Maui Trip in February

[maxroc]

Apologies in advance for any of these questions that have been asked and answered 1000 times on here. Scubaboard did such a good job of steering me in the right direction when I went to Turks & Caicos and Bonaire, I couldn't resist getting your two cents on Maui.

Seems like B&B and Ed Robinson come highly recommended around these parts. Any other must-check-out operations? B&B looks great, but a 5:45am check in and back on the dock by 10am for a two-tank dive seems a little early for both the start and end of your day. Is that par for the course in Maui?

Both outfits are located in Kihei. Is that the best place to base your diving out of or are there other locations we should consider? We can stay anywhere.

My wife is a big fan of shore diving and we would ideally split things down the middle- two days of boat diving and two days of shore diving. What impact, if any, might this have on where we based our diving and which operator we went with? Are there even enough A-list shore sites to warrant two days of it?

Any experience with hiring a dive master from one of these operations as a guide to the best shore diving spots?

Other than Molokini Crater, what are the must see dive spots for that time of year? I've read that some of the best boat diving spots involve travel to other islands nearby. Is it common for all operations to travel to these off-island sites?

Any must see wreck dives?

Finally, if we were going to do one day of diving in Oahu, any opinions on where to go?

Sorry for so many questions. Please feel free to answer whichever ones are interesting to you. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Brandon]

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[Brandon]

Seems like B&B and Ed Robinson come highly recommended around these parts. Any other must-check-out operations? B&B looks great, but a 5:45am check in and back on the dock by 10am for a two-tank dive seems a little early for both the start and end of your day. Is that par for the course in Maui?

Nope - most operators leave a little bit later and come back later as well. If I remember right, something like a 7am departure and 1pm return.

B&B leaving and returning earliest has always worked out great for my wife and I. She doesn't dive - so I can head out with B&B and be back just as she's fully awake and ready to start the day. I usually go to sleep around 10pm or so on vacation, so the early start isn't a big deal for me. Also leaves the rest of the day open for shore diving!

Both outfits are located in Kihei. Is that the best place to base your diving out of or are there other locations we should consider? We can stay anywhere.

I think Kihei is a great place to be located for diving. The shore diving sites I'm most familiar with are in that area, and most dive boats leave from the Kihei boat launch. You could also stay in Lahaina/Kaanapali and leave from the Lahaina harbor on a few boats... but longer rides out to Molokini. Lanai becomes an easier possibility though. So tradeoffs...

We used to stay up near Pa'ia / Haiku. I wasn't fond of that for diving. Too long of a drive down to Kihei when on vacation =)

My wife is a big fan of shore diving and we would ideally split things down the middle- two days of boat diving and two days of shore diving. What impact, if any, might this have on where we based our diving and which operator we went with? Are there even enough A-list shore sites to warrant two days of it?

When we're on Maui, I usually go out with B&B in the mornings, eat lunch with wife, then spend the afternoons shore diving. IMHO, Ulua Beach is the easiest shore diving site for new shore divers, 5 Caves is a great site too, but best that someone who's been there before shows you around.

Any experience with hiring a dive master from one of these operations as a guide to the best shore diving spots?

Shaka Doug is awesome for this - he's on Scubaboard and frequently posts in this forum. I don't think there's a more entertaining person to dive with on Maui, and his knowledge of the area is second to none!

Hope that helps!

-Brandon.

 

[maxroc]

Wow.

Thanks for the insanely helpful and quick response. Much appreciated.

 

[Charlie99]

"Who to dive with?" is a frequent enough question that I have a running summary of most Maui dive operators. Lots of good ones. It's just a matter of picking the one most suitable for you:
One Diver's Opinions on DiveOps

Seems like B&B and Ed Robinson come highly recommended around these parts. Any other must-check-out operations?

Mike Severns is my favorite. They are fish nerds. ummmm I mean "do a great job of briefing on marine life and are very knowledgeable". Good for both beginner and experienced, particularly since as a 12 passenger boat they do the dive in two groups of 6 split by experience level. B&B is particularly good with the <20 dive crowd since they often have extra instructors and DMs onboard beyond the normal 1 per 6 customers.

B&B looks great, but a 5:45am check in and back on the dock by 10am for a two-tank dive seems a little early for both the start and end of your day. Is that par for the course in Maui?

Ed Robinson checks in at 6:30 and is back noonish. Mike Severns checks in at 6AM, and is also back around noon since they tend to have SIs a few minutes longer than an hour, and the Captain often does a bit of whale watching on the way out to Molokini.

Both outfits are located in Kihei. Is that the best place to base your diving out of or are there other locations we should consider?

The signature dive in the S. Maui (Kihei/Wailea/Makena) area is Molokini crater. The signature dives out of Lahaina/West Maui are Cathedrals I and II at Lanai -- about 6 miles from Lahaina. The class operation in Lahaina is Extended Horizons. They run to Lanai from the Mala ramp. Lahaina Divers go to Lanai from the Lahaina harbor in much bigger boats, which is good if either of you are prone to seasickness.

