maui!!! here we come!

[SteveDiver]

You must take the road to Hannah!!

 

[Islandtime]

You must take the road to Hannah!!

You mean the road to hhhhhell iI agree it is a must take trip also you need to get a book called Maui Revealed it is a fantastic guide to Maui and an essential step by step description of the drive to hana and back, the web address is http://www.wizardpub.com/ Make sure you stop by Changs pond on the way for a dip its great.

A question for anyone, we are going the end of January and unfortunately our favorite folks in Maui arent going to be there, Don and Rachel at Maui Dreams, who would you suggest diving with instead. Mike Sevrns, Ed Robinson? Also how is the diving the end of January?

Thanks

 

[deputydan1]

lol!
thanks all.
will do the road to hana. how long does it take? shall we bring our snorkel gear?
any must-eats? must-shops?

thanks!

-dan

ps> do any dive ops offer free shore diving with purchase of a package?

 

[rjens]

Two comments on the "road to hana".

When we went to Maui in 2001 we went to hana in our rental car. In general, we loved it, but beware, there are effectively only two restaraunts in Hana, an overpriced hotel one, and a diner type. There is a reason the tour buses all advertise that they provide lunches. So be sure to bring a picnic lunch with you.

Also, take your time, and stop along the way for the nature hikes. My favorite part fo the trip was this one trail that went about a mile up the mountain. Great views, and interesting plants, lots of flowers, etc. Well worth the hike.

I also recommend the Ioa Valley.

Rob

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

We spent 6 weeks there on our last trip and didn't take the trip to Hana this time. We've taken it a few times in the past iand honestly didn't want to replace a day of diving with a day in the car.

 

[BDub]

A question for anyone, we are going the end of January and unfortunately our favorite folks in Maui arent going to be there, Don and Rachel at Maui Dreams, who would you suggest diving with instead. Mike Sevrns, Ed Robinson? Also how is the diving the end of January?

Islandtime, what kind of diving are you talking about in particular? Maui Dreams, to my knowledge, do shore dives only. I use them for all my weights and fills, but I'm not aware of them doing any boat dives. For boat diving I personally recommend Ed Robinson's. B & B and Mike Severns have a good reputation, though I've never dove with them. As far as the diving in January...January and February are personally my favorite time of year to dive on Maui.

We go to Maui every February (will be tehre for 2 weeks again this Feb) and I use a 3/2 titanium and am fine. I will occasionally get a little chilled towards the end of the final dive on a 3 tank dive, but I think a 5mm would be too warm for me. My fiance wears a 5mm and has commented that it is a little on the warm side for her, but she simply just pulls the neck open a little to allow some cooler water in and she's fine.

 

[Charlie99]

We spent 6 weeks there on our last trip and didn't take the trip to Hana this time. We've taken it a few times in the past iand honestly didn't want to replace a day of diving with a day in the car.

With most visitors we just go far enough for them to see the lush vegetation, get a feel for what the road looks like, see a few good waterfalls, and find a nice trail to hike up for a while.

Usually, this means I don't even get halfway.

Last January, I used a different technique with my sister-in-law --- we took a combo Hana/helicopter tour. It's a van tour to Hana, then a helicopter back. It's one of those things you have to do at least once.

 

[Charlie99]

ie. must do's and must sees...and must do dive sites?

The "signature" dives in Maui county are Molokini crater and backwall, and the Cathedrals of Lanai.

Others have mentioned the road to Hana. It's a nice drive, but the attraction is the scenery, not Hana as a destination. Take your time and enjoy the trip.

A trip to the 10,000' summit of Haleakala volcano is one of my favorites.

If you have non-divers in your group, be sure and book a snorkel trip to Molokini and go with them. Also try to get them into the water to check out some of the reefs near your hotel. You might add some new divers to your family.

Old Lahaina Luau is my favorite, with the Feast at Lele (505 Front Street in Lahaina) as the 2nd choice. There are a lots of not-so-great luaus at the various hotels.

Although Lahaina is a long haul from Makena, it is quaint enough that it's worth the trip at least one day.

A nice thing about Maui is that it has a wide variety of activities so you shouldn't have any trouble finding things of interest for all in your group.

 

[deputydan1]

wahooooooooo!!
thanks buddies.
good advice. will try to do all we can in 6 days!

it seems to be hard to find a dive op.....they all seem so busy! i hope we can find someone! aarrgh!

-dan

ps> is the snorkeling good at the prince hotel in makena?????

 

[Gilligan]

psss> are there any MUST-DOs while in maui? this is our first time!

mohalo!

-dan

The snorkeling is good at the South end of the Maui Prince beach. Swim to the left to the shallow breaking reef offshore where the tour boats go. That is the real "Turtle Town". Many other sites are called turtle town because there is always at least one turtle around.

You will see a large hill to the South. That is Red Hill aka Pu'u Olai. You have to drive a little farther South than your hotel and turn right on a dirt road through two orange pipe gates to get to the beach there. The rental car can easily navigate the road. There are no signs on the road. The beach is black sand. The snorkeling is good along the North side of the hill but do not go out past the point because of current. Past the point is a drift boat dive. The current is sometimes referred to as the "Tahiti Express".
That beach was my favorite kayak launch site for the "Red Hill" dive, the "85 Foot Pinnacles" and the "120 Foot Pinnacles" dives until the State banned kayaks from there. That beach is part of the Makena State Park (aka Big Beach and includes Little Beach which is a swimsuit optional beach).

A couple of other things to consider:

The downhill bicycle ride. Several tour operators transport you up to Haleakala at 5000 feet and then you cruise all the way down. It's cold up there in the winter but they give you the necessary clothing. You can see sunrise up there if you want to get up at 2am or so for the trip.

A helicopter tour.

There is the mule ride on Molokai. It may also be booked up this time of year. You have to fly over there on Paragon Air as I think they are the only one that gets there in time for the ride. You ride mules down the mountain on a switchback trail that is quite intimidating. The trip ends at the bottom at Kalaupapa, the leper colony. You then get a bus tour of the facility. And then the ride back up. I have done it and think it is awesome. It is a warp in time to see Kalaupapa. You can also fly directly into Kalaupapa and skip the mule ride but that's the fun of it.

BTW: It's "Mahalo"