Maui shore diving

[dianna912]

We are spending the first two weeks of September in Maui. We are in a condo the first week in Maalaea, then the four seasons the second week. (Work covers the four seasons part.) Any thing we should know? We’ve read up on it a bit, and we did see that dive flags are required. Does there happen to be a guide like the “Bonaire shore diving made easy” book?

Also, are there ostracods, and if so, when and where is the best time to see them? It looks like we’ll arrive a week after the full moon.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

My knowledge is limited, not a local. But I'd start with 5 caves, which is a bit of a swim from Makena Landing south of Kihei. The caves, turtles, and reef sharks here are cool, but otherwise a boring dive.

Honolua Bay is nice, but work to get to. You have to walk down a trail maybe a quarter mile, then swim through the low vis Bay toward the north bluffs. The water will clear and get deeper.

Kaanapali is good, too, or so i hear.

For snorkeling, my favorite is Airport Beach. Might be a decent dive. A lot if DSD and check-out dives seem to happen here. There's current you'll notice but it's easy to plan for.

 

[choiahoy]

We love shore diving in Hawaii! You'll have a great time.

A few important differences between shore diving in Maui and Bonaire -

- trade winds - the seas get rougher as the day goes on, so most diving (shore or boat) takes place early.

- parking - another reason to get your shore diving in early is the general lack of parking at most good sites. Try to get there by 8am at the latest. And sometimes, the parking is bit away from the entry.

- rinse tanks - I can't think of any dive shops that have rinse tanks, but there have to be some (maybe?). We did our rinsing at public showers at the site (Mala Pier, Makena Landing) or back at our accommodations. We usually buy two large plastic tubs at a Target or Walmart and use them to lug and rinse gear.

Whatever footwear you used on Bonaire would be fine for Maui. I don’t know if there are ostracods, but rent a tank, do a night shore dive, and let us know what you see!

My favorite sites on the island are in West Maui (Mala Pier, Slaughterhouse / Honolua Bay) but they're roughly 45 mins away from where you're staying. If you're willing to get up extra early, they'd be worth the effort.

In South Maui by you, we liked 5 Caves and Makena Landing the most. Ahihi had nice healthy coral, though you have to drop your gear quickly and park a little ways down the road.

There is a Maui shore diving book that we bought, but it was pretty outdated. The best sources of information we found were the dive shops where we rented tanks and here on scubaboard. If you'd like a guide for your first few dives, I'd recommend Shaka Doug. We had a good time with him.

 

[rsingler]

+1 to Mala Pier for an easy entry, fun dive. Water is shallow (<30'), but lots of stuff to see in the rip-rap made from the collapsed pier.

Also worth touching bases with Lahaina Divers for at least one boat dive out to Lanai since you'll be there so long. Good folks! The Cathedrals (lava tubes) are worth seeing, and a Lanai drift dive was great for tiny fish hiding in the reef.

Boat dives out to Molokini atoll leave from Maalea wharf.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

+1 to Mala Pier for an easy entry, fun dive. Water is shallow (<30'), but lots of stuff to see in the rip-rap made from the collapsed pier.

Is Mala pier snorkeler-friendly? My non-diving (but snorkel-loving) family will be with me in Maui in August and I'd like to try out new sites with them.

 

[choiahoy]

Is Mala pier snorkeler-friendly?

Maybe?

There's a nice beach where you would enter to dive, and I imagine there might be some things for them to see snorkeling right there. But it would be a hassle for them to walk to and snorkel in the same area where you dive.

It also stays very very shallow for a bit, so it's very different if you go at high tide versus low.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

Maybe?

There's a nice beach where you would enter to dive, and I imagine there might be some things for them to see snorkeling right there. But it would be a hassle for them to walk to and snorkel in the same area where you dive.

It also stays very very shallow for a bit, so it's very different if you go at high tide versus low.

I guess we'll just have to check it out! I was actually thinking of snorkeling with them.

 

[choiahoy]

My wife just reminded me that there definitely were snorkelers above us a bit further out where the turtle cleaning station was, but I think they were there on a boat. It would be reachable from shore, but they should stay close to the pier as it's an active boat ramp and there is some traffic.

I'd say to give it a shot. And you definitely should try the site as a diver--definitely my favorite shore diving on Maui and a site we hit multiple times per trip. We're going to Maui in July and chose to stay in West Maui mainly so we have easy access to the pier.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

Will do. At a minimum, we'll snorkel Airport Beach and can check it out (from shore) on the way back to Kihei where we stay.

 

[JamesBon92007]

I only have a little shore-diving experience on Maui (so far, hopefully that will change soon) and very much enjoyed Ulua Beach in Wailea, which is just South of Kihei. Most of the reef was only about 30-35 feet and it's also very popular for snorkeling. When I was there everybody just parked their diver's flag float at around 20 feet deep and picked it up on the way back. Like others said, get there early for parking and avoid the afternoon trade winds. Also, if you just happen to be an old fart like me I'm pretty sure a BC of some kind is required on Maui.