Trip to Maui in September - Who is a good dive company & must see sites?

[PatiRenee]

Hi

A small group of us are going to dive Maui this September for the first time. Any advise on who to use as a dive company? Also, what are the must see dive sites?

Thank you,
Pati

 

[TSandM]

Some of it depends on where you are going to stay. If you are down in the Kihei area, B&B Scuba is very good with beginners or people who are unused to boat diving. Ed Robinson is another good operator, and runs some more advanced boats. My favorite is Mike Severns, because Pauline, who owns the company, is a marine biologist and co-author of one of the guides to Hawaiian marine life, so the focus is very much on endemic species, and they have good critter ID books on board.

There is also very good shore diving on Maui, if the surf is not up. Sites run all up and down the west side, from La Perouse to Honolua Bay. You can check out alohashoredivers.com or shorediving.com for descriptions of shore diving sites, and if you are staying in the south end, Shaka Doug (a SB member) has a great reputation for leading fun shore dives.

 

[pjhansman]

Lahaina Divers if you're staying up in the Kaanapoli/Lahaina end of the island. Good DM's, very comfortable boats and good attention to safety.

And I fully agree with TSandM about the Maui shore diving and that Shaka Doug might be able to help you out with that.

 

[roostermt]

Check out jay kaulma on Maui. Does a great job with small groups and new divers. Facebook him or PM me and I can get you his info.

 

[DiveMaven]

Whether you decide to boat or shore dive, or a combination of the two, IMO an excellent guide can make the all the difference in the world in what you see (or don't). Hawaii is such a unique dive destination with amazing creatures found no where else in the world, that its very easy to miss things, or simply not know what you've seen. I always recommend the first or occasional Hawaii diver hire a guide to maximize their experience.

Besides the boat operators mentioned previously and the recommendation for Shaka Dug, I'll also recommend Maui Dreams for shore diving, and specifically Sam from Maui Dive Shop in Kihei for shore diving.

 

[lonebrave]

+1 Shaka Doug and Mike Severns. Also check out Extended Horizons if you'll be up in Lahaina. They have a smaller boat that Lahaina Divers, but very good operation.

 

[fisheater]

+1 for Extended Horizons.

I really like that way that they went out of their way to give me a very good variety of diving during my week there. Their staff rocks.

 

[Linedog]

+1 For Shaka Doug, he's a great guide and pointed things out to me I would have never seen. He truly cares about the ocean we all love and it shows in his diving.

 

[GAFUN]

My wife and I dove in Maui the first of last October and had an incredible time. I think their are many great options in Maui, but I
will only tell you my experiences. Because of low season and many dive boats that were canceled because of not enough divers,
we dove with 4 companies. Maui Dive shop, Lahaina divers, B&B Divers, and Ed Robinsons. All were very good and took us to many
great dives and I would recommend any of them. During low season all the dive boats we were on had only 6-8 divers.

We are going again for the first 2 weeks this October. If I have to pick my favorite, it would be B&B Scuba. My reasons are
they were a little less expensive than the others, Left early and were the first to sites, ans a FAST boat.

FYI, We stayed in Kehei and chose Lahaina divers because we wanted to go to Cathedrals (great site)

I will consider going with others , but was happy with all we used.

Russ

Hi

A small group of us are going to dive Maui this September for the first time. Any advise on who to use as a dive company? Also, what are the must see dive sites?

Thank you,
Pati

 

[Shaka Doug]

What part of September are you planning on being here? It's one of the warmest months of the year as fas as water temps go! You're gonna like it!