Maui Diving In May

[arnoldcp]

I've been reading for a while but this is my first post. I have read many of the reviews of various dive shops in Maui, but still have questions.

I'm just got certified last year and only have a couple of logged dives. I am traveling to Maui with a friend that needs to do his OW referal dives. We are staying at the Westin Vacation Resorts. I want to be able to go out with him when he does his cert dives (not the same group, but the same trip). Also, our non-diving wives are with us, so we really want to do something early as not to be gone all day. We are considering the following options -

B&B - Tons of positive reviews, they seem like a great operation and they leave at 6AM. Is it really an hour drive to Keihi??? Is it worth going to Molokini or are the beach dives just as good?

5-star Scuba - they operate out of the Westin, so its just a short walk to the beach. They do all beach dives. I like this as it would give me the confidence to do beach dives after my buddy gets his cert. Then we could just rent gear and do an early morning dive. Haven't seen many reviews on them? Any one have experience with them?

We aer looking for input. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Chris

 

[Wildcard]

For you, Id say stick with 5star....Many think boat dives are hard. They are not, beach dives are, sometimes. Get everone certed and happy than go do a boat dive at the crater. Dont miss the Maui Ocean Center. Enjoy your visit.
Aloha

 

[adjuster-jd]

I would highly suggest Extended Horizons for a nice boat dive to Lanai. They leave from the Mala boat ramp in Lahaina - a short drive for you. These folks are great with beginner divers (as well as experienced divers).

As for shore dives - not sure whether you are planning to pay an instructor to go with you on a shore dive? If so, why not do your advanced open water course with them (if the price is right) and get some meaningful instruction while you do it. Beats paying for a buddy to do an easy beach dive with you.

 

[ScubaDiveMaui]

5-Star is a hotel scuba consession operation. They will probably do a good enough job, and meet the SDI/PADI requirements, but you might be in the class with other divers. The biggest drawback is that hotel scuba consessions are entry level positions for scuba instructors & often have a high turn-over rate, therefore they typically employee instructors who are relatively inexperienced.

Smaller companies with a lower turn-over rate, often have the best instructors to learn from.

Because you're staying in the Lahaina/Kaanapali area, I'd also recommend contacting Extended Horizons. They are in Lahaina and offer OW completion packages, where your buddy can do his OW referral dives & you can tag along: first day off the beach and second day off the boat. Both are half-day activities, usually in a one-on-one setting. Something like this might be a better choice.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

There are plenty of veteran instructors in resort diving. The true high turnover is the number of divers during high seasons, 3-4 shore dives per day (some w/scooter), 2-5 divers per dive. If an instructor can hang, resort diving can be very rewarding. Most entry level instructors could not pull it off.

Whatever level of luxury the resort is, the concessions are under contract to be up to snuff. The convenience of not having to leave the resort area is more than worth the premium price to many guests, as long as the product is premium. I am sure there are many experienced instructors in Kaanapali. Check the other resorts in Kaanapali for dive concessions, talk to them all on the phone, ask them how long their divers have worked there. Ask them where they dive, Black Rock would be nice.

It's possible the instructor would prefer to have you tag along. If you are going to be dive buddies, you might as well participate in the alternate ascents as well as possibly diving as buddies during the tour portion of each dive. You could probably even work out a package deal rather than pay rack rate for your four shore dives. Then some nice easy boat dives, considering your experience levels.

 

[arnoldcp]

As for shore dives - not sure whether you are planning to pay an instructor to go with you on a shore dive?

All the 5-star dives are beach dives. From talking to the guys at the shop, If I have my own equipment, I can just tag along on his OW cert dives. My thought is that after doing 4 dives with with the DM, I would be comfortable going shore diving on my own later in the week. Does that seem reasonable?

 

[ScubaDiveMaui]

Didn't mean to ruffle any feathers out there. I'm just speaking from personal experience. After doing the job myself & knowing many-a-hotel instructor on the west side, it's absolutely correct that the hotel gig is a rigorous job - for tough instructors! (Not really my crowd.)

Back to your question arnold: Is it reasonable to go diving on your own after completing your OW certification and getting a few dives under your belt?

I think you'll end up getting personal preference responses to such a subjective question. After I gained my OW certification, I'm positive that I was not competent enough underwater to be responsible for the navigation & safety of myself and another... but it's highly dependent on the individual's u/w problem solving skills, navigation skills & buoyancy skills.

As a dive professional, I consider the first 20 dives out of certification similar to having your training wheels off, but still learning! A DM can be invaluable for helping perfect your u/w buoyancy skills & marine ecology awareness. Even now that I have 3000+ dives under my belt, when I travel to areas I'm not familiar with, I prefer to have a local guide along to help point out the unique marine life & take me to the spots where the cool stuff likes to hang out!

I highly recommend you tag along on your buddy's 4 OW dives, to assess if you are both ready to dive on your own. If/when you and your buddy do decide to dive w/o a guide, just remember that there are different local laws you must abide by. For example, a dive flag is required for almost all beach diving on Maui & turtles are federally protected, so no touching/harassing!

Enjoy!

 

[DiveMaven]

All the 5-star dives are beach dives. From talking to the guys at the shop, If I have my own equipment, I can just tag along on his OW cert dives. My thought is that after doing 4 dives with with the DM, I would be comfortable going shore diving on my own later in the week. Does that seem reasonable?

Sounds like you have a great plan! By tagging along with the instructor, you can get comfortable and familiar with the reefs, which will make diving on your own later much more comfortable.

Since you're staying on Kaanapali, you definitely want to plan a dive at Blackrock once your friend is certified. It's a really good dive and super easy navigation. Have a GREAT trip!!

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

B&B - Tons of positive reviews, they seem like a great operation and they leave at 6AM. Is it really an hour drive to Keihi??? Is it worth going to Molokini or are the beach dives just as good?


Chris

No the beach dives aren't even close to Molokini. The back wall is a world class dive.

B&B is the shop I send all my students to, experienced as well as brand new. They have way more dive leaders on board so they can mix and match experience levels and everyone gets back on the boat happy.

No one complains about B&B