Maui, Hawaii, USA

Author: Jennifer Rochussen

Hi All! Just returned from a week (tip #1 - 1 week NOT enough) on Maui.

ACCOMODATIONS/FOOD We had a free condo on Kaanapali Beach. For divers I would recommend staying in S. Maui (Kihei,Makena,Wailea). Highly recommend a condo (can cook, do laundry, have the same amenities as hotel, LOT less money). We rarely ate out, but we always make a trip to Pacific'O in Lahaina (550 Front St). The chef has a new restaurant next door and they are also getting together with the Old Lahaina Luau to provide the food for an upscale Luau one building up from their Front street restaurant. It was in the final preparations when we were there and sounds WONDERFUL!

SHARK ATTACK. We've obviously not been on the board in the past week, so I'm not sure what everyone has heard/not heard about the tiger shark attack off Kaanapali beach on 3/5. It was well publicized in Hawaii, and the story changed quite a bit over the course of a few days. When we first arrived it was speculated that the woman attacked had snorkeled out from black rock to a whale giving birth and the placenta had attracted various sharks to the area. I think that was a "tourist calming" story. It turns out (from last report that included an interview with the woman's swimming companion) that they are living on the island, are both seasoned ocean swimmers and free divers. There were NO whales in the immediate area and the visibility was over 80 feet. They did not see the shark coming (estimated 12-14 footer) and it retreated after the boyfriend kicked it in the snout several times. She is still alive, but apparently underwent an extensive surgery on her thigh. Those are the details I have. The Maui and Honolulu papers would have the latest scoop. I must say, from a divers standpoint, the thought of a tiger shark in the area did not really concern me, but when I was swimming at that beach, I was constantly on guard. When getting a coke near one of those snorkle trip boat stands I could hear the employees trying to calm the tourists. We are somewhat familiar with the actions of sharks, but many people are not, so you can imagine the panic.

DIVING. Water temps averaged 74 degrees (I wore a 5/3 wetsuit with a polartech skin underneath, a beanie and gloves and was STILL cold - one of the divemasters wore a 7 mm suit and others were layering with 3mm suits. Those wearing shorties quickly changed after the first dive). I can approximate our depths, but don't have my computer handy for bottom times. We were divng with aluminum 80's mostly and probably averaged 50 minutes per dive. We both had horrible sinus infections before arriving, so some of our shore diving plans were aborted.

Black Rock - Kaanapali Beach We did a check out dive on Sunday at Black Rock (no tiger spottings - but it was BARREN as far as divers and snorkelers went). The current was pretty strong (we entered from the Kaanapali beach side) and it took a few minutes to get out around the first bend. Then we had surge problems since most of the marine life is on the wall. As usual, abundant fish encounters, many expecting hand outs. A rare sighting - octopus (but he was very skittish). Many turtles (some sleeping under coral heads, a couple free-swimming). A good dive to get in, get wet, make sure everything was in working order. The depth on this dive was about 35 feet max. HINT: If making an entry from the Kaanapali Beach side, pay the extra bucks and get the tanks at the snorkel hut at the Sheraton. There are few places to park ANYWHERE near the site, and my poor fiancee had quite a time lugging the tanks and his equipment (I'm a wimp) over 1/2 mile down the beach.

5 Graves/Caves - Makena (S. Maui). Max depth 30 ft. We did 2 shore dives here on Monday. We did our entry in the small fresh/salt cove and went out and around to the left (although I think Chuck Thorne's book recommends going to the right - but I'm not positive). About 17 feet down in the first cave are 2 adult and 1 baby white tip. We got pretty close (4 feet away), but never penetrated the cave. The coral life here is prolific (the bottom is covered, not just sporadic coral heads). The usual array of reef fish hang out here (moorish idols, all kinds of butterfly fish, unicorn fish, many varieties of moray eels). We found a large cave with 2 sleeping turtles that had to have been 50 years old (HUGE shells). First and second dives were similar, we took the same route and re-explored the same places. HINT: The cove near the graves is where we got in and it is not that easy. It is somewhat steep and rocky and the surge makes sure that it is not easy to put on your fins. Getting out is even harder. You have to go with the surge and hoist yourself up onto the rock. Ladies - this is not easy in the full get-up. Just further down the road is Makena Landing. It is a sandy beach entry/exit and I believe it would save many a headache utilizing this entry spot.

