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{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!

 

1Molokini Crater.
This is a very popular dive spot and I think most dive shops will get you here. On the outside of the crater, you can see terraces that go remarkably deep. Since there were beginners in our group, we went on the inner side of the crater instead where the water is calmer. There are several other diving spots around the crater. You can see more here: http://www.mauiinformationguide.com/molokini-crater-scuba-dive.php

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

 

2Close to Wailea Shore. 
Our second dive spot was closer to the shore. Here, we saw several large turtles. They are common here and aren’t afraid of humans.

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? 🙂

3 5 Caves, St. Anthony’s Wreck and Black Rock.

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:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. We highly recommend diving in Maui! Molokini Crater and the shores of Wailea are beautiful spots to dive.
  2. Other spots we dove before include 5 Caves, Anthony’s Wreck and Black Rock.
  3. There were plenty of photo ops with the turtles. If you stay where you are, they’ll come say hi. 
  4. 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.
  5. Pineapples are a great snack in between dives. If you are sea sick, don’t eat the pineapples 🙂
  6. 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?

26 Comments

  1. Sharon December 19, 2017 Reply

    Diving with turtles must be one of the fabulous things left for me to do. Thanks for the blog and the great pictures.
    Sharon recently posted..Best beach towels – Quality, absorbent or oversized? You’ll love theseMy Profile

  2. Verda Ethridge May 9, 2014 Reply

    I was there like a month ago and tried all the possible dive spots so I can really attest to how beautiful the place is and how gifted it is in terms of marine lifeforms. It is heaven!

  3. stacy October 29, 2013 Reply

    The turtles are beautiful. What camera do you use ?

  4. GetACarHire March 14, 2013 Reply

    Very nice shots..!! Turtles are looking so cute. Enjoyed this post a lot. Keep it up…

  5. Anna January 22, 2013 Reply

    What beautiful photos of the turtles, they almost look like they are more interested in you

    • Author
      Jeremy & Shirlene
      Twitter:
      January 28, 2013 Reply

      It was a beautiful dive and we were extremely lucky to have chanced upon these turtles who seem so curious!

  6. Kathy Mendes January 16, 2013 Reply

    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

    • Author
      Jeremy & Shirlene
      Twitter:
      January 28, 2013 Reply

      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 🙂

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