Favourite Maui Dive Areas?

[Michael L.]

My family is going to Maui for Christmas '06 and lucky me... I got certified for open water last year! My parents have been certified for ages too, so I to do some dives with them.

Has anyone got any favourite dive sites on Maui?

 

[rmougey]

Molikini is a great fishy dive, several spots around Lanai are quite nice and McKenna has good shore diving, particularly if you like turtles.

Pick a couple of smaller outfits to go with rather than the cattle boats and you will have a fun time. The only drawback to most Maui dive operators is that it's typically follow the leader diving. Fine for beginners but quite inappropriate for photographers or experienced folks.

-Rob

 

[Boat]

Here's a site to check out:

http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/Hawaii/Maui/index.htm

Where will you be staying?

 

[Michael L.]

LOL... I don't remember, but Maui is small enough that nothing is more than a few hours away...

 

[Boat]

"I don't remember, but Maui is small enough that nothing is more than a few hours away..."

You may be in for a surprise. The roads can be pretty slow going.

Where you're staying will impact what dive operators you want to go out with, and what harbor.

 

[crabbejoe]

Defininately dive at the Molokini crater. It was kind of pricey for the charter, but well worth it. If you are experienced, maybe dive the back wall of the crater. We didn't, but I guess manta rays are usually seen there. Kapalua Bay was a really nice dive, but kind of a walk. Saw sea turtles at Napilli Bay. Here's another site.
http://www.scubashack.com/map.php3

 

[hockeyjimm]

Fantastic Shore diving there....
Try Five Caves (Graves as the locals call it because there is an old cematary there) between Kihei and Kamaole. You can easily go out to Turtle Town (1/2mile offshore) and walk up on the beach and the park there.

Crabbie.... We drifted the back wall at Molokini and it was fantastic. It drops off to 2500 feet and there are so many big animals in the water with you. I stopped counting sharks after 10 min. One of my top 5 dives of all time.

HJ

 

[Michael L.]

Thanks jimm! You made me remember. I am staying in Kamaole.

 

[crabbejoe]

Maui is just an all around wonderful place. Pretty much anywhere you dive is going to be great. (except the north shore, it's really windy and rough).
Hockey, that sounds really cool. If I ever get back there, I'll have to check it out. The inside of the crater was mostly smaller fish. Damsels, butterflys, squirrelfish, etc. But we saw a couple white tip reef sharks, and a huge morray eel. The floor was covered with hard corals.