2sweets

My husband and I just completed the classroom work, pool work and test for scuba certification-all we have left are the 4 open water dives. We live in Maine and it is getting cold (and I am pretty wimpy...)so we are considering waiting until we are in Maui at Christmas to complete the dives. Just wondering if anyone has had any experience completing their intro dives on Maui and how it went-any recommendations?
Thanks for any help you can provide.

cruisin_tigger

We had a bad experience with Scuba Shack in Maui (Kihei).

Check out the scuba section in the book Maui Revealed. They recommend some places - and everyone swears by those books!

I can understand wanting to do your open water dives in warm water! I decided to get certified at the last minute and ended up doing my 4 certification dives in 50 degree water in Wisconsin! Was the end of October and the last class for the season but I wanted to get it over with. But BBrrrr!

2sweets

Thanks for replying cruisin tigger,
I do have Maui revealed and have noted their recommendations. From what I can tell, the most recommended companies (Prodiver, Mike Severns, Ed Robinson )cater only to certified divers. It looks like we could do the dives with Maui dreams(shore dives) or Maui dive shop (which doesn't seem so highly recommended).
I'm also going to check with our instructor here to see who he suggests. The more I think about it, the more I know I want to do them in Maui and not in Maine!!! It's not just the cold-I am a little nervous too. Hopefully, being in beautiful surroundings will take my mind off the fear...
Despite your bad experience, did you enjoy diving in Maui?

cruisin_tigger

hi 2sweets - Unfortunately, once I got certified I discovered I had too many problems always trying to equalize - so I am just a very advanced snorkeler, , which stinks since I got certified to dive with my husband. (And the diving with Scuba Shack was good, it was dealing with the rude owner back at the shop that turned us off).
You might try posting your question here, even though its a cruise message board, - lots of diver info. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/O...4&f=1953050207

Hope you enjoy your dives - wherever you end up doing your them- but the fish life and turtles are just unbelieveable in Maui!

LolaLB

I highly recommend Mike Severns! I did my classwork at home and got hurricane'd out of our certification trip to FLA (as opposed to our other option-diving the muddy southern lake). So, as chance would have it, I was already going to Maui the next month, so my local dive shop arranged the certification dive with the dive shop in Lahaina. They did a pretty good job, but in a later vacation I had dive trips with Severns, and they were great! They were very good with me (as a novice diver) and very eco-aware. Have fun on your trip-- I'll be going back in February! LB