Maui Dive Shop vs Lahaina Divers vs Extrended Horizons

[KrisB]

DiveMaven is right about the Gold Palm / 5 Star thing... mostly.

First off, there are several Gold Palm resort and 5 Star shops on Maui. What this *really* means is that whenever possible they teach PADI courses and have issued a certain number of certifications. Typically, these shops/resorts also get better pricing on PADI materials, which would hopefully translate to better prices for the student diver.

This is not to say that all the good shops are PADI 5-Star or Gold Palm resorts. But on Maui, that's a reasonably safe bet as that's most of the market share here.

As for boat operators, I'm very pleased with Makena Coast Charters. They're a bit on the pricey side ($135, not incl. BC/wetsuit/reg) but their service makes up for it.

There is also a lot of good shore diving to be done off Maui, which will typically not eat up your day as much as a boat dive (you control exactly when to dive and how far away the site is).

 

[DiveMaven]

According to PADI's website, Lahaina Divers is the only Gold Palm rated operator on Maui. Trilogy also has a Gold Palm rating, but they're listed on Lanai. Maui Dreams and Pacific Dive are both 5 star operators.

 

[KrisB]

According to PADI's website, Lahaina Divers is the only Gold Palm rated operator on Maui. Trilogy also has a Gold Palm rating, but they're listed on Lanai. Maui Dreams and Pacific Dive are both 5 star operators.

Hmm... I thought Scuba Shack was also a 5-star, as well as Hawaiian Rafting Adventures.

Oh well... anyways -- yeah, the bottom line is that 5-star/Gold Palm shops are simply more established and have committed to strongly favour PADI (meaning, if there's a PADI course/cert for that particular training, they're doing it rather than another agency). There's a pretty long list of things that the shop is supposed to have to do to get to that level... but I've heard it's not always followed.

 

[SusanWH20]

Thanks for the input. We have a habit of diving places where our fairly well-traveled dive shop pals haven't gone so I've relied on the PADI site to help narrow down our options. I also check out operators here on Scubaboard. So far, we haven't been too disappointed with the charters we've ending up using. Never realized the whole story behind the Gold Palm rating. Interesting thing is that the operators we choose usually aren't the big, prevailing shop where we're diving.

Anyhow, thanks for the information. We're really interested in diving the Carthinagian (horrible misspelling) and the cathedrals. Found out B&B only does Molokini Crater and S. Maui sites. I think we probably will end up diving with two different shops.

 

[KrisB]

Lahaina Divers is known for short dives, small tanks and rushing their crowded boat back to the dock for a second charter.

Extended Horizons is known for being fair -- the dive gets planned (and often the first dive is a little shorter to allow for longer NDL time on the second dive).

I've heard good things about Hawaiian Rafting Adventures as well.

All three of these ops operate out of Lahaina and go to Lanai (conditions permitting).

I'm not aware of any operators other than Maui Dive Shop and Lahaina Divers that regularly schedule dives on the Carthaginian... though you *could* rent a boat for the day and find it yourself... or enlist the aid of a local dive instructor to help find it...

 

[SusanWH20]

Gee, I wonder where I could find a local dive instructor.

 

[DiveMaven]

Extended Horizons advertises on their website that they dive the Carthaginian too.

 

[Scubagolf]

I have dived with Extended Horizons 5 days over the past several years. Always a good trip. They operate a fast boat out of a harbor on the north side of Lahaina which is just south of Kaanapali on the west side of Maui, and specialize on trips to Lanai for diving The Cathedrals. This dive op is especially convenient for those staying at Kaanapali, Kapalua, or in Lahaina.

 

[KrisB]

Gee, I wonder where I could find a local dive instructor.

I know, I know, I know!

I even know of one that would tag along just for the ride (and who's been there before!)

 

[KrisB]

Extended Horizons advertises on their website that they dive the Carthaginian too.

That's cool.

I imagined they would dive there, but I didn't think they had regularly scheduled dives -- both MDS and LD produce a "we do dive X on day Y" sort of schedule.