DH needs scuba suggestions for Hawaii

[emsnurse]

I'm sure this question has come up before but my search didn't turn up anything....

 

We are on Pride Of America in early December and DH is looking for at least one good dive experience. He is an experienced diver and would probably prefer a small group.

 

From what I have read - most dives leave in the early morning around 6 AM. I'm wondering if he can book a dive on Maui for our second day and if he will have any difficulty exiting the ship at that time of day.

 

If anyone has other suggestions that would be great.

[DiveMaster]

Tough question:

 

Google for Maui dive shops and query them about this situation. Would expect your dive will be by boat across the island from where you are docked, so some land travel might be involved. My experience on Maui is limited to one day trip from San Antoinio, Texas to the island, but I may be able to locate some SCUBA brochures I gathered. If aborting the dive, be sure to have him do the Atlantis sub at Lahaina. Or, he could shark dive at the Maui Ocean Center info@mauioceancenter.com "At Maui Ocean Center, divers will be able to have their own personal encounter with sandbar sharks, blacktip reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, grey reef sharks, hammerhead sharks, and occasionally a tiger shark. (Due to the constant rotation of animals back to the ocean, the presence of any specific animal cannot be guaranteed.) Maui Ocean Center is the only aquarium currently known to allow guest divers into an exhibit with a tiger shark."

 

I'm sure this question has come up before but my search didn't turn up anything....

 

We are on Pride Of America in early December and DH is looking for at least one good dive experience. He is an experienced diver and would probably prefer a small group.

 

From what I have read - most dives leave in the early morning around 6 AM. I'm wondering if he can book a dive on Maui for our second day and if he will have any difficulty exiting the ship at that time of day.

 

If anyone has other suggestions that would be great.

[10X]

You don't say if your ship will be in Lahina or Kahului. I'm not familiar with the dive shops in Kahului so I don't know if I can help.

 

The ship tenders passengers in Lahina and I believe the tenders run a limited schedule late at night and into early morning but I think they are available all night. Checking with the ship on what time the tender leaves will let him know when he must leave. You might get lucky and find they leave as needed.

 

If your husband is an underwater photographer, then I would recommend Mike Severns Dive Shop. They operate a large boat with fewer divers and have a go slow attititude.

 

If he doesn't do photography and doesn't mind a little more crowded boat, Maui Dive Shop runs a pretty good operation. You just might find 18-20 divers on the boat though. It gets just a little crowded on the boat.

[scubamargie]

We just returned from Maui. Although we stayed on the island we met friends on the Pride of Aloha so I'm somewhat familiar with the NCL process. You won't have any problem getting off the ship whenever you want. I suggest you rent a car and tour the island on the first day (some great beaches and snorkeling). Visit the Maui Ocean Center (a must) and the Iao Valley. Your DH may want to consider shore diving that day (or the next) since there are some very good shore dives. Pick up tanks (and gear if needed) from Maui Dive Center in Kihei and head to Makena Landing or Ahihi Cove -- great snorkeling here too.(check out these and other shore diving sites at:

http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/Hawaii/Maui )

It's best to shore dive in the morning because the trade winds can stir up the current and the viz decreases by afternoon. If he can only do one boat dive then set up a dive for your second day with Ed Robinson in Kihei (http://www.mauiscuba.com). They will do a 2-tank dive to Molokini (not to be missed for divers!!) and yes, they leave very early in the morning so plan on leaving the ship around 5:15 am to drive to Kihei.

 

Here's a link to a Map of South Maui:

http://www.spotlighthawaii.com/SpotlightPDF/WebMap/Maui/Maui8-Wailea-2007a.pdf

 

and another showing the route from Kahului:

http://www.spotlighthawaii.com/SpotlightPDF/WebMap/Maui/Maui3-SouthMaui-2007a.pdf

 

I'll attach a map of how to get out of the cruise terminal area if I can figure out how to! Hope this helps!

[emsnurse]

Thanks for all the good info - printing it all out so he can decide. We are docked in Kahului. Sounds like maybe best bet is a rental car, drive to dive shop and he can figure out shore versus boat. :)

[Carl2860]

I'm sure this question has come up before but my search didn't turn up anything....

 

We are on Pride Of America in early December and DH is looking for at least one good dive experience. He is an experienced diver and would probably prefer a small group.

 

From what I have read - most dives leave in the early morning around 6 AM. I'm wondering if he can book a dive on Maui for our second day and if he will have any difficulty exiting the ship at that time of day.

 

If anyone has other suggestions that would be great.

I am leaving tomorrow for our flight to Hawaii and booked on Pride of America sailing Oct27. I have a 2 tank dive booked for KONA and if you email me I will provide dive pictures and some dive video when I return.

I may also elect to dive some other stops.

