MAUI DIVE SITES
Diving Vacation - Private Condo Rental
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Black Rock
A Beginner and Intermediate diving site. Maximum depth is about 35 feet.
This is a rock formation at the center of Kaanapali beach, beside the Maui Eldorado Resort. Even though this is not a park, the fish are fairly tame. This makes a pleasant dive, and with the shallow depth, a long bottom time can be achieved. Night dives are especially nice here. There are lots of fish and the water is usually pretty clear, there are often turtles on the cliff side of the rocks.
Hellcat
A World War II F-6-F Hellcat lies off Kihei in 32 ft. of water. This vintage fighter craft is upside-down with its engine approximately 20 yds. from the fuselage.
Olowalu - 14 Mile Marker
Beginner Diving. Maximum depth is about 25 feet inside the bay. This is a very nice snorkeling area, and a good, reasonably safe amd shallow dive area. There is plenty of coral and small reef fish with lots and lots of turtles, especially further out in the bay. Towards the outside of the bay and to the west is Hekili point, black and white tip reef sharks are usually plentiful out here. There are no facilities in the area, except the Olawalu general store.
Marty's Reef
At the north end of Makena lies a secluded spot just beyond shore diving reach. In 60 ft. of water you'll find a healthy coral reef topped by picturesque antler coral heads. There is a high density of fish life, such as schooling snapper and goatfish, as well as tame and curious trumpet fish that like to dangle in front of your mask. This is a good place to find camouflage fish, like scorpion fish, leaf fish, and flounder. Around the reef in the sand and rubble outskirts are rare puffer fish.
Five Caves
Although frequently made as a shore dive, Five Caves is more conveniently accessed from a boat. Five Caves is shallow, 30-40 ft., so it's an excellent spot for any skill level. The area is composed mainly of lava ridges and small pinnacles. Among the animals that make this area their home are a colony of turtles, angler fish, tameconger eels, and white tipped sharks.
Tank and Landing Craft
During WWII, the military lost a number of armored vehicles off the Maui coast. A quarter mile off Makena Landing sit two water borne landing craft. One of the vehicles is an amtrac (amphibious tractor) mounted with a mortar turret which gives it the appearance of a tank. The other vehicle is an amtrac fitted as an armored personnel carrier. Both sit in 60 ft. of water on a sand bottom and act as a magnet to attract fish and animals in the area. Commonly seen are tame butterfly, damsel fish, and eagle rays.
Molokini Crater
Backside
The backside is always done as a live boat (drift ) dive. The vertical wall plummets from over 150 ft above sea level to around 250 ft. below sea level. Looking down to unseen depths gives you a feeling for the vastness of the open ocean. Pelagic fish and sharks are often sighted. Living coral perches on the wall, which is home to lobster, crabs, and a number of photogenic black coral trees at 50 ft.
Enenue Side
The enenue side, named after common chub, or rudder fish, gently slopes from the surface to about 60 ft., then drops rapidly to deeper waters. The shallower area is an easy dive with lots of tame butterfly fish. It's also the home of morgan Bentjaw, one of our friendliest moray eels, and an excellent place to photograph colorful tropical fish.
Reef's End
Reef's End is an extension of the rim of the crater, which runs for about 200 yds. underwater, barely breaking the surface. Reef's End is shallow enough for novice snorkelers and exciting enough for experienced divers. The end and outside of this shoal drop off in dramatic terraces to beyond diving range. In deeper waters there are shark ledges at varying depths and dozens of eels, including moray eels, dragon eels, snowflake eels, and garden eels. In the shallow waters, the reef is covered with cauliflower coral and in bright sunlight is one of the most dramatic underwater scenes in Hawaii. Almost every kind of fish found in Hawaii can be seen Living here or passing through these crystalline waters.
La Perouse Pinnacle
In the middle of scenic La Perouse Bay, site of Haleakala's most recent lava flow (about 200 years ago) is a pinnacle rising from the 60 ft. bottom to about 10 ft. below the surface. Divers can approach even the timid bird wrasse. More porcupine puffers are found here than anywhere else, as well as schools of goat fish and fields of healthy finger coral. La Perouse is good for snorkeling and those long, shallow second dives.
First Cathedral
This is probably the second most popular dive from Maui (after Molokini). As divers enter this large cavern, they are met with the feeling of entering a large cathedral. The central room has a porous ceiling; light streams around and illuminates the large alter (boulder) below. It's large enough to hold a dozen divers easily. In the same area there is also a pinnacle covered in orange tube coral and red sponges. In the other direction from the Cathedral lies a great wall and arch lofting 60 ft. off the bottom.
Let's go diving!
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are available from the following Operators.
- Tropical Divers Maui
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- Maui Dive Shop