Ed Robinson's Diving Adventures (Kihei boat ramp) 3 Tank Adventure Dive 1st dive - Edge of the World (backside Molokini). Max Depth 119 ft. I had dived the front side a few years ago, but had never done the backside of Molokini. No big encounters, but I did appreciate the vastness of the dive and the great visibility (200 ft). 2nd dive - Hawaiian Reef/85 and Te'ape (sp?). Max Depth 85 ft. We were promised big things on this dive, and it delivered. We thought we'd get whales because we saw a pod just a short distance from the boat, but they were chased away by kayakers as we were entering the water. But we did see a white tip in a cave and one free-swimming, along with a pair of elegant eagle rays. The topography of this dive is more of the scatterd large coral head variety. Slight current, so I enjoyed the boost. Most of our dives involved a light current, and we were told the current is usually even stronger. Hawaii is not advertised as a drift dive destination, yet all of our dives were to some extent. 3rd dive - Red Hill. (Didn't die of hyperthermia - yeh!). Max Depth 45 ft. This dive is right off shore near the nude beach. There have been reports of seeing nude snokelers (some less desirable than others), but luckily we weren't blessed with their presence. There are several swim-though's and caves to explore. Under one ledge was a huge turtle AND a white tip, living side by side. There were many eel's on this dive, some more friendly than others. My fiancee was shooed away from one that is pretty notorious for biting curious divemasters. A very nice dive, lots of life and very relaxing.

There were only 4 divers total on this boat (smaller boat) and 2 divemasters (Paul and John) and the captain (Dan). This is a great operation. Before we even got on the boat they had bagels and coffee. After the first dive there were fresh towels and fresh pineapple. After the second dive we had a deli lunch. And best of all, they are EXCITED to be doing this. They were excited to see whales (even though they see them everyday) and were excited to point out things to us underwater and in the pre- and post-dive briefings. One of the divemasters said he enjoyed our positive attitude about the diving, but it was their positive energy that made the diving all the more enjoyable. I HIGHLY recommend their operation.

Ed's Lanai trip 1st dive - Knob Hill. Max Depth 65 ft. This was a nice dive, not my favorite. The topography is slightly different and some of the animals we had not seen off Maui (reticulated butterfly fish, a large solitary barracuda). The "knob" at the end was a ledge in about 30 feet of water with a lot of life around it. It was next to the mooring so we could max out our bottom time and get in some last-minute photos. 2nd dive - 1st Cathedral. Max Depth 60 ft. This was definitely the better of the two dive off Lanai. The actual cathedral area was breathtaking (praying the pictures come out) and the ledges and coral life in the area were spectacular. We saw many an eel and more rare butterfly fish. Our divemaster (Kim) had a whistle that supposedly the dolphins like and they indeed came around - for the OTHER groups!!!!! One group was surfacing and were able to swim with them, and the other group was just gearing up and jumped in with snorkel gear on. So we were the lone soldiers who didn't see the dolphins, but oh well! It was a beautiful dive anyways.

We took out the larger boat, but the max number of divers per group was 6. The trip to Lanai takes a little over an hour each way and can get bumpy. Bonine is essential for the weak or even moderately-weak stomach. Once again we were fed and hydrated constantly and were helped in and out of our gear. The second dive was chilly for all. Another cool thing - the boat was equipped with a hydrophone, so when we stopped to eat lunch between Lanai and Maui, we dropped it in and enjoyed the whale songs. It was a nice touch.

Ed's Sunset/night dives 1st dive - Marty's reef. Max Depth 65 feet (but a constant 65 feet, so we had to watch our computers on our second dive). We had moored pretty far from the site, so I'd have to say I burned quite a bit of my tank GETTING to the reef (I'm in decent shape and I could feel my heart beating through all my layers). We were also swimming against the current. This dive was mildly disappointing. It was one or two large coral heads and not really worth the work I put into getting there. But we did see several morays and scorpionfish. 2nd dive - 5 Graves/caves. Max Depth 30 feet. I was have mask difficulties during the dive, so I did not get all I could out of this otherwise spectacular dive. We saw a zebra moray free-swimming, an octopus that we had to have followed around for 3 or 4 minutes, a spanish dancer, a sea hare, etc. Apparently an eagle ray swam over my head (I didn't see it) and another divemaster saved a white tip from certain death but getting a hook out of its gills (it was a small shark - Paul does not claim to be Steve Irwin).

This was the larger boat and they split the divers into groups of 4. Al was a very knowledgable guide and was very excited when we spotted things. We were fed again and given fresh towels and hot chocolate. We REALLY enjoyed Ed's service and choice of sites. Their divemasters are first rate and personable as well. We had a great diving experience, even though we heard "Last week we saw..." several times, each experience is going to be different, and we kept our perspective that way. (By the way, they saw 2 grey reef sharks - both at Molokini, tons of eagle rays, and they said they were DODGING whales on their way back from Lanai).

OTHER ACTIVITIES: We were pretty tired after diving each day. Kihei is an hour from Kaanapali, but worth the drive. Boats leave early (6:30 to avoid the winds/waves), so its been a full day by afternoon. We did drive the full road to Hana (backside as well) and it was well worth it. There were rainbows chasing us and whales everywhere. Overall, I highly recommend Maui for topside and underwater experiences.