Lahaina takes one boat over to Molokini every other day but it's likely going to moor in the crater to cater to less experienced divers. Often the Backwall is a live drop/drift so they have to be able to recover everyone.
The West Lana'i
drifts are an advanced dive. They do it once? a week. At one time they required AOW or equivalent - don't know if that's still the case. It's an e-ticket ride....
I am trying to figure out the best dive shop where there will be smaller boats
Extended Horizons only takes 12-15? - smaller boat. In groups of six. One other advantage they have is AL-80's are standard. Someone recently reminded me that Lahaina Divers dives 72's.
Your 3rd Lahaina boat option is Hawaiian Rafting Adventures - they have a big RIB. IDK the capacity although we saw it once out there and quite a few divers splashed.
For shore diving in Ka'anapali, Tiny Bubbles gets good reviews. They're at the Ka'anapali Beach Club resort. They have scooters since you need them in that area to get out to some depth and also will dive Mala Pier in Lahaina - arguably one of the better dives in that area. Sammy and Banyan Tree are shore diving only also. Mala is a shore dive also - or a night boat dive with Lahaina Divers.
I agree about the Kihei drive, it could be an hour from Ka'anapali (resort workers go to work on the same road) and the boats like to leave the ramp at or b4 6am. Severns especially, they like to be first out to Molokini.Maui Diamond II is a smaller boat in Ma'alea which is a slightly shorter drive than the Kihei boat ramp but they're likely mooring inside the crater also as they take snorkelers.
About the only really named advanced diving is with Ed Robinson's in Kihei. Possibly Severns also, IDK them except by reputation.
While l like Lahaina Divers also, the picture of the two full boats in their website header seems to be typical. Although once I caught them on a slow day. 6/8 of us had the big boat to ourselves. Normal summer season so IDK why. It was years ago though.
