WarmWaterWeenie
Registered
This is the second of my dive reports. Prior to diving with B&B out of Kihei (see other thread), my wife Stephanie and I dove with Trilogy Sail from Lanai. It was a 2-tank afternoon dive. We went with Trilogy because we were staying on Lanai and they were the only option. Unlike B&B, this was a forgettable, bordering on bad, dive trip.
We were escorted by the Four Seasons Manele Bay to the Lanai harbor. We arrived at the harbor around 1:45. There were six divers. We were given paperwork to complete and were given equipment. They offered drinks while doing the paperwork. They provide everything including fins and mask if you need them. No computer. They only had 3mm shorties for wetsuits. Let me tell you, this is not enough for the 79 degree water. We were both cold by the end of the first dive and Steph had to cut her second dive short after 20-25 minutes. There was one captain (Mike) and one DM (Brett). They were nice guys, helpful, funny. No complaints about arrogance or disinterest. They do not use a real dive boat. I dont know the name of type of boat it is, but it has two inflatable sides. (You can check out the picture on their website, trilogysail.com.) There are no seats. Rather, you sit on the inflatable sides and hold on to a rope so you dont fall over backwards into the water. There is not much room to maneuver. You do a backroll to start the dive, which is not a problem. This was Stephs first dives after OW, and she didnt seem to mind it either. Mike and Brett help you with the gear, both on and off the boat. Because of the lack of room to maneuver, at the end of the dive, you have to take off your BCD before getting back on the boat. Brett and Mike helped us do that and then got the BCDs back on the boat (this was fine). They offered water but nothing else to eat or drink before the first dive. During the safety stop, they offered packets of Costco trail mix as a snack (far cry from the turkey sandwiches, cookies and pineapple that B&B offers). Neither of us took up the offer as we were both feeling a bit queasy. We left the harbor around 2:15 and got back around 5:30.
Because its the afternoon, the wind is up, which means the swell is bigger than in the morning. Visibility is also poorer. The only reason I can think of as to why Trilogy goes out in the afternoon rather than the morning is because all hands are needed on deck to provide the sail/snorkel trips they are really known for. What it meant for us was relatively rough seas on an inflatable boat. Lots of rocking. We came very close to getting sick during the SI. But then again, I am prone to seasickness. Speaking of the SI, Captain Mike took us on a spin along the south coast of Lanai. The boat may not have been designed for diving, but its fast. We were holding onto the safety ropes for dear life, but it was a fun ride.
Cost is very expensive. Im not sure about rules about posting prices, so Ill refrain unless Im told its ok and people want to know.
Ok, now for the dives. We dove Cathedrals I first, followed by a second dive (I dont remember the name) with more swim-throughs. As I mentioned earlier, there were 6 divers plus the leader. Cathedrals I is about a 3 minute ride from the harbor, so we were there in no time. Brett did a good job of explaining the dive profile as well as what to look for. It was an interesting dive and the topography was pretty cool. But it was dark and there was a lot of silt in the water due to a combination of it being in the afternoon as well as six divers swimming into the swim-through. We didnt really see much fish life. We did see a white-tip reef shark hanging out under a ledge, which was pretty cool. Tip: bring a torch as most of the stuff to see is hidden under ledges and in the shadows. The pace of the dive was average, not too fast, but certainly not as slow as I would have preferred. I guess neither of us were very impressed, but I bet it would be different under better conditions. Brett didnt spend a lot of time looking for and pointing out critters. Rather, he was focused on taking pictures and video of the dive. Im sure he got some good pics and video, but quite frankly, this is one of my biggest peeves. Dive leaders are supposed to make the dive enjoyable for the paying divers, not take pictures and video which they try to sell afterwards. Im sure a lot of SB members are more experienced than me and are adept at finding critters, but I depend on the DM to show me stuff that I wouldnt normally see on my own. They cant do that if they are focused on taking pictures. Brett found no critters, no frogfish, no nudibranchs, nothing that wasnt obvious. Compare this to Blesi at B&B. She knows where the critters are, actively looks for them, finds them, waves us over, writes down the names on a slate, makes sure we see them, and moves on to look for the next critter while we spend time looking or taking pictures of our own. This happens throughout the dive.
