Maui-Diving from Lahaina area

[razz917]

Making the trip to Maui in Aug. 2005. I don't expect anyone to bad mouth operators but: If you know Maui diving and if you had a preference, would you dive with Turtle Reef, Pacific Dive, or Dive & Sea in Kihei and make the drive. I always prefer the smaller boats with personalized service. There doesn't seem to be anyone boasting about it around Lahaina/Kanapalii - only Dive&Sea about 45 min. south. Does anyone have any experience with these shops? Thanks!!! Oh yeah...if you could only dive ONE day off Maui, would you do Molikini or Lanai Cathedrals?

 

[Charlie99]

It depends upon what you call a "smaller" boat. I don't know that Pacific Dive or Turtle Reef have boats. Are you sure that they aren't just booking people onto someone else's boat? The boat on the Turtle Reef website looks an awful lot like the Makena Coast Dive Charter boat, the Makena Mele.

Extended Horizons is a well respected dive op that departs from Mala ramp in Lahaina, usually going to Lanai. It takes a max of 12 customers. Making the crossing to Lanai in a smaller boat isn't very pleasant, particularly on the return trip after the tradewinds kick up.

If you want to go to Molokini, then Sundance II, the Dive & Sea Maui 6 pack is a reasonable choice, although I prefer a boat with a head, such as the slightly larger 12 px boats of Mike Severns and Ed Robinson.

Another 6 pack to look into is ProDiver Maui, out of Kihei boat ramp. It used to be my absolute favorite until the long time owner/operator sold it last August. The new owners were still working there way up the learning curve when I dove with them last January and March. It's a full 34' boat with head, but only 6 passengers.

 

[diversteve]

Making the trip to Maui in Aug. 2005. I don't expect anyone to bad mouth operators but: If you know Maui diving and if you had a preference, would you dive with Turtle Reef, Pacific Dive, or Dive & Sea in Kihei and make the drive. I always prefer the smaller boats with personalized service. There doesn't seem to be anyone boasting about it around Lahaina/Kanapalii - only Dive&Sea about 45 min. south. Does anyone have any experience with these shops? Thanks!!! Oh yeah...if you could only dive ONE day off Maui, would you do Molikini or Lanai Cathedrals?

I don't think Pacific Dive has a boat either. We dove with them in 2001 but it was a scooter dive at Airport Beach. Good outfit though. No experience with either of the other two you're asking about. If you're willing to drive to Kihei, B&B and Ed Robinson's are also highly recommended here. Although one of them leaves pretty early, so you have to leave Lahaina around 5:15 to get there in time.

If you catch Lahaina Divers on a good day, they're ok too. They have a big wide boat with all the facilities - nice for coming back from Lanai when the winds are up. Also we had 8 on our trip - and 2 DM's - not sure what they did though as my buddy and I went separate from the group - no problem for them. If they're full though - likely in August - I'd go with one of your other options, they can probably squeeze 24 or more on that boat.

I've done both, so here's my order of preference:

Molokini Backwall - if you've got the experience
Cathedral 1
Cathedral 2
Molokini

Depends on what you're looking for, if it's lots of fishlife/coral, definitely Molokini. Even inside the crater, saw my first(only) Scorpionfish there and some whitetips in under 50'

If it's the wow factor - it's definitely the Cathedrals. Cathedrals is more about the experience of the Cathedral than the fish life. I'm agnostic, but swimming up near the top of Cathedral 1 is the closest I've been to having a religious experience.

 

[El Orans]

Hello Razz,

why not start with this link: A beginner's guide to the ScubaBoard.Com forums.
It will give you lots of info regarding ScubaBoard.

Please fill out your Public Profile (and Dive Info) using the User CP when you've got the time so we can get to know you a little bit better. If you want to, you can have a look at my Public Profile for inspiration.

For local info and/or (future) buddies, just follow the path or have fun along the way by clicking on any of the given links: ScubaBoard.Com > Regional Travel & Dive Clubs > North America > United States > Hawai'i O'Hana.

Laurens

BTW, welcome (Scub)aBoard! :happywave

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

While Cathedral is a good dive if there was only one dive to be made I'd agree that it would be the backwall of Molokini.

 

[BDub]

Like others have said, I don't think Pacific Dive or Turtle Reef have boats. I also have not heard much good about Dive & Sea. I stay in Kihei when on Maui and use Ed Robinson, but Mike Severns and B & B Scuba come highly recommended as well. If you are going to travel to Kihei, I would suggest one of those three.

My personal recommendation is the backside of Molokini, if your experience and skill level allows it. I was slightly disappointed with the Cathedrals, but am still glad I did it. I do make at least one trip to the backside on every trip I make to Maui though.

If you do decide to do the Cathedrals/Lanai, I would suggest using using an op based in Lahaina. It is a very bumpy and wet ride that can get very long leaving from Kihei.

