Ray: I can't swim and I've been snorkeling everywhere. I wear a water ski belt to give me enough confidence to stay calm in the water. Any dive operator will be able to provide you with a vest to wear or you can buy the blow up kind at any sporting goods store (yes, even in landlocked mid-America) to take along. Most dive centers or YMCAs offer snorkeling lessons for beginners. This might be a good thing to investigate to increase your comfort level before the trip. Good luck and have fun.

We're PADI certified, but don't enjoy diving deep. Do Dive ops on Maui and Kuai have shallow, 30-40 foot dives? Please advise and thanks. Robert

I was in Maui in May and went snorkling and scuba diving (first time). I loved scuba diving so much that we went a couple of days later. They were shallow dives (30 feet) and wonderful. You get to see the turtles and other sea creatures up close, we even saw a shark! We are planning on getting certified before our next trip.

What dive op on Mauai did you go with, and what are the names of some of the sites you scuba dove in?

I'm with you, Robert. I too am PADI certified, but I'd much rather dive in 30-40' of water instead of 60' or more. I seem to remember that an <BR>'open water certification' is restricted to 60 or 65'.....but every time I go diving the dive master takes us down to 70' or 80'. While I can appreciate that you may be able to see bigger sea life that deep, I just don't think it's as pretty. And, since I have problems with my ears, it takes alot longer to get down that deep and uses too much of my air. Call Bill Jeffries at Maui Dive & Sea and ask if he can arrange a shallow dive. Their boat is smaller, they only take six people at a time, so they might be able to accommodate you on a shallow dive. <BR>Good luck!

Robert, we used B&B Scuba out of Kihei. The owner, Brad, took very good care of us. On separate days we did dives out at Molokini. We also did a drift dive closer to shore. On both days, there were about 10 of us on the boat. He is flexible on the dive locations so if there is a particular area you want to go to you should ask. Have fun !