drmndiver99
Guest
Coming back from an amazing trip in Maui I thought it deserved a full report.
I arrived in Maui with pre-conceived plans of the same old trip and diving usually done with my favorite dive guide pre-booked, arranged and ready to get wet. To my immense disappointment, my favorite local dive choice was just too busy to fit me in. Without going into much detail here, I was bummed to find that an email ahead and a few phone calls were not enough to secure a spot with someone I have been diving with in Maui for over 9 years and sent at least 20 referrals. Rather than swim in the disappointment, I soon realized that part of what I love about Maui are the many choices and the fact that some of the service providers are actually still reliable.
When life brings you lemons ask for tequila and salt.
So .
I did my first dive with Dive-n Sea with Capn. John and Amiko. These guys are one of Mauis nearly hidden secretes. They leave out of Kihei boat ramp and know Molikini and surrounding waters better than most. We did a drift dive for 50 minutes that started at reefs end and wound up at backwall. All the usual suspects, octopi, eels, white tips in hiding and a white tip and Ulua teaming up on the hunt. Had not seen that before. We saw a rather large shark in the blue water. I am over 6 foot and this fish was at least 2 and a half of me. Sorry..no pics on this one .
2nd dive was in the crater with lots and lots of Ulua and a Lion fish at the end. The kicker on that dive was watching their dog fish swim above us on the safety stop. Very odd to see a dog swim above us in the crater with clear blue water!!!
Dive n Sea are must for me and rarely mentioned here on this board!!!
Next excursion was with Blue Water Rafting and a guy named Devin on crew. Sorry, forgot the captains name. This is the most fun diver and non divers can have on any boat on the island!! With kick a** outboards, some Judas Priest on the stereo and a lot of killer snorkel stops this was just way too much fun. They got the boat in the air with all safe of course lava tubes and even a snorkel stop at backwall yes thats right snorkel at back wall watching the divers below. The divers had the best of that but ..
We snorkeled with a pod of 17 Bottlenose dolphins at La Pelorouse Bay with a 12 minute eye to eye encounter and again .no pics..no proof but .It ruled to be me. One dolphin was carrying a plastic bag and would circle back every time he dropped it. Way too much fun. You MUST try these guys with your non-diver friends as long as they are comfortable on a boat that kicks some big A**!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Next stop was something new to me ohonu as they say.
I dove Lahaina Divers and the Carthaginian..See pics yes pics..Very cool to see Godzilla the frogfish and a boat that I had walked on years earlier under the big blue. This was fun and even cooler to throw a shaka at the peeps in the Sub. Much fun you all must try.
2nd dive was also ohonu thats a whole new thing to you Hawaii non pigeon speakers.
I dove the old pier at Lahaina ( Mala Warf).. Best dive spot on the island and that is said after 9 years of diving there a few times a year. What a killer spot and again, see the pics ..It does kinda blow that every large white tip I have ever seen has a hook in her mouth and in this case..a pregnant one.
Lahaina Divers is decent but not the most friendly and not the most concerned with its diver clientele. They did leave us alone to do our own thing which is their primary complaint on this board but, they left some that should not have been left alone. A big maybe on these guys for me. Maybe try their Lanai trip and see what I get next time.
Last dive was a scooter dive at theKBC with Robert Groh and Tiny Bubbles .see pics.
More turtles than any turtle townand cleaning station on this touristy side of the island. Even saw turtle poop for the first time Impressive . Robert and Tiny Bubbles are one of my new favorites. Cannot wait togo back and do some night diving. Great beach front op with excellent rental gear and aloha spirit. Nice octo encounter and good that the octo was played with and not harpooned as we so often see.
The bottom line .Maui is still an amazing place with great choices. If one op goes flakey there are many more. If it rains on one side of the island go to the other or just enjoy the rainbow.
Life is good Dive Hard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I arrived in Maui with pre-conceived plans of the same old trip and diving usually done with my favorite dive guide pre-booked, arranged and ready to get wet. To my immense disappointment, my favorite local dive choice was just too busy to fit me in. Without going into much detail here, I was bummed to find that an email ahead and a few phone calls were not enough to secure a spot with someone I have been diving with in Maui for over 9 years and sent at least 20 referrals. Rather than swim in the disappointment, I soon realized that part of what I love about Maui are the many choices and the fact that some of the service providers are actually still reliable.
When life brings you lemons ask for tequila and salt.
So .
I did my first dive with Dive-n Sea with Capn. John and Amiko. These guys are one of Mauis nearly hidden secretes. They leave out of Kihei boat ramp and know Molikini and surrounding waters better than most. We did a drift dive for 50 minutes that started at reefs end and wound up at backwall. All the usual suspects, octopi, eels, white tips in hiding and a white tip and Ulua teaming up on the hunt. Had not seen that before. We saw a rather large shark in the blue water. I am over 6 foot and this fish was at least 2 and a half of me. Sorry..no pics on this one .
2nd dive was in the crater with lots and lots of Ulua and a Lion fish at the end. The kicker on that dive was watching their dog fish swim above us on the safety stop. Very odd to see a dog swim above us in the crater with clear blue water!!!
Dive n Sea are must for me and rarely mentioned here on this board!!!
Next excursion was with Blue Water Rafting and a guy named Devin on crew. Sorry, forgot the captains name. This is the most fun diver and non divers can have on any boat on the island!! With kick a** outboards, some Judas Priest on the stereo and a lot of killer snorkel stops this was just way too much fun. They got the boat in the air with all safe of course lava tubes and even a snorkel stop at backwall yes thats right snorkel at back wall watching the divers below. The divers had the best of that but ..
We snorkeled with a pod of 17 Bottlenose dolphins at La Pelorouse Bay with a 12 minute eye to eye encounter and again .no pics..no proof but .It ruled to be me. One dolphin was carrying a plastic bag and would circle back every time he dropped it. Way too much fun. You MUST try these guys with your non-diver friends as long as they are comfortable on a boat that kicks some big A**!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Next stop was something new to me ohonu as they say.
I dove Lahaina Divers and the Carthaginian..See pics yes pics..Very cool to see Godzilla the frogfish and a boat that I had walked on years earlier under the big blue. This was fun and even cooler to throw a shaka at the peeps in the Sub. Much fun you all must try.
2nd dive was also ohonu thats a whole new thing to you Hawaii non pigeon speakers.
I dove the old pier at Lahaina ( Mala Warf).. Best dive spot on the island and that is said after 9 years of diving there a few times a year. What a killer spot and again, see the pics ..It does kinda blow that every large white tip I have ever seen has a hook in her mouth and in this case..a pregnant one.
Lahaina Divers is decent but not the most friendly and not the most concerned with its diver clientele. They did leave us alone to do our own thing which is their primary complaint on this board but, they left some that should not have been left alone. A big maybe on these guys for me. Maybe try their Lanai trip and see what I get next time.
Last dive was a scooter dive at theKBC with Robert Groh and Tiny Bubbles .see pics.
More turtles than any turtle townand cleaning station on this touristy side of the island. Even saw turtle poop for the first time Impressive . Robert and Tiny Bubbles are one of my new favorites. Cannot wait togo back and do some night diving. Great beach front op with excellent rental gear and aloha spirit. Nice octo encounter and good that the octo was played with and not harpooned as we so often see.
The bottom line .Maui is still an amazing place with great choices. If one op goes flakey there are many more. If it rains on one side of the island go to the other or just enjoy the rainbow.
Life is good Dive Hard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