HTH

Brian

 

[razz917]

Hey there, Thanks for the response and the heads up on Maui shops. Wow...I've only dove in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America and never had a problem with a shop booking on someone else's cattle boat. I appreciate that info. I'm just looking for more personalized service than having more than 8 divers on a boat. I've been certified over 10 years but my son will be newly certified this go around. I want him to enjoy the dive not have 20 people and their gear, etc. confusing the experience.

I spoke w/the captain at Dive & Sea and it's his boat, his shop, his dive so I'm inclined to do the drive. I've read good things about B&B also and will check them out later today when they wake up out there. Yeah...the drive in the morning would stink but I'd rather do that than have a messed up dive on some commercialized cattle boat any day.

We've decided on Molikini because after some research and responses, I realized that's where all the fish are - and that's what the kid wants to see. You mentioned the Back Wall - WITH THE EXPERIENCE. My kid is super comfortable in the water as he swims competitively year-round and he is a sharp kid so I expect he'll be comfortable with the dive BUT...is the Back Wall a tough dive for any reason?

Thanks for the info.!!!

I don't think Pacific Dive has a boat either. We dove with them in 2001 but it was a scooter dive at Airport Beach. Good outfit though. No experience with either of the other two you're asking about. If you're willing to drive to Kihei, B&B and Ed Robinson's are also highly recommended here. Although one of them leaves pretty early, so you have to leave Lahaina around 5:15 to get there in time.

If you catch Lahaina Divers on a good day, they're ok too. They have a big wide boat with all the facilities - nice for coming back from Lanai when the winds are up. Also we had 8 on our trip - and 2 DM's - not sure what they did though as my buddy and I went separate from the group - no problem for them. If they're full though - likely in August - I'd go with one of your other options, they can probably squeeze 24 or more on that boat.

I've done both, so here's my order of preference:

Molokini Backwall - if you've got the experience
Cathedral 1
Cathedral 2
Molokini

Depends on what you're looking for, if it's lots of fishlife/coral, definitely Molokini. Even inside the crater, saw my first(only) Scorpionfish there and some whitetips in under 50'

If it's the wow factor - it's definitely the Cathedrals. Cathedrals is more about the experience of the Cathedral than the fish life. I'm agnostic, but swimming up near the top of Cathedral 1 is the closest I've been to having a religious experience.

 

[Damselfish]

The back wall is a drift dive, can be a pretty good current. It's not so hard, but the water can be rough and when you ascend there's a good chance you will be waiting in it for a bit while waiting for the boat to pick you up. Mostly important to be very comfortable and to follow instructions. Have signaling devices too, consider getting sausages if you don't already. Talk to the op and if you have doubts, inside the crater and the end of the reef are nice too. We spent 20 minutes with 2 mantas inside the crater one afternoon when there's not many people there (most trips are run in the morning when it's much calmer.)

 

[Charlie99]

I also have not heard much good about Dive & Sea.

I've never heard anything negative about Dive & Sea Maui. I've only used them one time, but they seem to have a good reputation. Captain John's a fun guy. The DM, Emi, had the nicest leopard print bikini I've seen around. She isn't in a rush to get out of the water and we went for a nice 65 minute/82' max Molokini backwall drift CW from the Lighthouse, all the way around to Reef's End and into the crater. The 2nd shallower dive was a leisurely 1:24 on the outer reef of Wailea point.
Good service, good crew. If they had an onboard head, I'd use them more often.

 

[Charlie99]

I'm just looking for more personalized service than having more than 8 divers on a boat. I've been certified over 10 years but my son will be newly certified this go around. I want him to enjoy the dive not have 20 people and their gear, etc. confusing the experience.

Yeah...the drive in the morning would stink but I'd rather do that than have a messed up dive on some commercialized cattle boat any day.

...is the Back Wall a tough dive for any reason?

I wouldn't reject the 12 passenger / double 6 pack boats so quickly. Most Maui charter boats put DMs/guides in the water. One advantage of the 12 passenger boats is that they typically put split the divers into two groups by experience levels. On a 6 pack in Maui you will be probably be going all as one group.

The only "cattle boats" on Maui are run by Lahaina Divers and Maui Dive Shop.

Molokini backwall is a true wall with nearly vertical drop to 250'+, so it will be a live boat drop and pickup. When you jump off the boat, you had better have your buoyancy sorted out. The very clear water can easily fool divers that don't pay attention to their depth. You should also be comfortable swimming off into the blue away from the wall to do your stops and get picked up. Obviously, there won't be any mooring or anchor lines to help people that can't hold a 15' stop.

In spite of all of the above comments, I did take my nephew on the center backwall for his first dive after OW cert. He had excellent buoyancy control and had enough situational awareness to cry "foul" when the DM beckoned us on down deeper than the original plan in order to see a whitetip tucked into an undercut. YMMV.