Just back from Maui

[javelindan]

Back this week after 9 days in Maui.  I love the place but the trip to/from and the 4hr time difference to MN can make it challenging to do very often (esp. when you have a 2yr old in tow!).

I had a number of pretty cool dives with my 11yr old son, a PADI Jr. Open Water Diver.  Two recommended beach dives:  Black Rock and Mala Ramp. 

At Black Rock, (on North end of Kaanapali Beach resort area), enter on North side of Black Rock and follow this shallow wall dive (up to 35ft) around toward the South side.  I heard that in one diving publication, Black Rock was listed as one of the Top 10 beach dives in the world.  We had a great dive including the opportunity to feed red algae (grows at water line at base of cliffs) to a few Green Sea Turtles.

Mala Ramp (aka Mala Warf) is the ruined remains of a pier that was used in the early/mid 1900's to receive barges of pineapples for processing at the cannery nearby.  The rebar in the pier was compromised by the use of local sand (high salt content) which led to the pier eventually being closed.  Wave action from Hurricane Iniki in 1992 collapsed the old pier to create a readily accessible "wreck dive" and artificial reef with lots to see with many swim thrus and nooks/crannies.  The thrill for my son was diving with his first sharks, a couple of nice sized white-tip reef sharks.

Here are a couple of links for shore diving in Maui:



In terms of boat dives with my son, we visited Molokini Crater and Wailea Point.  The corals were pretty beat up at Molokini from a recent "swell" in late 2005.  Wailea Point was a great dive - the area is well protected from the normal Hawaiian weather so the water was flat, the corals were in good condition, and there was lots of activity on the reefs while nearby humpback whales serenaded us.  The highlight of the dive was seeing a young manta ray toward the end of the dive.

I managed to squeeze in a few other dives too deep for my son...  I especially enjoyed my outing with Lahaina Divers to dive a couple of sites on Lana'i.  Best of those was Cathedrals #1 - a dive through old lava tubes/grottos at depths up to 65ft.  VERY COOL!  Be sure to bring a dive light along.  We saw a nice variety of reef fish, eels, etc. and periodic pelagics including some spotted eagle rays.  I understand Cathedrals #2 is even better if you get the opportunity.

All in all, a great trip...  Here's a pic of me and my son about to take our first beach dive off of Kaanapali!   ;D

Dan