MAUI,HI - Tiger & Bull Sharks

[yudi]

Hello,

Hoping to get help. I was debating on whether to post this question.

My husband, and I are looking to spend a week in Maui next year. We are avid divers. We have dove in Fiji, Caribbean, and soon Indonesia. We have dove about 70 times each.

I love sharks, and in Fiji I saw a lot of sharks, and I was not afraid. We have been debating if we should dive in Maui, but my main concern is the recent shark attacks that have happened in the area. Mainly concerned with Tiger Sharks.

Can you guys help me decide if I am worrying over nothing?

By the way we are planning on staying in Kaanapali Beach.

Truly thank you in advance for your help!

 

[grassyknoll]

Hello,

Hoping to get help. I was debating on whether to post this question.

My husband, and I are looking to spend a week in Maui next year. We are avid divers. We have dove in Fiji, Caribbean, and soon Indonesia. We have dove about 70 times each.

I love sharks, and in Fiji I saw a lot of sharks, and I was not afraid. We have been debating if we should dive in Maui, but my main concern is the recent shark attacks that have happened in the area. Mainly concerned with Tiger Sharks.

Can you guys help me decide if I am worrying over nothing?

By the way we are planning on staying in Kaanapali Beach.

Truly thank you in advance for your help!

As far as I know, all Tiger shark incidents have involved snorkelers, surfers or swimmers, those on the surface. This seems to be the norm with most locations where shark incidents occur.
I love diving in Hawai'i and wouldn't be concerned about Tiger sharks. Bull sharks are not present in Hawai'ian waters.

 

[diversteve]

Bull sharks are not present in Hawai'ian waters.

Correct. Hawaii Shark Species List

No Tiger has ever hit a diver. Hawaii Shark Incidents List Otoh, I wouldn't want anything to do with a board while there - almost all the Maui Tiger hits involved a surf or SUP board....

The only place I know where Tigers are regularly seen is Olawalu. And the aquarium at Maui Ocean Center.

 

[yudi]

Thank you very much. I think documentaries exaggerate shark stories. I remember going to Bega Lagoon, FIJI, and I really wanted to do the shark dive where you could dive with bull sharks, and if you are even lucky will see the tiger sharks. For me it has just been watching Discovery channel, and they just make it sound like Hawaii has a big problem with shark attacks. I think we have more shark attacks in FL, then in Hawaii.

Thank you again. Hey you only live once

---------- Post added March 18th, 2015 at 09:18 AM ----------

Thank you. This is our first time going to Hawaii as divers, and since you have been there before is there any particular dive operator you would recommend in Maui?

 

[diversteve]

Since you're staying in Ka'anapali one of the Lahaina based operators for boat diving would be most convenient as they keep their boats in the harbor there.

Options there are Lahaina Divers, Extended Horizons, Hawaiian Rafting Adventures (big Zodiac) and one more I can never remember that works out of their slip space in the harbor. Lahaina Divers has 2 big Newtons and does both Lana'i dailyand Molokini every other day. Extended Horizons only dives Lanai. IDK about the other two. LD also does the West Lanai Drift once a week, advanced dives - the current at some sites can be ripping. We dove Sharkfin - actually mostly crawled along the bottom. It really shows you who knows streamlined when you look over and see hundreds of Moorish Idols holding their spot 20' away. Extended Horizons DM's are naturalists and they limit dives to groups of 6. 8 per DM is the law on Maui.

Otherwise to dive Molokini Crater you'd have to drive to at least Ma'alea harbor - or slightly farther to Kihei to dive with those operators. That's a minimum of 35-45 mins. depending on traffic and they leave really early - 6AM off the Kihei boat ramp since the boats are smaller and the crossing back is usually affected by the tradewinds late morning. Maui Dive Shop also has a bigger boat at Ma'alea - considered more of a beginners boat by some. I was on it once and it was.

Maui Diving Scuba Center in Lahaina also offers boat dives. However the boats they're showing as "ours" are Extended Horizons' or the Maui Diamond II with the names poorly Photoshopped over. Maui Diamond II is also moored in Ma'alea which is about 30 mins. drive south.

Maui Dive Shops are all over the island. Good place for rental tanks - at Kahana and Lahaina Gateway malls near you. They also have a good map available at the store. If you shore dive, you need a flag, they rent them by the day/week.

Lahaina Divers also rents tanks and has a listing/map for shore dives under Maui diving on their website. Both they and Extended Horizons also offer guided shore diving - so does Tiny Bubbles in Lahaina and probably 1/2 dozen others in the area. If you drive down to Kihei/Wailea to shore dive, Shaka Divers or Maui Dreams Dive Co. are two I recommend. I would if you have time, there's a lot of good shore dives in the Wailea area.

For boat dives from Kihei to Molokini - Ed Robinsons Dive (ERDA), B&B Scuba or Mike Severns Diving - there's others in that area also.

 

[yudi]

Thank you Steve. Very detailed, and very helpful

Can't wait to go diving in Maui. Do you know how diving in Maui compares to Indonesia, Fiji diving? :cool2::cool2:

 

[diversteve]

Nowhere near as good as Indonesia from what I understand. I don't think much in the world is though - it pales in comparison to places like Wakatobi. My buddy just did the Fiji Aggressor a year ago and said some of that was similar - he's dove off Maui several trips.

When you first dive, it's going to seem barren - the substrate is typically lava so there's not a lof soft corals/fans. Many people comment on that in trip reports. But find someone to show you how to look for stuff - maybe an Extended Horizons DM? I find that if I slow down and peer around things I find a lot of stuff. I've almost always seen octos doing that. Another cool thing is find some submerged lava tube dives - there's several off Lanai and shine your light on the ceiling - often it's crawling with stuff. Almost always some small whitetips also.

Hawaii has one of the larger Endemic fish populations in the world so they're out there. It's also the only place where I've seen tropical fish schools in the thousands on the reef. It's also as far west as I've ever dove - my comparison is to many of the "best" dive destinations in the Caribbean and a lesser extent Mexico.

 

[yudi]

Thank you Steve. You have been very helpful. I guess we will try to do a few dives, and obviously spend time exploring the island. This will be different since all of our vacations have always been catered to do a lot of diving.

I just can't imagine going to Hawaii, and not dive a few times. I mainly love corals, but seeing big schools of fish will do the work as well. Will love to see schools of yellow tangs, Moorish Idols. I know you know the rest

Steve again thank you for everything.

 

[grassyknoll]

Aaaaaand I seem to have jinxed Hawaii.
Tiger incident here on the Big Island today, and I had taken my family swimming at the adjacent beach just yesterday.
Tiger Shark Attacks 60-Year-Old Swimmer In Hawaii, Lacerating His Arm

Still stand by the assertion that there's little to nothing to worry about when diving. As in most incidents, it was a snorkler that was tasted.

You can also go to the link below. It is for the PACIOOS (Pacific Islands Ocean Obeserving System), they have a number of large Tiger Sharks that they have tagged and are tracking. You can go to the site, pick specific sharks and see where they have gone over a period of time. I will say, they do seem to hang around Maui much more than the other islands. And if you have an irrational fear of them, perhaps you don't want to click on the link. I find it pretty intersting though, particularly the fact that they seem to visit beaches quite a bit and yet there are so few incidents. it definitely isn't due to them not coming into proximity to swimmers, they just aren't really that into us.

PacIOOS | Projects