Maui Diving - what do you think of our plan?

[cruzbound]

Hi all,
We will be staying in Kahana for a week in late November 2013 and to maximum our diving we are thinking of the following plan: Diving with Lahaina Divers for two days (both their all day dives - 4 tanks going to Molokini backwall and Turtle Reef and Lanai and Cathaginian Wreck), then going down to Kihei (we know it is an hour drive and we are okay with it) for two separate days to dive Molokini Crater with Dive & Sea and another day do a two-tank shore dive with Shaka Doug (one dive being Five Graves/Caves). This will leave us two full days to do some land stuff. Don't think we will make it to the Road to Hana because it is just too far away and too far to make the complete drive in one day (without spending the night) - unless someone knows differently from where we are staying. We are thinking about doing a sunset at Haleakala. We are open to other land suggestions if anyone would like to chime in. We would like to get some suggestions for some good beaches in the Kahana area to go to - any thoughts???

We would appreciate any input about our possible diving plan. We arrive late Tuesday afternoon and leave the following Tuesday afternoon.

Thanks, cruzbound

 

[TSandM]

Don't discount the shore diving up at your end of the island. For my money, the Mala Pier dive in Lahaina is possibly the best shore dive on Maui. Old Airport has lots of turtles, and Honolua Bay has a beautiful little wall, although the walk to the water is a bit long. If you don't feel comfortable doing the dives by yourselves, I'm sure any of the dive shops up there can arrange a DM for you for a day, and it will be cheaper than boat diving. (We do very little boat diving on Maui any more, because the shore diving is generally so easy and so inexpensive.) The only exception would be if the swell is up and the entries are challenging.

Check out alohashoredivers.com and shorediving.com for information on Maui shore diving sites.

 

[diversteve]

How do you feel about a guided tour to Hana? https://www.tourmaui.com/

They pick up in the Kahana area at 6:30am. There's others also - I just saw their van waiting there one morning - taller with big windows. My mom did it a few years ago. And I think you're back before dark. They also go upcountry to the Tedeschi winery along the way. If you're staying in a hotel or condo with Kahana in the name, they probably pick up there - they're listed on the booking form.

Obviously Haleakala is 10,000' so not the same evening you dive. Thought about the bike ride in the morning instead? http://www.bikemaui.com/

A nice beach is Kapalua Bay Beach. http://www.aloha-hawaii.com/maui/beaches/kapalua-bay/

Considered by many to be the finest beach on Maui and definitely one of the most popular tourist beaches, Kapalua Beach is a nice crescent of golden sand lined with palm trees

Bring the snorkels also or Kapalua Dive Co. does kayak/shore dives there as well. http://www.kapaluadive.com/index.html
To save money, stop at Maui Dive Shop in Kahana Gateway mall for tanks and do it yourselves. It's a simple entry and an easy shallow dive. http://www.mauidiveshop.com/MDS-Details/locations.htm

There's about 4 miles of beach along Kahana. And 4 miles of resorts behind it. So although it's a nice area, it can be quite crowded in some spots. A lot depends on where you're staying.

We like the helicopter rides also. We went with Blue Hawaiian on a West Maui tour once. Lot's of spectacular waterfalls you can't see from land. Also if you don't do the Hana van run, they have a Haleakala/Hana trip. I did that some years ago, Hana was nice but flying over the volcano was actually sort of ho-hum - just a big cinder cone. Be different if it was erupting... You have to drive over to Kahului but they run all day - each tour is about an hour. Pick a non-cruise ship afternoon and it may just be you and the pilot. Blue Hawaiian Helicopters - Maui - Maui Helicopter Tours

 

[pjhansman]

Don't discount the shore diving up at your end of the island. For my money, the Mala Pier dive in Lahaina is possibly the best shore dive on Maui.

Couldn't agree more.

Diving with Lahaina Divers at Lanai is a great boat trip as well.

 

[Steve Eady]

I only see one thing missing from your diving, A scooter dive with www.mauiscooterdivers.com . These things are a blast and great people on top of it. I will be headed back next month and will book a few dives with them again. Whatever you decide to do will be fun, so enjoy.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Maui is our most frequent dive destination and I have dove all the sites you list on a number of occasions. 5 caves is a good shore dive. Also in that area is Ulua beach, and it's nice too- good for frog fish and other unique creatures. TS and M is right about some decent shore diving on the West end, too. In addition to Mala Pier, there is Black rock and old airport, Olawalu, and more. There are scores of good shore dives, though, including those you have selected. Your itinerary is a good one, as is your selection of boat dive sites. Don't change a thing. Just plan on a returning a few more times to do other spots. Here's a tip: once you are on the island, even though you aren't diving with them, go into a Maui Dive Shop location ( there is one just south of you, in Kaanapali). They have a shore dive magazine, full of lots of ads and coupons, in between which they map out ( in a general way) about 30 shore dive sites. The magazine is really good, and it's free.
DivemasterDennis
DivemasterDennis

 

[StuartT]

Another option is the Temptation tours Hana/heli tour. It's a half day and you get the drive either in or out plus a heli in or out. we did it several years ago and thouroughly enjoyed it. We did the morning drive in heli out at lunch.

 

[cruzbound]

WOW! Thanks for all the information. I will look into the Hana options. We are trying to decide if we should do the sunrise or sunset at Haleakala - any recommendations? We are not sure if we want to get up and head out at 2 am so the sunset kind of sounds more tempting right now. I know Lahaina Divers does not have as good of reviews on Trip Advisor and they take more divers than we like (a max of 24) but they are the only ones (I think) that offer these two all day dives - if anyone knows of another company, let me know. I think by doing the two all day dives it will help us see more dive sites while we are there.

Anyone else have suggestions, please chime in. Thanks again to all.

 

[diversteve]

Lahaina Divers is almost the only choice for 4 dives/day. Nice thing about Lahaina Divers boats is they have an extended fly bridge so if they are full, 1/2 the group can sit upstairs. Once we went out to Lanai with only 8 on the boat - mid-week.

Maui Dive shop does 2 different 2 tank dives almost every day. But you have to drive to Ma'alea. Same size boat as Lahaina but one instead of two. Same 24 divers max. Seemed slightly higher priced and I didn't see a 4 tank daily package price. They also feed divers from several locations so likely to be fuller. Maui Dive Trips | Molokini Scuba Dives | Lanai Scuba Dives | Scuba Diving on Maui

If there's another 4-tank operator in West Maui, I've never heard of it.

None of the operators in Kihei do 4 dives either - except Makena Coast - IDK much about them. Possibly you could do their 3PM Maui coast dive that afternoon - you'll be back too late for their earlier one. Dive FAQs | Makena Coast Dive Charters

 

[TSandM]

One of the things about diving on Maui is the trade winds. They are generally light in the mornings, and come up at midday and blow through the afternoon. This is why the Kihei charters go out to Molokini so darned early in the morning. So be aware that, if you sign up for an entire day on a boat, it may be a bit choppy in the afternoon.

We generally skip afternoon diving, and use the afternoons for the other fun things on the island.

If you have a day when you aren't diving, I agree that the helicopter tours are fabulous. They aren't cheap, but they're an incredible way to see the coast between Hana and Kihei. I got out of the bird after mine with a grin that went from ear to ear.