bossert@dataio.UUCP (John Bossert) (08/08/85)
I'm going to be honeymooning in Maui. I'm a certified diver - my to-be
has never been down :-) Can anyone suggest good dive sites or packages
for snorkling only? Thanks.
John Bossert
Data I/O Corporation
Redmond, WA
uw-beaver!entropy!dataio!{bossert,usenet}
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John Bossert
Data I/O Corporation
Redmond, WA
uw-beaver!entropy!dataio!{bossert,usenet}paul@helens.UUCP (Paul Brownlow @ Data I/O -- Redmond, WA) (08/10/85)
> I'm going to be honeymooning in Maui. I'm a certified diver - my to-be > has never been down :-) Can anyone suggest good dive sites or packages > for snorkling only? Thanks. > > John Bossert > Data I/O Corporation John, I suppose I could just reply to you in person, but I decided to post this for the benefit of other divers out there. Last year I spent 2-1/2 weeks diving on (off?) Maui with a friend of mine who was working in Lahaina as an instructor. There are several good dive sites around the island. For snorkeling or an *very* easy first dive, try "Black Rock", a lava spit right off the Sheraton Hotel at Kaanapali. The visibility is reasonably good, the surf is generally not to bad, and there are *lots* of friendly fish which can be hand fed. Take lots of bread!!! The maximum depth here is about 25 feet. I understand night diving is nice here. There are other shore dives as you go north out of Kaanapali toward Napili and Fleming Beach, although they all tend to be pretty much the same (sand, antler/finger coral, lots of tangs, clownfish and butterfly fish). The further north you go, the better the underwater terrain, however, it is preferable to have a dive boat take you up this way -- unless you like four-wheeling through pineapple fields and doing "giant strides" off of 20 foot cliffs to start your dive!!! Many diving companies run charters out of Lahaina to the north side of the island. My friend worked for Hawaiian Reef Divers on Lahainaluna Road. They have reasonable rates, but their boat is one of the slowest on the island. My brother has gone out with Central Pacific Divers and gives them good recommendation. By the way, all these companies run "Intro Dives" where they will take an uncertified diver on a very closely supervised dive to about 20 feet. The cost (1984) is about $40. There are a couple of other notable dives in the area. "The Cathedrals" on the south side of the island of Lana'i can be reached via a charter boat out of Lahaina in about 1-1/2 hours This dive takes you to some lava tubes with some large chambers and "windows" (don't worry, there is always a clear path to the surface). The rock and coral formations are really pretty specatacular. Depth is 60-80 feet. The dive which you should not miss is at the ilset of Molokini, a half-hour boat ride from Kihei. The Dive Shop in Kihei has a quick Boston Whaler which will take you there very quickly. They charge $65 for a two tank dive, and they supply all the gear. I was able to talk them down in price since I brought my own SCUBA. The visiblility at this site is amazing -- approaching 150 feet at times. This is a marine preserve, so there is plenty of marine life. I have a bunch of underwater photos I took here if you are interested (my apologies to the rest of you in net-land -- if you're in the Seattle area, drop me some email if you are interested). Snorkeling tours are also run to this site. If you make only one dive your entire time in the islands, I suggest that you go here. There is a book titled something like "50 Dives Around Maui" that all the dive shops carry. This is a good book and should give some good ideas about where to dive. Just remember when you are diving on Maui the surf can sometimes catch you by surprise. It can be a lot stronger than it appears, especially if you are used to the Puget Sound diving where we have no surf. I hope this can be of some help. Paul Brownlow Data I/O Corporation -- ...."You're never alone with a schizophrenic."