sbaggs
Registered
We are sitting here on our lanai on our last night in Maui and thought we'd go ahead and post our reviews of our diving experiences here. We stayed at Kamaole Sands, in Kihei, which is a great value. It's also very close to dive operators that leave from Kihei boat ramp, which is very convenient when departing at 6:00 am! First off:
Mike Severns: went out 3 days with them. They leave from Kihei Boat Ramp. Meeting time is 6:00 am. They take out a maximum of 12 divers and split them among two dive masters, so the groups aren't crowded. All 3 days started off at Molokini crater, 2 times we dove the inside of the crater, and one time we dove the outside/back wall. Nice calm, easy dives. They take their time and try to show those who are interested small, little critters that might otherwise be overlooked. They do a thorough briefing on the boat before entry about possible critters that might be seen. We enjoyed how much time they took to show us the little stuff, and the feeling of not being rushed. They let you spend as much bottom time as you can, sending divers with low air up as they are running out. The second dives were usually around the shores over near Makena. Same process as far as briefings and bottom time. They ask what you what you want to see on the way to the first dive each day. If you say you want to see turtles, they take you to places to see turtles. We went to a "turtle cleaning station" where I definitely got my turtle fix. Very cool. Overall, we enjoyed our diving with them. Thought the crew (Andy, captain, Michelle, Pauline, Warren, and Dan as dive masters) were all experienced and knowledgeable. The deckhands Jim and Julie were very helpful. When we mentioned that we might want to try something different with our diving, Andy suggested we try North Shore Explorers. They obviously dive on the north shore. Here we go with that review:
North Shore Explorers: This is a "newish" dive operation that operates on the north shore...duh. They are located in Wailuku, which isn't far from the airport. They are the only such outfit that does so due to the rough conditions on that side of the island. They have a very unique dive boat, a rigid hull inflatable, which is what the Navy Seals use. Go to their site to check it out: northshoreexplorers.com. The ride itself, being able to explore that side of the island on your way to the dive sites, is worth the experience in itself. You are able to see sites that normally you would not be able to see except from a helicopter. These guys only take out a maximum of 6 divers, but we were lucky and it was just the two of us, plus the two of them. How awesome is that? One of the great things about diving on the north shore is that nobody else is out there. No other dive boats go there, so therefore the diving is way more pristine. Our first dive was a dive they had done before, a place they call Jurassic Rock. This is where they filmed the helicopter scene in the beginning of Jurassic Park. Absolutely beautiful. We saw many fish that are considered rare to see and I would name them, but I can't remember all their names at the moment after several beverages! They see things on the north side that are rarely seen on the south side, such as Hammerhead sharks (although we missed those). Fish are bigger and more abundant due to lack of diving over there. We saw one turtle who was a bit surprised to see us and it was clear they are not used to seeing people down their diving. Quite humorous. Our second dive was a dive they had not done before, but it too, was awesome. It was a great wall dive. The scenery when you surface is just spectactular. Though the dive rates may seem a little steep, when you consider the experience you are getting and the parts of the island you are able to see, it is well worth the expense. You are not diving with the masses. Both Chris and Todd are knowledgeable, fun to get to know, and very excited about their jobs. They love what they do. They have the latest safety equipment, complete with SOS beacons that they attach to each diver so no "Open Water" experiences will occur with them!
We would recommend if diving in Maui for the first time, starting with an outfit that goes to Molokini, such as Mike Severns, and getting that experience first since it is nice diving and worth seeing several times. Then we highly recommend trying North Shore Explorers and getting that experience as well, especially if you want something more grand and much more unique. It's really a once in a lifetime thing, although if we come back to Maui we'll be using them again. So maybe it's a "once every Maui trip" thing! Check out their site and give them a try.
Mike Severns: went out 3 days with them. They leave from Kihei Boat Ramp. Meeting time is 6:00 am. They take out a maximum of 12 divers and split them among two dive masters, so the groups aren't crowded. All 3 days started off at Molokini crater, 2 times we dove the inside of the crater, and one time we dove the outside/back wall. Nice calm, easy dives. They take their time and try to show those who are interested small, little critters that might otherwise be overlooked. They do a thorough briefing on the boat before entry about possible critters that might be seen. We enjoyed how much time they took to show us the little stuff, and the feeling of not being rushed. They let you spend as much bottom time as you can, sending divers with low air up as they are running out. The second dives were usually around the shores over near Makena. Same process as far as briefings and bottom time. They ask what you what you want to see on the way to the first dive each day. If you say you want to see turtles, they take you to places to see turtles. We went to a "turtle cleaning station" where I definitely got my turtle fix. Very cool. Overall, we enjoyed our diving with them. Thought the crew (Andy, captain, Michelle, Pauline, Warren, and Dan as dive masters) were all experienced and knowledgeable. The deckhands Jim and Julie were very helpful. When we mentioned that we might want to try something different with our diving, Andy suggested we try North Shore Explorers. They obviously dive on the north shore. Here we go with that review:
North Shore Explorers: This is a "newish" dive operation that operates on the north shore...duh. They are located in Wailuku, which isn't far from the airport. They are the only such outfit that does so due to the rough conditions on that side of the island. They have a very unique dive boat, a rigid hull inflatable, which is what the Navy Seals use. Go to their site to check it out: northshoreexplorers.com. The ride itself, being able to explore that side of the island on your way to the dive sites, is worth the experience in itself. You are able to see sites that normally you would not be able to see except from a helicopter. These guys only take out a maximum of 6 divers, but we were lucky and it was just the two of us, plus the two of them. How awesome is that? One of the great things about diving on the north shore is that nobody else is out there. No other dive boats go there, so therefore the diving is way more pristine. Our first dive was a dive they had done before, a place they call Jurassic Rock. This is where they filmed the helicopter scene in the beginning of Jurassic Park. Absolutely beautiful. We saw many fish that are considered rare to see and I would name them, but I can't remember all their names at the moment after several beverages! They see things on the north side that are rarely seen on the south side, such as Hammerhead sharks (although we missed those). Fish are bigger and more abundant due to lack of diving over there. We saw one turtle who was a bit surprised to see us and it was clear they are not used to seeing people down their diving. Quite humorous. Our second dive was a dive they had not done before, but it too, was awesome. It was a great wall dive. The scenery when you surface is just spectactular. Though the dive rates may seem a little steep, when you consider the experience you are getting and the parts of the island you are able to see, it is well worth the expense. You are not diving with the masses. Both Chris and Todd are knowledgeable, fun to get to know, and very excited about their jobs. They love what they do. They have the latest safety equipment, complete with SOS beacons that they attach to each diver so no "Open Water" experiences will occur with them!
We would recommend if diving in Maui for the first time, starting with an outfit that goes to Molokini, such as Mike Severns, and getting that experience first since it is nice diving and worth seeing several times. Then we highly recommend trying North Shore Explorers and getting that experience as well, especially if you want something more grand and much more unique. It's really a once in a lifetime thing, although if we come back to Maui we'll be using them again. So maybe it's a "once every Maui trip" thing! Check out their site and give them a try.