The second dive was more of the same. Some decent swim-throughs, but we were all getting cold. As I mentioned earlier, Steph had to cut her dive short after 20-25 minutes. Brett showed her the boat and watched her closely as she made her way to the mooring line to start her safety stop. I was grateful for the professionalism. The rest of us continued the dive. I dont have my computer with me to check, but I recall bottom times being around 45 minutes for both dives. I do recall having a lot of air left in my tank after both dives. Id like to be more explicit about things we saw, but as I mentioned before, the dives were just not memorable.
At the end of the dives, Mike made the pitch to take care of Brett if you feel Brett took good care of you. I dont mind the pitch, and I did tip them even though I didnt feel like I got my moneys worth. I do understand they are working for not a whole lot of money and a lot of the negative things about the dive were out of their hands.
I had planned to take my camera down for the second dive for the first time ever (I planned it as my second dive so I could use the first dive to get comfortable and get my buoyancy right). But between the size of the boat, the conditions, etc., I didnt even consider it.
Lanai is a great island if you really want to relax, get away from crowds, play golf and snorkel with dolphins. There is a group (pod?) of 50-60 spinner dolphins that regularly plays in Hulopoe Bay, and we snorkeled with them for over an hour. They are so friendly and get so close, I was actually able to touch one. But if you are focused on diving, dont bother with Lanai. I did find out Extended Horizons will pick you up at Lanai harbor around 8am on their way to dive Lanai out of Lahaina. They get charged a significant dock fee by Lanai and pass on the cost to you, making it a pretty expensive dive. But the total is still not much more than Trilogy charges and even though Ive never dove with EH, I am sure it would be a better option for those staying on Lanai.
This being the first dives after receiving her OW in Monterey, CA, and this being her first boat dive, Steph was not too enamored with her experience. I explained to her that this was not typical and that she should refrain from judging until after diving with B&B. Suffice it to say, she had a great time with B&B and is very relieved that diving can be as much fun as I have been saying.
I hope this is interesting and/or informative.
--Sirk
We were escorted by the Four Seasons Manele Bay to the Lanai harbor. We arrived at the harbor around 1:45. There were six divers. We were given paperwork to complete and were given equipment. They offered drinks while doing the paperwork. They provide everything including fins and mask if you need them. No computer. They only had 3mm shorties for wetsuits. Let me tell you, this is not enough for the 79 degree water. We were both cold by the end of the first dive and Steph had to cut her second dive short after 20-25 minutes. There was one captain (Mike) and one DM (Brett). They were nice guys, helpful, funny. No complaints about arrogance or disinterest. They do not use a real dive boat. I dont know the name of type of boat it is, but it has two inflatable sides. (You can check out the picture on their website, trilogysail.com.) There are no seats. Rather, you sit on the inflatable sides and hold on to a rope so you dont fall over backwards into the water. There is not much room to maneuver. You do a backroll to start the dive, which is not a problem. This was Stephs first dives after OW, and she didnt seem to mind it either. Mike and Brett help you with the gear, both on and off the boat. Because of the lack of room to maneuver, at the end of the dive, you have to take off your BCD before getting back on the boat. Brett and Mike helped us do that and then got the BCDs back on the boat (this was fine). They offered water but nothing else to eat or drink before the first dive. During the safety stop, they offered packets of Costco trail mix as a snack (far cry from the turkey sandwiches, cookies and pineapple that B&B offers). Neither of us took up the offer as we were both feeling a bit queasy. We left the harbor around 2:15 and got back around 5:30.
Because its the afternoon, the wind is up, which means the swell is bigger than in the morning. Visibility is also poorer. The only reason I can think of as to why Trilogy goes out in the afternoon rather than the morning is because all hands are needed on deck to provide the sail/snorkel trips they are really known for. What it meant for us was relatively rough seas on an inflatable boat. Lots of rocking. We came very close to getting sick during the SI. But then again, I am prone to seasickness. Speaking of the SI, Captain Mike took us on a spin along the south coast of Lanai. The boat may not have been designed for diving, but its fast. We were holding onto the safety ropes for dear life, but it was a fun ride.