 

Also will be posting my review and also offer up my set of the Revealed books for sale.

[Middleager]

I dove in Oahu and Kona. The diving for me and snorkeling for my friends in Kona was very good. There are many dive ops in Kona area, so that is also a good indication diving is good there.

 

In Kauai, don't miss a helicopter ride to see the Napali Coast. It was very beautiful.

[emsnurse]

For anyone just getting back - any pics to share from your dive?

 

We booked a rental car for Maui and plan to visit the Maui Ocean Center as someone suggested. DH is planning a night dive for Maui.

 

Also booked the Kona scuba through NCL even though probably more people than he cares to go with - so Carl if you did that dive and see this - how did it go?

 

Thanks again for the suggestions this has been our most difficult trip to book shore excursions since so many possibilities:)

[Carl2860]

For anyone just getting back - any pics to share from your dive?

 

We booked a rental car for Maui and plan to visit the Maui Ocean Center as someone suggested. DH is planning a night dive for Maui.

 

Also booked the Kona scuba through NCL even though probably more people than he cares to go with - so Carl if you did that dive and see this - how did it go?

 

Thanks again for the suggestions this has been our most difficult trip to book shore excursions since so many possibilities:)

Well I had planned to dive Kona and got downstairs and there was a mix up on time and the other girls from NCL thought I said I was there for SNUBA and told me to have a seat was that group did not leave till 8:30, I missed the dive.

 

NCL was gracious and changed my dive to Kaui and I had a great dive there with massive turtles evrywhere, but I still wanted to dive Kona.

[diverearl]

We are on Pride Of America in early December and DH is looking for at least one good dive experience. He is an experienced diver and would probably prefer a small group.

If anyone has other suggestions that would be great.

 

Just a thought he might look into doing a couple of shore dives. There are many really good locations where an experienced diver could do a great shore dive and still have plenty of time to experience each island with their non diving travel companion.

 

Often we tour the island early or on the first day of an overnight port exploring, then dive the afternoon or second day (so that altitude doesn't come into the picture after a dive). Too often for us we don't like to use the amount of time it takes to do a two tank boat dive leaving little time to do anything else.

 

This web sight will give you many options while on The Islands. Gear (if needed) and tanks/weights can be rented at most any shop on every island. http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/Hawaii/index.htm

 

Just a little different suggestion :cool:

[jwmcq]

I am going to dive in Kona with Jack's Dive Locker. They will pick us up at the pier and return us after a 2 tank dive. Also, our friends can go along as snorkelers, so it worked great for everyone. I had several recommendations for this dive shop.

[Hilary]

We spend at least a week on Maui every year and dive every day that we're there (we own a timeshare). What I'd strongly recommend you do is rent a car the first day so you can drive around and explore. You can even do a partial trip to Hana to explore the waterfalls and beautiful walking trails.

 

Then keep the car so your husband can get up early and drive to Kihei (about 30 min away) to catch a charter at the Kihei boat ramp. The three operators that are most often recommended are Mike Severns, Ed Robinsons, and B&B. They will usually do the first dive at Molokini crater and the second at a south Maui site. (All boat dives on Maui are guided)

 

If it's his first time diving on Maui, I'd strongly recommend he not shore dive alone. Two really good choices are Shaka Doug and Maui Dreams for guided dives. A guide will be able to show him the different marine life that is only found in Hawaii, and these little critters are often missed if you don't know what you're looking for. As much as I like the shore diving on Maui, I really prefer the boat dives for the diversity of sites that are visited.

 

Quick run down on the boat ops that I'd recommend:

 

Mike Severns. Great for the experienced diver who doesn't mind a very long dive briefing. They practically give you a marine biology lesson and these folks know their stuff. Great guides who go slow, you get to dive your tank (or NDL), and if you have a camera they'll make sure you have time to get your shots. (1 boat)

 

Ed Robinsons. Great for the experienced diver who wants a thorough dive briefing but not a marine biology lesson...though they do show you pictures of what to look for. Again, great guides who go slow, you dive your tank (or NDL), and fabulous for photographers as well. They also have a 3-tank Adventure charter for the more experienced diver on Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday. Those are the BEST for an experienced diver who wants more advanced sites. (2 boats)

 

B&B. Great for all types of divers. They are the only one of the three that do instruction and take discover scuba divers. They divide groups by experience and their guides know how to find the critters. You dive your tank or NDL. Excellent guides and great for photographers. (1 boat)

 

All three put 12 divers on their boats and divide into groups of 6.

 

We dive with Ed Robinsons as they really match our needs and we've never had a bad dive with them. We're more experienced divers who don't mind following a guide, but don't want to be babysat by being asked how much air we have in our tanks. <sigh> But frankly your husband can't go wrong with choosing any of the operators I've mentioned.