and richer scenery. I've done Makena/5 caves several times at night, and been once to Sheraton Black Rock at night, which was quite a hike from the parking. Saw a lot of eels at Black Rock, and some lit up squid. Saw squid at Makena too, also turtles in caves, and white tip sharks. Not a lot of fish out at night in Hawaii, but it is a different mix of creatures. Have yet to try Mala Wharf.

 

[DancinDiver]

Mala pier is wonderful day or night if it hasn’t been raining. Silt from the intermittent stream that dumps right by the pier makes the viz terrible. On a dry day, though, it’s wonderful.

If it’s been raining, and you’re in west Maui, Black Rock is a better night choice. The parking arrangement is difficult, so be sure to scout it out beforehand. Enter from the north side and the current will gently take you around the point in about 45 minutes.

The team at Mike Severns — Pauline, Warren, Andy, and Poki — are simply fantastic folks. We’ve done Molokini crater many times, not because it’s particularly special, but because they are. Their attitude toward diving and observing the sea life is what makes it worthwhile.

 

[Rakdiver]

Lahaina Divers in Lahaina, good boats and good people.

Lahaina Divers in Lahaina, good boats and good people.

I agree. I don’t see a lot of love for LD on this thread, but I did 6 days of diving with them last April (and 1 with Ed Robinson) and had a great time. After my first dive with them they let me do my thing (started with the first group ended with the third) and had a great time. I would definitely use them again for Lanai and Molokai. I would go out of Kihei for the back wall (if you’re an experienced diver I would not recommend the crater)

 

[Jared Silvey]

Following this thread as well... I am going to be in Maui the first part of March. I did the cathedrals of Lanai last year in April and am looking for something different this trip. Dove with Lahaina Divers last time, but looking for boat dive suggestions as well.

 

[Charlene Mantis Diver]

We are headed to Lahaina for 5 days in April 2020 as well. I appreciate these posts and comments. Are we saying that the hammerhead dive has very little chance of actually seeing sharks then??

Also, for shore diving, is it possible to rent tanks and go on your own or do you need to be with a DM?

 

[DancinDiver]

We are headed to Lahaina for 5 days in April 2020 as well. I appreciate these posts and comments. Are we saying that the hammerhead dive has very little chance of actually seeing sharks then??

Also, for shore diving, is it possible to rent tanks and go on your own or do you need to be with a DM?

Entirely possible to rent your own tanks and go on your own. We rent from Maui Diving — Scuba & Snorkel Center near the north end of Lahaina, right on Honoapiilani Highway. They can recommend nearby sites if you don’t already have a long enough list. They carry 63s as well as 80s, so you can minimize lugging extra tank weight if you don’t need it.

Remember that a dive flag is required. They presumably rent flags too, but we happen to have our own so I haven’t asked.

 

[divinh]

Are we saying that the hammerhead dive has very little chance of actually seeing sharks then??

The Hammerhead Site requires taking a boat across open water between two islands, which is pretty rough, at least when I went, in July 2016. The first trip wasn't too bad, but the second was with 7-10 foot swells and 25% of the divers felt so sick they skipped both dives.

Diving is to about 50 feet and moving with the guide towing an SMB, looking for the hammerheads, which are usually pretty deep, 100+ feet. The hammerheads will head up out of curiosity, so it is possible to see them, however they are skittish. One came toward me and got within 20-30 feet before a fleet of GoPro's on sticks scared it away.

Getting back on the boat is an adventure, as the chop and swells make it hard to reboard. A tow line is tossed and all divers grab onto it. A spotter on the rear of the boat gives a signal and the closest diver to the boat pulls him/herself as quickly as possible to the boat after removing fins. There's very little time to get onto the boat before a swell comes from behind to ram the diver onto the rear of the boat. During all of this, the boat is constantly drifting due to the swells. At some point, the boat will need to reposition, so a stop signal is given, engines fired up and all divers are dragged until the boat is ready to take divers again. It's super important to keep masks on and regs in during this process! Many divers usually spit out their regs after surfacing out of habit and this isn't the place to do it.

 

[gert7to3]

Thank you everyone who wrote up ideas and observations about diving Maui. My timing was impeccable. Flew out last Thursday, March 12, then returned March 16th due to the threat of getting stranded in Hawaii should air transport get shutdown. It is going to be a particularly rough year for the tourism dependent state.