West Maui (Lahaina/Kaanapali side) is more touristy than Kihei. Lahaina has a historic downtown area and strolling along Front Street can be interesting whether you are into T-shorts or art galleries. Kihei is a beachside town. Houses, condos, strip malls and everything; strung out several mile long and a few blocks deep right along the beach. The other main town in South Maui, Wailea, is mostly resort hotels and upscale condos.

My wife is a big fan of shore diving and we would ideally split things down the middle- two days of boat diving and two days of shore diving.

Or since you are both divers, you could go on the early boat, grab a tank and do a shore dive in the afternoon. The visibility at Molokini is typically 150'. Along S. Maui half of that or less is more typical. Although I do about as many shore dives as boat dives while in Maui, that's simply because of the ease of grabbing a tank and being in the water at Ulua Beach in less than 30 minutes after deciding to go diving. Shore diving is good. Molokini and Lanai boat diving is excellent.

Any experience with hiring a dive master from one of these operations as a guide to the best shore diving spots?

My only experience like that was using an Extended Horizons DM as a buddy for a night dive at Black Rock, Kaanapali. There are lots of guys that specialize in taking visitors on guided dives. Shaka Doug, a frequent poster here on scubaboard is one. I saw his scuba bus a couple hours ago, as he drove past Kalama Park in Kihei, trailing a stream of soap bubbles. The fact that he routinely goes around town with a bubble maker going should give a hint as to the fun loving guy he is. http://shakadivers.com/
Maui Dreams in Kihei dive shop also arranges guided dives.

Any must see wreck dives?

No. The wreck dives include some landing craft and tanks. There is also the St. Anthony's wreck. 65' ?? or so. Sunk as an artificial reef, next to a tire and concrete artificial reef. If somebody really really wants to see turtles dive ops will often go the St. Anthony's as almost always there are turtles. If several divers on the boat are asking to see turtles, I'll often chime in with "I want to see TIRES & CONCRETE". This usually makes the Capt and DM's grimace a bit . It's a reasonably interesting dive, but definitely not a "must see" category.

 

[maxroc]

Also very helpful. Thanks so much.

I love this board.

 

[adjuster-jd]

As for wrecks, there is the Carthaginian wreck - a relatively recently artificial reef, intentionally sunk - off of Lahaina. It's about a 95 foot deep dive. Extended Horizons goes there in the afternoon from Lahaina. I'm not sure who else goes there now. (The Carthaginian was moored in Lahaina Harbor for several years and was sunk a couple years ago).

 

[KrisB]

Ok... first question to answer: there are more than enough "a-list" shore dives to warrant WAY more than two days of it, as long as you like shore diving. I'd be happy to show you around a bit if you want a local guide.

If you are booking two days of boat diving and want to see different things, book a trip to Molokini with an operator out of Kihei (my favourites are Makena Coast Dive Charters and Mike Severns), and a trip to Lanai (either with Hawaiian Rafting Adventures or Extended Horizons).

The wrecks that are around Maui in recreational limits are:

1. 80' Tank (LVT-class amphibious vehicle)
2. Tank & Landing Craft (two separate, yet close to each other wrecks, LVT-4 and LVT(A)-4)
3. St. Anthony (65' fishing trawler sunk as part of an artificial reef project)
4. F6F Hellcat
5. F4U Corsair
6. The Carthaginian (replica tall-ship sunk as artificial reef for/by Atlantis Submarines)

Are any of these "must-see"? I kind of doubt it... unless there's something there that really strikes your fancy. There's no accounting for one's tastes -- I'd much rather dive 30 minutes on the St. Anthony than an hour & 15 on most of the other "second-dive" sites the Molokini charters do. It's interesting, and while coral growth is not yet extensive, the fish life is.

 

[TSandM]

I love shore diving on Maui, to the point where my husband and I have largely stopped going out on charters when we are there. You can see most of the same animals from shore, on your own schedule. Navigation of most sites is fairly simple. There is a Maui shore diving book you can buy at the dive shops which is quite good in terms of directions for a lot of sites. I don't believe it includes my favorite, though, which is the Mala pier dive. You might check out THIS website (belongs to kidspot on this board) which has a good description and video of that dive.

For boat diving, the Molokini dives are best done out of Kihei, unless you like long boat rides. The pinnacles and Cathedrals off Lanai are best done out of Lahaina. It's about a 45 minute drive from one place to the other. There is a LOT of lodging in the Kihei/Wailea area, but I believe there is a fair amount in the Lahaina area (or at least Kaanapali) as well.

I'm a Mike Severns fan, but that's because I dive for critters. The detailed, critter-oriented briefings, and the critter identification materials on the boat, made the difference for me. B&B took LOVELY care of me when I was a new diver, and I've been out with Ed Robinson without any complaints (and don't take that as damning with faint praise; honestly, I've been there so many times I can't recall the details of all the boats we've been on. My in-laws live on Maui.)

 

[princessaprilia]

The hubby and I are going to Maui Feb 13-21. If you are there at that time, maybe we can get some diving in.

I'm so excited - I can't stop singing...