Maui, Hawaii

Maui is more crowded and more touristic than the Big Island, but still worth a visit. There are a number of dive companies, most of them operate from Kihei. Since there is no harbour in this town the dive boats depart from the Kihei Launch, usually quite early in the morning (departure time before 7 a.m.). I spent a couple of days with Ed Robinson’s Diving Adventures, actually living in the small house rented by Ed Robinson. This is one of the best organized and most professional dive companies I have seen, so far. Various dive trips are offered such as two and three tank trips and night dives. The two dive boats are well equipped and very fast and the crew knows the best dive sites in the area. Ed Robinson is a professional underwater photographer, and his website is worth to look at even if you are not plan diving in Maui.The underwater landscape is typical Hawaiian with lava fields, caverns, and arches. During winter time you can frequently listen to the humpback whales during the dives (and often watch them from the dive boats), which makes these dives very special. Actually you can listen to the whales off the coast of Kihei live over the internet thanks to The Whalesong Project. A couple of volunteers installed a hydrophone which directly transmits the whalesongs. There are lots of fish, reef sharks, and if you are lucky manta rays. On one dive I saw a Dragon Moray (see Gallery) which is quite rare in this area. The most famous dive sites are at the Molokini Crater, a partially sunken volcanic crater about 4 km off the coast of Kihei. In the inner part of the crater you will find calm water and shallow dives, ideal for snorkelling or night dives. On the outer side there is a steep wall with very clear water and a fascinating underwater life (Backside Wall Dive).

Molokini Crater (Google Earth)