Maui Dive Reports

[cburdick1]

My wife, brother and I have been in Maui for 6 days now and done 2 days of dives. We did two shore dives with Shaka Divers (5 Caves and Ulua), both were about an hour long and went to depths of about 30 - 40'. Visibility was good, considering the weather that had just gone through and we got to see a ton of critters. Octopus, Puffers, Brittle Stars, tiny nudibranchs and more freekin turtles than I thought possible. We also tried out Doug's favorite fins, the Morfin, which look funny but work really well. They are shorter than average dive fins so might be a good option for folks who like to travel light.

On Tuesday we dove Molokini with B and B Divers and had a great trip, though getting up at 4:45 to make the drive from Kaanapali to Kihei was no fun. The payoff was at Molokini where we had the place to ourselves. Dropped down at 50', went to 71' and stayed down for about 31 minutes. While there we saw white tip reef sharks, garden eels, puffers and assorted other stuff. Surprisingly, there really weren't that many fish there. Maybe they were still asleep. Our second dive was at Red Hill, a drift dive to about 40'. We saw and alligator eel (dunno if that's what it's really called) various other eels, a slipper lobster and more reef sharks.

Doing more dives with Shaka on Saturday, should be more fun before we leave on Sunday.

Aloha.

 

[smellzlikefish]

Thanks for the report. Have fun!

 

[AZjohn]

Thanks for your report cburdick1,
It has added a little more excitement for our trip to Maui two weeks from today.
We are also staying Kaanapali and hitting the road at 4:45am to head to Kihei does not sound fun to me. Still haven't decided if we are going to do that boat dive or not.
Have you had a chance to do any shore dives in Kaanapali?
Thanks,
John

 

[DiveMaven]

We stay in Kaanapali and drive to Kihei to catch a boat (Ed Robinson's). We leave around 5:30 and are still able to stop at Starbucks before getting to the boat ramp easily before the 6:30 check-in. We really love the beauty of the drive with all the stars out and the sun just starting to illuminate the West Maui mountains and Haleakala. That early in the morning the "suggested" 60 minute drive time is really only 45 minutes or less in my experience.

 

[AZjohn]

We leave around 5:30 and are still able to stop at Starbucks before getting to the boat ramp.

I think that would be a mandatory stop (lol).

 

[DiveMaven]

I think that would be a mandatory stop (lol).

Lord knows it is for my husband! I'm not a coffee drinker, so it doesn't matter to me.

 

[cburdick1]

We didn't do any shore dives in Kaanipali, just the 4 around Kihei with Shaka Divers. We dove 5 caves/5 graves (same place, two names), Ulua beach, Palauea Beach and Makena. All four locations are terrific, though Makena has a couple of cool small caves that harbor reef sharks and the biggest turtles imaginable (dinner table size, not kidding).

We will try to hit more places in the West Maui area, suggestions as to who does good guided shore dives in the Lahaina / Kaanipali area are welcome.

I found it interesting to see the differences between dive operators. Last year we went out with Extended Horizons to dive Lanai. We met at the Mala Ramp at 6, did our dives and spent easily 2 hours whale watching. We were back at the ramp about 12:30. They didn't seemed rushed or overeager to get us back to shore and off the boat. Though our Molokini dives this year were fun and our divemasters were very nice, we felt like the plan was to get things done quickly. After leaving at 6 am we were back at the ramp by 10:30.

As for drive times, we didn't leave our hotel at 4:45, but got up at that time, actual drive time (I agree) is about 45 minutes from Lahaina/Kaanipali to the Kihei ramp. However, for a 5:45 check-in with B&B, that requires leaving at 5. Damn early no matter how you slice it.

I am currently writing this while sitting in my living room in Dallas, we landed at DFW 2 hours ago. I miss Maui already. I'll unpack our wetsuits and soak them in the tub later today, give our gear a nice rinse and let it all dry before packing it all into the Rubbermade tub and storing it in the garage. This process always bums me out, as I know it's going to be a while before I get underwater. So, for all of you who are going diving today, I am jealous. Enjoy each and every one of your dives.

 

[DiveMaven]

Next time you're on Maui, give Black Rock a dive. It's in front of the Sheraton on Kaanapali beach and usually an excellent and easy shore dive, both day and night. Just about every resort on Kaanapali beach offers guided shore dives, and Maui Dive Shop's magazine always has a shore diving guide (with directions/info) available for free in their shop.

There are other good S. Maui boat operators, so try another one next time you're on island. Perhaps B&B isn't the best choice for you and another will be a better match.

 

[mpd525]

i just got to maui yesterday, and i start diving today with shaka divers, and the 9am meet-up can't come fast enough. and my internal clock is messed up so i've been up since 5am, and i'm ready to get in the water.