Best diving in Maui/Aquarium stores

[andestang]

Headed to Maui in a couple of weeks and just wondering if anyone thats has been there recently can recommend the best dive spots/operators.Going be in the Napili area. Also wouldn't mind checking out aquarium shops.

[Delphinus]

Check out the aquarium. It's small but incredibly well done. You can get a week's pass, I recommend getting that because it's good value and it's worthwhile going more than once.

I wouldn't worry about locations, Maui is small enough that, to a point, everything is a short drive (no more than a couple hours). It's big enough that you don't feel on a tiny little island, and there is a rush hour now. When I first went to Maui I was maybe 12 and the population was about 20,000. It's now about 150,000 and that does not include the tourists. If you get stuck in rush hour it can be a slow go. Kihei to Lahaina takes several hours if you leave at 3. If not rush hour it's more like 30 minutes for the same trip.

I don't really remember finding any decent aquarium shops. To be honest, moving to Maui is a dream of mine, and if I ever did make it happen, I likely wouldn't have an aquarium anyhow. Why when all you have to do is hop off a beach? I imagine a lot of others feel that way so I'm not sure there's really a huge market. I know Chin came back with some Hawaiian fish when he went (but he was on Oahu - and Honolulu/Waikiki is a huge city so there likely IS a market). But forget invertebrates - for one, you can't really import marine ornamentals into Hawaii (too much risk of introducing a non-native species - which is a bit ironic seeing as a LOT of Hawaiian fauna and flora is technically "exotic or non-native" - but that's getting off track). But the other consideration is that collection is heavily regulated and essentially not possible. You're not even supposed to take lava rock or coral rubble off the beach.

Diving spots - Molokina Island for sure. Honolua Bay is a treasure for snorkeling. Honestly though - just about any beach has good snorkeling. There's this one spot that is south of Wailea that is really worth doing as well. I can't remember the name of the bay. I'll check at home if Linda remembers and post back. If not, I have it in my Maui guide book, I'll look it up.

Hawaiian waters are tropical but cold by tropical standards. So the reef formations will not be what you expect of south Pacific. The fish are incredible to see, fish love it there, but only the hardiest of coral species establish themselves in tiny colonies (Pocillipora mostly - some acros, some montis - I do have a book about Hawaiian corals which I recommend - I'll try to get the title for you later when I'm home). Alas, clams and clownfish hosting anemones aren't in Hawaiian waters.

Do try to see the sunrise at Haleakala crater. Leave at 3am. Sunrise is at 6:00-6:30, count on it taking at least 2 hours to get there (you will be sharing the road with countless other tourists who have been told "you simply must see the sunrise at Haleakala". It is worthy of seeing at least once. Up to you if you wish to do it again and again. ) Pack a jacket, it's cold up there in the morning.

If it's clear enough, you can see the observatory on the Big Island in the morning, then sun will reflect off the buildings and you can see them. Kind of neat.

Haleakala during the day is also worth doing. It's like being on the moon or Mars .. it's really keen.

The Needle ... Hana ... Ho'okipa ... OMG. I hope you enjoy yourself there.

[Delphinus]

La Perouse Bay is the name of the spot that I couldn't remember.

http://www.wayfaring.com/maps/show/29

http://www.mauiqueen.com/mauiguide/snorkeling.html
http://www.maui-vacation.net/snorkelmap.html

When I was there I was staying in Kihei and the Kamaole beaches (a series of beaches in town - there are three of them, Kamaole 1, Kamaole 2, Kamaole 3) are even a good spot for snorkeling. Particularly in the morning (6am-8am) before the surf gets really choppy.

There is an element of luck of the draw. If there is an offshore storm, the surf can get enormous, and it makes the water murky. Not a good time to snorkel. For one you won't see anything, and secondly, the sharks come close in because turtles can't see them coming. Usually this only lasts a few days, and usually there will be another spot elsewhere on the island that isn't affected.

