This is an awesome opportunity to scuba dive in Maui with some of the most experienced dive masters and dive instructors around! Mike Severns Diving will take off from the Kihei Boat Ramp located only about 15 minutes from Molokini Crater which is typically the first dive site. Regardless of your experience, they will make sure you have a personalized and memorable time. Their teams have been taking divers of all levels and receiving some of the highest remarks and testimonials anywhere! The charter may take up to twelve participants, but your diving group will have no more than six divers; each group will have its own dive master.
Your tour will depart at 6:00 am and return between 11:00 am and 12:00 pm. The tour leaves so early due to our tradewinds which normally start to pick up between 11:30 am and 12:00 pm. The early start will allow the group to enjoy the best Maui has to offer and not be limited to just a couple of sites which are not affected by the winds. You should expect water temperatures to be around 72 (F) degrees during the winter months, and 80 (F) degrees during the summer months and anywhere in between during Fall and Spring.
Safety is a high priority. Mike Severns Diving is proud to be an accident-free operation for 35+ years. Their entire crew is CPR & first aid certified as well as trained in using their high quality oxygen systems available on every charter.
POSSIBLE DIVE SITES:
Molokini - Located only fifteen minutes by boat, from the starting point, the little volcanic islet of Molokini offers some of the most visually stunning diving. Molokini is a volcano sitting on a three hundred foot bottom and provides all kinds of diving for all levels of divers. Molokini is where you are more likely to see pelagic animals like manta rays or whale sharks. It is also there that you will see some of the most beautiful corals anywhere in Hawaii. Molokini is a number one choice for most scuba divers visiting Maui because of the crystal blue waters and exceptionally healthy coral reef. The fish at Molokini have been protected in the marine reserve for years so they let divers approach more closely than usual for photography. You'll most likely find several species of fish that are not seen anywhere except Molokini. If you're extra lucky you might even see some big animals too as they have been spotted throughout the years. This is truly Hawaii's premier marine reserve!
Levels: All
Molokini Back Wall - Some of the places to dive at Molokini are along the outer slopes and walls. The wall, sheer in places, drops vertically out of sight. Uncommon at other sites, pyramid butterflyfish hover in loose aggregations picking plankton out of the water column. Black coral houses long-nose hawkfish and gobies and orange cup coral blankets the shaded undersides of large overhangs. And just like on the inside of Molokini, anything can come in from the blue.
Levels: Intermediate to Advanced
The St. Anthony - A 65-foot longliner, the St. Anthony was sunk in October of 1997 and is the latest addition to South Maui's only official artificial reef. Construction of the reef off Mokapu Beach in Wailea began in 1957 with the sinking of 150 old automobiles. The combination of thin car metal and salt water reduced this potential reef to axles and plastic parts within 25 years. The state's next move was to deposit hundreds of concrete forms embedded with rows of tires. These resulted in tubular holes for marine animals to take up residence. As the tires "seasoned," corals began to grow on them and the reef subsequently has become home to over 60 species of fish. When the St. Anthony was added, green sea turtles were drawn to the site, and are now common residents on the boat itself. They tuck under the hull, inside the holds and rest in all kinds of humorous positions in the cabin using the vertical and horizontal bars to hang from and wedge themselves between. At any given time there are also one or two resident frogfish as well as nudibranchs, eels, and octopus.
Levels: All
85' Pinnacle Diving - When Europeans discovered the Hawaiian Islands in 1700s, Polynesians had been calling them home for 1,000-1,500 years. Evidence of these years of habitation exist not only on land, but underwater as well in the form of fishponds and well-used fishing sites. The 85 ft. Pinnacle is one of the few known pre-contact Hawaiian fishing sites and Mike documented it as the first underwater archaeological site in Hawaiian waters. Hundreds of carved stones used as sinkers for lures in octopus fishing were recorded as part of the first systematic survey of such a site in Hawaii. Still on the bottom are thousands of smooth river stones from another method of fishing called palu fishing. These provide a peek into pre-contact Hawaiian fishing strategies and allow us to see first-hand where early Hawaiians fished hundreds of years ago. The area consists of several rock pinnacles that provide shelter to many species including octopus that still find it to be a good habitat so many years later.
Levels: All
La Perouse Bay - This scenic bay is a recent creation in Maui's geologic history. Formed when the last lava flowed on Maui about 200 years ago, it is located well away from human development and the view from the boat is of a gorgeous, undeveloped Hawaiian mountainside. It's a view not many visitors get to see. This dive has an amazing variety of fish for its size including certain species such as goatfish and damselfish. A lava rock ridge full of crevices is the main attraction on this dive as it provides a protective habitat for all kinds of creatures. And in the finger coral reef adjacent to this ridge, we see many Hawaiian endemics (species unique to Hawaii) as well as numerous cleaning stations servicing the large population of fish. For as long as we can remember, a pod of spinner dolphins has often spent the day resting within the protected curve of this bay and sometimes we can hear their squeaking, and even see them, while diving.
Levels: All
These are just some of the many dive sites on Maui. Your dive master and captain will be sure to give you and your group a report on the current conditions and what are the best diving locations for your charter.