Molokini/Molokai/Lanai Maui Dive Areas

[flipthrila]

Hi All,

So I will be going to Maui in May and will be staying in Lahaina. I was wondering is it worth going to Molokini and Molokai as well or just stick with the Lanai area dives?

Lahaina divers is offering diving the regular Molokini dive sites versus the Back Wall. If you had to choose one which would you do?

Is Molokai really worth it? It's $200 from Lahaina Divers so I better see some hammerheads if I go out there!

Just to inform your advise I am a big fan of pelagics and "exciting" dives so I don't mind surge at all, it makes the diving experience different and fun for me.

Thanks for any and all advise.

 

[muddiver]

Molokai is a long ride and it can get rough.

Molokini has the clearest water because it is a rock and sand bottom on top of a volcano cone. The crater is kind of lack-luster, but the deep sand bed is where the garden eels are. The drift dives on the north side are pretty good as well because you are away from the snorkle boats.

Cathedrals at Lanai (I think?) are a good dive with a small cavern. Most say that the marine life is better over at Lanai and Moloki. It all seemed about the same to me.

Shore diving off Maui is good to because that is mostly where the turtles are. Contact Tiny Bubbles Scuba - Maui Hawaii, Maui Scuba Diving, Maui Dive Instruction, Maui Dive Locations or Shaka Doug here on ScubaBoard.

 

[DiveMaven]

IMO it is worth it to drive from Lahaina to Kihei to catch a charter from there to Molokini and S. Maui sites. There are some excellent S. Maui sites that Lahaina Divers does not do since they only do 2 dives at Molokini. Personally I'm not a big fan of the backwall of Molokini and prefer the outer rim sites better like Reef's End.

If you're interested in the big sharks, Moloka'i is probably your best bet to see hammerheads, but there are no guarantees there either. The crossing and reboarding the boat can be very rough, so make sure you're an experienced boat diver and can easily do a mid-water safety stop and reboard a live boat in potentially rough seas. Most dives at Molokini will have shark sightings and we've seen Eagle Rays or Manta Rays many times as well.

If you drive down to the Kihei boat ramp, most often recommended dive operators are Ed Robinson's, Mike Severns, and B&B. For guided shore diving, Shaka Doug is definitely "da man" in the Kihei area.

 

[merxlin]

.......................If you're interested in the big sharks, Moloka'i is probably your best bet to see hammerheads, but there are no guarantees there either. The crossing and reboarding the boat can be very rough, so make sure you're an experienced boat diver and can easily do a mid-water safety stop and reboard a live boat in potentially rough seas. ..................

I'll second this. When I went last year it was 8ft+ seas and a good wind. A few people lost breakfast on the way over. Saw a couple hammerheads but the viz was pretty lousy as the winds had been up for days. Live boat pick ups can be challenging- ask the lady in front of me who broke her mask and nose because she was too close to the diver in front of her. Tank vs. face- tank wins almost every time! She dove the next day though- black eye (and new mask) and all.

That said- I loved the dives!