Into windsurfing or up to trying kiteboarding? Some wicked good opportunities on Maui for that.

Sailing, not so much. You'd think you could find a place to rent a Hobie Cat for example. The resorts might but I was really shocked how hard it was to rent a beach cat (well, impossible really, I didn't get to go. ).

[bv_reefer]

hi andestang i see you're heading to maui! i'd definitely check out the local aquarium in kihei, it's a smaller one but never the less real nice, have been there several times. it's about a 20 minute drive from kihei village. As for local diving hot spots, molokini is first on my list. i've also tryed diving in kaanapali and wailea and it was magnificent as well. as delphinus said maui is small enough on it's own, couple hours drive tops. quikk review on the beaches, kaanapali tends to have bigger wave action than shores in kihei i've found, and is great for boogy boarding/surfing, baby beach (close to kaanapali) is nice and shallow all round and is surrounded by a big wall of reef, i've went diving there and it's real nice, massive corals all round and beautiful fish all round you. wailea is pretty well similar beaches to kihei but with nice fancy hotels all round you, worth the drive. long story short, mauis a great place to be, have a good one!

[Delphinus]

20 minutes drive in any direction from Kihei takes you well outside of Kihei, it's a pretty tiny place! I think we get used to larger distances and still being inside the same city. The aquarium is in a town called Ma'alaea which is the start of the highway up to Lahaina and Ka'anapali.

http://www.mauioceancenter.com/

Not sure, but I think when you say Napili you'll actually be up in the Lahaina or Ka'anapali area, which means you're very close to Honolua Bay. It's considered one of the better spots for snorkeling so definitely do check that one out.

[Veng68]

Any good Snuba sites on Maui........ or any of the other islands

Cheers,
Vic [veng68]

[Coldwater]

I was at Napili Shores during part of spring break and did some diving. The coolest dive I went on was at Mala Wharf with the Maui Dive Shop. Did a two tank dive there. The deepest I got was 25 feet so its shallow and you air will last forever. A little over an hour. There are White Tip Reef sharks there, Frog fish the size of footballs and much much more. Its a dive around a collapsed wharf so its almost like a wanna-be wreck dive. I have pictures of it if you want to see some. As for other water activities about 10 minutes past Napili area there is a beach which I can't remember the real name of. Its unofficially called Slaughterhouse. If the swells are coming in right and you have a good offshore wind they waves become MASSIVE which is great for surfing (you can get barreled) or boogie boarding if you can't surf. Its a mostly tourist beach. And one final word of warning if you go surfing or pretty much anything else STAY OUT OF THE LOCALS WAY. Have fun.

Matt

[Johnny Reefer]

I was there 11 years ago, so this advice might be outdated. I wasn't aware of an aquarium there then, so I guess that's something relatively new...?
As for aquarium shops, I looked into this when I was there. Waste of time. I only found one (in Kahului) and it was tiny. Nothing that you wouldn't have already seen on the continent. I think Tony has it right. Not a big market. Huge aquarium at the shoreline. Maybe it's changed, but I doubt it.

An excellent snorkelling spot is in Ahihi-Kin' Au Natural Reserve Area. The spot (is?)/was known locally as "The Aquarium". Just south of Kanahena were the road becomes dirt (maybe it's paved now). Sort of hard to describe from there. Maybe they have signs to the trail now, but then they didn't. I have a note to self in my guidebook saying trail between telephone pole 17 & 18, FWIW. Ya, that kinda thing. Trail hike across lava field is about 20-30 minutes. Worth it if you can find it. My Dad knew someone who lived there. This is how we found out about it.

[andestang]

Thanks for all the input and ideas. I think we're staying in the Wailea area, most likely the Grand Wailea resort or Wailea Beach Resort. Seems to be the best area to go for a snorkel any time you want and I will check out Molokini for a day dive and never had a chance to do a night dive so I will check that out also. There's a few other ideas mentioned above that I'll check into and Tony can make up my itinerary for me