{USA} Scuba Diving Molokini and Wailea in Maui
Can’t believe it’s already January 2013! We’ve been rather busy the past couple of months, learning to adjust to life with a newborn. One of the things we miss the most is scuba diving!
We’ve dove in several places now, from the frigid cold Northwest to the warm Carribbean sea. But by far, Redang (Malaysia) and Maui (Hawaii) are our favorite dive spots. Maui in particular because it’s closer to Seattle than Redang is.
Reminiscing our scuba diving days, we wonder when we’d get to scuba dive again, with a newborn in tow!
In September of 2012, I went scuba diving with several of my colleagues in Maui. This time around, I decided to give Ed Robinson’s Diving Adventure a try. Shirl didn’t join us this time because she was pregnant. She really misses scuba diving!
There are several other diving spots around the crater. You can see more here: http://www.
The nice thing about diving the inside of the crater is that you don’t have to dive too deep to see marine life and corals.
Beautiful corals cover the floor of the ocean!
Diving the inside of Molokini Crater in Maui
Spotted a white tip shark!
Spotted an eel while diving Molokini Crater
Don’t chase after the turtles. They’ll come to you!
Note that it’s illegal to chase after turtles, you have to be a certain distance away from them. However, often than not, if you just stay still, the turtles will come and say hi to you!
So close, I can see his iris!
Remember, stay still and they will come to you!
More turtles!
Did I mention there were turtles? 
I highly recommend 5 Caves and St. Anthony’s Wreck. The water at 5 caves is warmer and you can often spot multiple giant sea turtles resting underneath the caves as well. St. Anthony is really unqiue, and you can actually scuba dive into the ship. The time we went there, I have a turtle followed me into the ship wreck, which was pretty awesome.
Black Rock is a great dive spot for beginner. It’s a shore dive, so you don’t have to rent a boat or go on a boat trip which is where most of the cost is. You can sign up at the dive shop at the Sheraton Hotel Maui. The dive spot is literally right on the backyard of the hotel.
Thumbs up for diving in Maui!
Takeaways:
- We highly recommend diving in Maui! Molokini Crater and the shores of Wailea are beautiful spots to dive.
- Other spots we dove before include 5 Caves, Anthony’s Wreck and Black Rock.
- There were plenty of photo ops with the turtles. If you stay where you are, they’ll come say hi.
- There are regulations as to how close you can be to the turtles just like whales. So don’t chase after them and keep your distance.
- Pineapples are a great snack in between dives. If you are sea sick, don’t eat the pineapples
- If you’re a beginner, try Black Rock and sign up for the shore/introductory dive.
Have you dove in Maui before? What are your favorite dive spots?
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Very nice shots..!! Turtles are looking so cute. Enjoyed this post a lot. Keep it up…
What beautiful photos of the turtles, they almost look like they are more interested in you
It was a beautiful dive and we were extremely lucky to have chanced upon these turtles who seem so curious!
Hi Jeremy,
Nice shots! Cute little yellow frogfish! And I really like the turtles. Randy and I are heading to Maui in March and I am really looking forward to seeing turtles and doing a whale-watching trip. My first time in Hawaii.
Enjoy that baby, they grow up fast.
Best,
Kathy
Thanks Kathy! You are so going to enjoy Maui! Another one of our favorite things about diving in Maui is how all the dive operators have golden pineapples on board for snacking! You can also bring your own by getting the pineapple at costco (near Maui airport) before you head out for diving!
Yeah – our baby has grown so much in just 2+ months! Can’t wait to take him to his first swimming lesson – first steps to scuba diving