Cost is very expensive. Im not sure about rules about posting prices, so Ill refrain unless Im told its ok and people want to know.
Ok, now for the dives. We dove Cathedrals I first, followed by a second dive (I dont remember the name) with more swim-throughs. As I mentioned earlier, there were 6 divers plus the leader. Cathedrals I is about a 3 minute ride from the harbor, so we were there in no time. Brett did a good job of explaining the dive profile as well as what to look for. It was an interesting dive and the topography was pretty cool. But it was dark and there was a lot of silt in the water due to a combination of it being in the afternoon as well as six divers swimming into the swim-through. We didnt really see much fish life. We did see a white-tip reef shark hanging out under a ledge, which was pretty cool. Tip: bring a torch as most of the stuff to see is hidden under ledges and in the shadows. The pace of the dive was average, not too fast, but certainly not as slow as I would have preferred. I guess neither of us were very impressed, but I bet it would be different under better conditions. Brett didnt spend a lot of time looking for and pointing out critters. Rather, he was focused on taking pictures and video of the dive. Im sure he got some good pics and video, but quite frankly, this is one of my biggest peeves. Dive leaders are supposed to make the dive enjoyable for the paying divers, not take pictures and video which they try to sell afterwards. Im sure a lot of SB members are more experienced than me and are adept at finding critters, but I depend on the DM to show me stuff that I wouldnt normally see on my own. They cant do that if they are focused on taking pictures. Brett found no critters, no frogfish, no nudibranchs, nothing that wasnt obvious. Compare this to Blesi at B&B. She knows where the critters are, actively looks for them, finds them, waves us over, writes down the names on a slate, makes sure we see them, and moves on to look for the next critter while we spend time looking or taking pictures of our own. This happens throughout the dive.
The second dive was more of the same. Some decent swim-throughs, but we were all getting cold. As I mentioned earlier, Steph had to cut her dive short after 20-25 minutes. Brett showed her the boat and watched her closely as she made her way to the mooring line to start her safety stop. I was grateful for the professionalism. The rest of us continued the dive. I dont have my computer with me to check, but I recall bottom times being around 45 minutes for both dives. I do recall having a lot of air left in my tank after both dives. Id like to be more explicit about things we saw, but as I mentioned before, the dives were just not memorable.
At the end of the dives, Mike made the pitch to take care of Brett if you feel Brett took good care of you. I dont mind the pitch, and I did tip them even though I didnt feel like I got my moneys worth. I do understand they are working for not a whole lot of money and a lot of the negative things about the dive were out of their hands.
I had planned to take my camera down for the second dive for the first time ever (I planned it as my second dive so I could use the first dive to get comfortable and get my buoyancy right). But between the size of the boat, the conditions, etc., I didnt even consider it.
Lanai is a great island if you really want to relax, get away from crowds, play golf and snorkel with dolphins. There is a group (pod?) of 50-60 spinner dolphins that regularly plays in Hulopoe Bay, and we snorkeled with them for over an hour. They are so friendly and get so close, I was actually able to touch one. But if you are focused on diving, dont bother with Lanai. I did find out Extended Horizons will pick you up at Lanai harbor around 8am on their way to dive Lanai out of Lahaina. They get charged a significant dock fee by Lanai and pass on the cost to you, making it a pretty expensive dive. But the total is still not much more than Trilogy charges and even though Ive never dove with EH, I am sure it would be a better option for those staying on Lanai.
This being the first dives after receiving her OW in Monterey, CA, and this being her first boat dive, Steph was not too enamored with her experience. I explained to her that this was not typical and that she should refrain from judging until after diving with B&B. Suffice it to say, she had a great time with B&B and is very relieved that diving can be as much fun as I have been saying.
I hope this is interesting and/or informative.
--Sirk
I like a more leisurely ride, but Bob and his dive buddies, when it is too rough on the lake to go diving, they go Wave jumping! Myself, I like to sit on the flooring of the boat, on a cushion. . . I guess I am surprised there wasn't more room to move around in. . . in ours, with 4 guys and their tech dive gear ( doubles, stage bottles, rebreather, bailout, etc,) it is packed, and ours is half the size you were on. 
