Snorkelling in Maui?

[Aquaphile]

Hi,
my sister will be visiting Maui in September. She does not scuba dive, but loves to snorkel. However, she doesn't want to snorkel alone. Are there any operators that do snorkelling from the shore? Or is there a club or group of people with whom she can go out with?

Thanks very much,
Karen

 

[KrisB]

I'm not aware of any clubs or groups, but I do have a friend (who's a scuba instructor) that takes people out snorkeling as well.

I'd like to touch base with him before releasing his info in this public place -- but if you want to let me know what dates, etc., I can probably get some better idea on price & availability before we talk next. A PM would be perfect for that.

 

[ScubaSeanMaui]

Ed Robinson's wife has a snorkeling business. I was staying at his "cottage" (pretty good value) a few weeks back and we discussed her business. You could give them a call to find out more: http://www.mauiscuba.com/

 

[KrisB]

I'm sure she's great... but let's just say I have a hard time associating the last name "Robinson" with anything dive-related worthy of my money on Maui, if I'm expecting even a modicum of customer service.

What were you doing at the cottage, Sean? I thought you had a place down in Wailea.

 

[ScubaSeanMaui]

Yeah I am in Wailea but we had to get out for a few days due to some termite tenting... I dove with ER one time and we had a good trip but we never had to have any customer service other than helping us on the boat... He does offer some of the more interesting dives with his X-dives (or whatever it's called) which go to 2nd tier sites few people get to dive... I can't say anything about the snorkeling but I thought I'd mention an option I was aware of...

I think a personal guide would be the best though rather than a big group!

Sean

 

[diversteve]

Doesn't Shaka Doug also do snorkeling trips? I always see lots of snorkelers in the water at Black Rock by the Sheraton also.

 

[ScubaSeanMaui]

Where is shaka Doug? I haven't seen him here since the server glitches...

Sean

 

[muddiver]

I recommend Kapalua Bay. It has easy access and good parking. The bay is rather shalllow and protected by an outer reef. This allows beganner snorkelers to enjoy the swim. It can be a little murky in the winter months because the storms come out of the Norht/North West and stir things up.

Also ckeck out the boat trips. They don't cost that much and most go to Molokini where the water is always clear. I accually took my non-diving wife on one of the medium size boats and she snorkeled with the crowd while I was diving with the DM.

 

[DiveMaven]

We dive with Ed Robinson's when we're on Maui (at least annually) and have never had any problems with them. We've always found their customer service to be stellar and their crew to be very safety conscious.

Kris has told me of his experiences with them and while I believe him, I've never experienced even close to the same thing in all our dives with them (over 25).