West Maui: Best Dive Shop?

[VirginiaScubaGuy]

Hello,

I am a certified diver with close to 100 dives since about 2007. I'm not really a beginner, but I'm certainly not advanced. I tend to dive once or twice a year.

I am going to be traveling to Maui in January 2017, and will be staying in the Lahaina-Kannapali Beach area. I am trying to figure out the best dive shop where there will be smaller boats and less cattle call diving. Hopefully, the dive shop would not be so beginner oriented.

I was in Kona last year and did just a couple dives with Jacks before leaving for another company. At Jack's a two tank morning dive would leave at 800 am and get back at 300 pm. there were so many beginners that it took forever to get everyone in, out, and briefed. I'm trying to avoid that this year in Maui.

The shops I have seen on Trip Advisor are: Lahaina Divers, Sammy's Dive Shop, Extended Horizons, and Banyan Tree Divers.

Any comments on the above shops or any others not listed would be great.

Thanks!

James

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I dove with Lahaina Divers. I'd say there were 12 to 14 divers on the boat. It was a good operation. I haven't used the others, as I was primarily diving out of Kihei.

 

[VirginiaScubaGuy]

I dove with Lahaina Divers. I'd say there were 12 to 14 divers on the boat. It was a good operation. I haven't used the others, as I was primarily diving out of Kihei.

Did you like the diving out of Kihei better than off Lahaina?

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I was staying in Kihei so it made more sense for me to dive primarily out of there. I got in 17 dives over 6 days. There was a morning I couldn't start early, so I dove out of Lahaina. I don't have enough experience to say. I will say though, dive at night from shore. There are some great shore dives around Makena Landing. IIRC, that's where the cave is where the turtles sleep.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I did also dive with Maui Dive Scooters that was fun. I'd recommend that. We met at Makena Landing as well.

 

[VirginiaScubaGuy]

I did also dive with Maui Dive Scooters that was fun. I'd recommend that. We met at Makena Landing as well.

check... i see now that there is a regionalized "hawaii" forum so i am going to repost there.

 

[BoltSnap]

These are the people to dive with in Maui!!

Maui Scuba Diving - Mike Severns Diving - Maui Dives

They have fantastic guide,Pauline Fiene , who is a marine biologists who will explain and show amazing marine life. She is fantastic. They are high class. They may not baby sit newbies and cater to the divers who know their equipment and know how to dive.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

These are the people to dive with in Maui!!

Maui Scuba Diving - Mike Severns Diving - Maui Dives

They have fantastic guide,Pauline Fiene , who is a marine biologists who will explain and show amazing marine life. She is fantastic. They are high class. They may not baby sit newbies and cater to the divers who know their equipment and know how to dive.

Now that I remembered it, Mike Severns is the company I will dive with next time. I did dive with Ed Robinson's, but I didn't appreciate one of their DM's digging an octopus out of the ground for someone to take pictures.

 

[VirginiaScubaGuy]

These are the people to dive with in Maui!!

Maui Scuba Diving - Mike Severns Diving - Maui Dives

They have fantastic guide,Pauline Fiene , who is a marine biologists who will explain and show amazing marine life. She is fantastic. They are high class. They may not baby sit newbies and cater to the divers who know their equipment and know how to dive.

they do look awesome but it's about an hour away from kannapali...damn

 

[BoltSnap]

they do look awesome but it's about an hour away from kannapali...damn

Change your hotel!!!