newmanl
Contributor
Hi Folks,
I thought I'd post a short review of our very recent dive trip to Maui. First, I should say it's an easy place to get to - a 5 hour and change direct flight from Vancouver, BC. We stayed at the Pineapple Inn (again, we stayed there last year on our sight-seeing/snorkeling trip last April) and dove with B&B Scuba.
The first two days of the trip were primarily concerned with getting my wife certified - she did her course here in Vancouver and did the open-water dives there. As a former (no longer teaching) Instructor, I thought the crew at B&B did an outstanding job with the open-water dives. My wife had a little anxiety about boat diving (because of a prior sea-sickness incident) and was facing the certainty of jumping off the boat into 35' of water - a big step for her. However, the B&B crew, and her Instructor specifically, treated her with care - taking it as slowly as she needed them too. Never was there any pressure to go faster. I also observed how they treated other new divers, and it was the same. They were patient and understanding all the while emphasizing the fact that diving should be fun. Amazingly, they knew everyone's name on-board within minutes - it really was like diving with a bunch of old friends!
The boat was well-equiped with diving gear, so if anyone needed anything, they had it. There were also ample drinks and snacks (delicious cookies...) for before, in-between and after the dives. They also offered as much, or as little, assistance as one needed for getting in the water. Although they conveyed a very laid-back, casual attitude, safety and concern for the environment were always at the fore-front.
Underwater the dive-guides (all either DM's or Instructors) swam slowly and made a great effort to find and point out critters of interest - even nudibranch eggs! There were also dives where the dive-guide took the folks that were a little harder on air back to the line and then allowed the remainder of those with air and time to finish the dive in the general area.
The two-tank dive trips left the dock at about 6AM and were back by 10AM - at the latest - easily enough time for a diver with some non-diving family a chance to get out without taking much time away from doing stuff with the family. The first dive was always at Molokini - believe everything you've seen and heard - the place is amazing! Spectacular vis, abundant fishes and lots of sharks. We regularly saw whitetip reef sharks (actually, on every dive there) and even saw gray reef sharks swimming in the current off the slope. The second dive was at a site closer to shore in the South Maui area - where we saw lots of turtles, a spotted eagle ray, green lionfish, harlequin shrimp and a leaf scorpionfish! That early in the morning the water was very calm and the sun low - so no sea-sickness and little sun exposure, both good for land-lubbers from a temperate rainforest environment like us!
Finally, I did take my u/w photo gear along. Here are a few of the better ones from the trip. Hope you enjoy them!
Lee
I thought I'd post a short review of our very recent dive trip to Maui. First, I should say it's an easy place to get to - a 5 hour and change direct flight from Vancouver, BC. We stayed at the Pineapple Inn (again, we stayed there last year on our sight-seeing/snorkeling trip last April) and dove with B&B Scuba.
The first two days of the trip were primarily concerned with getting my wife certified - she did her course here in Vancouver and did the open-water dives there. As a former (no longer teaching) Instructor, I thought the crew at B&B did an outstanding job with the open-water dives. My wife had a little anxiety about boat diving (because of a prior sea-sickness incident) and was facing the certainty of jumping off the boat into 35' of water - a big step for her. However, the B&B crew, and her Instructor specifically, treated her with care - taking it as slowly as she needed them too. Never was there any pressure to go faster. I also observed how they treated other new divers, and it was the same. They were patient and understanding all the while emphasizing the fact that diving should be fun. Amazingly, they knew everyone's name on-board within minutes - it really was like diving with a bunch of old friends!
The boat was well-equiped with diving gear, so if anyone needed anything, they had it. There were also ample drinks and snacks (delicious cookies...) for before, in-between and after the dives. They also offered as much, or as little, assistance as one needed for getting in the water. Although they conveyed a very laid-back, casual attitude, safety and concern for the environment were always at the fore-front.
Underwater the dive-guides (all either DM's or Instructors) swam slowly and made a great effort to find and point out critters of interest - even nudibranch eggs! There were also dives where the dive-guide took the folks that were a little harder on air back to the line and then allowed the remainder of those with air and time to finish the dive in the general area.
The two-tank dive trips left the dock at about 6AM and were back by 10AM - at the latest - easily enough time for a diver with some non-diving family a chance to get out without taking much time away from doing stuff with the family. The first dive was always at Molokini - believe everything you've seen and heard - the place is amazing! Spectacular vis, abundant fishes and lots of sharks. We regularly saw whitetip reef sharks (actually, on every dive there) and even saw gray reef sharks swimming in the current off the slope. The second dive was at a site closer to shore in the South Maui area - where we saw lots of turtles, a spotted eagle ray, green lionfish, harlequin shrimp and a leaf scorpionfish! That early in the morning the water was very calm and the sun low - so no sea-sickness and little sun exposure, both good for land-lubbers from a temperate rainforest environment like us!
Finally, I did take my u/w photo gear along. Here are a few of the better ones from the trip. Hope you enjoy them!
Lee
)? It has been less than a week since my return from Maui and I already can't wait to get back to maui (and the cookies)!
