New Diver in Maui April 5th - 11th

[coreno16]

Hi everyone. My family and I are going to maui on thursday for spring break. I just finished my ow class here at home and have all my referal paperwork ready to go. I need some help figuring out where I should do my referal dives at and also where i should book my first real dives with. I would also love to do a shore dive or two so if anyone is interested in diving with me while im there let me know. As of right now we are staying at the marriott on Wailea for the first 2 nights which is when i want to get my referal dives done. Then we are moving to Resortqeust Kannapali (sp.?) Beach for the remainder of our stay on Maui. From there we fly to Turtle Bay, Oahu untill the 15th when we fly home. Anyways, any suggestions are appreciated.

- Cory

 

[DiveMaven]

If you want to do your referral dives from a boat, contact B&B, they'll take good care of you. If you want to do your dives from shore, you aren't going to do much better than Maui Dreams for training.

When you move up to Kaanapali, plan on diving Blackrock (at the Sheraton). Excellent and very easy shore dive...perfect for beginners because of it's easy navigation and shallow depth. Actually, it's a great dive for any level of diver because there's usually a lot to see.

 

[mred]

I was in Mauai in November, and did about a dozen dives with Mauai Dreams. They were a VERY professional outfit, and it was an incredible week of diving. They do night dives, shore dives, and even rent DPV. I took the DPV class, and we used them on four of my 12 dives... all I can say is way cool!!!!! One word of advice ... April is a very busy time in Mauai, and you had better call ahead to WHOEVER you decide to dive with, and make your reservations NOW!

 

[coreno16]

Thanks for the advice. I do plan to schedule my classes today and will probably book ti with maui dreams considering price and divemaven's recommendation. Will also look into B&B for cert dives and for a possible boat dive later in my trip. We have decided to stay our entire stay on Kaanapali so i'd like to find a place around there with some good rental gear. Any recommendations?

Thanks,
Cory

 

[DiveMaven]

Try Pacific Dive for gear and shore diving around Lahaina.

 

[coreno16]

Alright bit of a delimma. I took my class through SSI and so far the only places that i have found to do my referral through that has SSI or the universal referral as an option are Maui Dive Shop, lahaina divers, and maui diving. Any quick recommendations as im trying to get this booked tonight?

Thanks

 

[divebri]

Lahaina divers. their instructors are all very competent, the boat is large and comfortable, and they're not usually attle boats on the "turtle town" dives because certified divers don't do those dives very often.

I had my daughter , and nephew, certified there and they're very good. B and B is better (I've seen Brad in action, and he's very good with young kids, the mark of a good instructor IMHO), but if you gotta use one of 'em it's lahaina divers all the way.

Too bad, B and B is only a stone's throw from Wailea, and Lahaina divers is only a stone's throw from kaanapali. You got some driving to do, Bub!

have fun - the drive isn't that bad when you've got those dives to look forward to!

 

[coreno16]

Well, B&B was booked well into next week so i scheduled with lahaina which really isn't a bad thing considering its location near where ill be staying. I really want to do a dive to the molokini crater. I plan to do at least one shore dive before I do the boat dive. Do you think it would be wise for a new diver? If not B&B any other recommended dive operators? Thanks for the help.[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
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[divebri]

If you're questions iis, AFTER my check-out dives, is it a good idea to do Molokini, the answer is YES.

I believe you're the safest diver when you've just been tested, which will be the case with you.

Besides, the only issue with Molokini is the depth, which is no big deal. You're guided, you'll have a divemaster or instructor by your side, just let them know and they'll keep an eye on you. It's some of the easiest diving anywhere, no reason not to enjoy it.
Your max depth won't be much more than 60 anyway.
Go for it, and use B and B scuba if you can. Tell Brad that Brian from Arizona sent you, and sing the theme from the Vonage commercial (yooHOO,yooHOOO HOOO) for him. He'll love you for it

 

[DiveMaven]

Lahaina Divers will treat you well, so no worries there. My husband and I did our OW and AOW with them and always had excellent experiences. We also dove with them a lot while we were newer divers and always had a great time.

They are professional and fun folks who work hard. They do an outstanding job with new, inexperienced and the occasional diver, which is the only reason I discourage experienced folks from going out with them.