Molokai trip?

[BSOD]

Does anybody have any input on the Moloka'i trip offered Tuesdays through Lahaina Divers?

I did a search, and found a thread from late last year, but it seemed to have tapered off without much info. It sounded like it's rather dependent on weather/ocean conditions, but from LD's site, it seems like just a normal weekly trip (aside from needing to have dived/dove/doven/diven?...argh...gone diving with them before). The iffy weather sounds a bit concerning (though it sounds like they do have the biggest boats), as does doing that dive with a 72 cubic inch tank (not sure if they use/have bigger tanks for that trip).

Will be in Maui in a few weeks, and this sounded like an interesting dive (hammerheads are on my List Of Things I Wanna See).

Thanks

 

[smellzlikefish]

I went to Molokai with Lahaina Divers over spring break. The trip over was tumultuous, but the dive was definitely one of Hawaii's best and provided me one hell of a story to tell later. They do it every Tuesday and will cancel, but I think cancellations are rare and mostly in the winter. Call the shop for more, or read my account below.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/hawaii-ohana/278570-what-week.html

 

[edrobmaui]

I can't speak of the Lahaina Divers Molokai trip per se but if you can get to Mokuhooniki Rock the diving can be exciting and worth the trip.

The Ocean is alive; I've seen hammerheads, large kaku barracuda, rays and swarms of butterflyfish on most trips. I've even seen a large school of hammerheads and a thresher shark on one occasion.

The current is often very strong so pay attention to dive safety briefings. The seas are usually very rough around the island so any operation will check the weather before committing to this trip.

BTW Extended Horizons also offers Mokuhooniki.

 

[DiveMaven]

We're friends with a couple of Lahaina Divers' crew and had a LONG conversation with one of them just a couple of weeks ago about Molokai. He said they are getting out there 90% of the time, but the trip out is rarely comfortable or smooth. Their big, powerful Newton dive boats can handle conditions that smaller boats can't, so they go in almost all conditions. He cautioned that its really a trip for only experienced divers as all the dives are live boat dive and sometimes the surface can be pretty dicey to get back on the boat.

However, he said if you're experienced enough to handle the conditions, they're seeing some amazing BIG creatures, including Hammerheads and Galapagos Sharks on a regular basis, though he did clarify that it IS the ocean and there are no guarantees of seeing anything.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Not exactly sure about that channel, but the winds in South Maui typically blow harder in the summer, and Lahaina Divers has not operated that trip in the summer yet.

 

[smellzlikefish]

One correction, what Lahaina divers called a "galapagos" shark turned out to be a sandbar instead. I tend to believe divemasters because they are in the water more than me, so I called in a second opinion from one of my expert friends. I guess they are all gray carcharhinids.

 

[BSOD]

Thanks for the info everyone.

 

[BSOD]

Back from my trip, and thought I'd post some input.

The boat ride out wasn't too bad IMO (definitely a bit rougher than the Lanai trip) - though for a while those of us sitting near the bow were a bit hesitant to stand up due to it becoming a bit choppy. They did say it had been really flat the past few weeks, but one person also said it's the roughest channel in the world, with the second being between Maui and the Big Island(though I would've thought they'd be somewhere more extreme like the southern tip of Chile/Argentina). Being on a relatively larger boat may have helped.

They said they've been seeing hammerheads just about every trip, and they're getting closer more often. My group (there were two groups of 5-6) was the first in, and saw a school of about a dozen or so almost right away. The viz was about 80' (going off what others said - I'm horrible at estimating distances), and they were just within visibility range.





They were a bit more visible in person than my pics, but for the most part still kept their distance. We kicked around a bit at about 80', spotting a few here and there, but otherwise not really much else. When we got closer to the rock/coral mount, we saw a few schools of fish, but fewer sharks. When we surfaced, the area we were in was relatively calm. But when the boat moved out to pick up the other group, it was pretty choppy where they were, with the boat bobbing about 2-3' (?), making getting back on the ladder a bit tricky.

Saw a monk seal on our surface interval



Second dive, more of the same, with a bit more current, a few less sharks. A bit of just hanging about in the water for a few minutes, everybody looking around the blue for a glimpse of something. Water was a bit choppier when boarding the boat, but not too bad. Ride back was initially a bit choppy (using the head was rather challenging), but smoothed out as we got closer to Maui.

Did I have fun? Yes.
Glad I went? Yes.
Would I do it again? ehhh, maybe. It's a tad on the pricey side IMO, and from a map it doesn't look significantly much further than Lanai (which was also a pretty cool trip, and I'll probably try going there with Extended Horizons the next time I'm in Maui - just to see the difference). All the workers were really friendly and helpful.