We will be doing lots of snorkeling in Hawaii - and a kayak/snorkel trip to Cpt. Cook's Monument on BI. We also want to take a scuba trip in Mauai (we are beginner scuba).

For our scuba adventure. We can either do a from a boat scuba dive or a "from shore" scuba trip using a scooter.

Here's my questions: Will we see more/better sealife while scuba diving? I'm leaning toward doing the scooter dive, just for the unique experience but if a scuba dive over by Lana'i would offer a unique visual experience than we will have already seen on our snorkeling adventures - then should we choose that instead.

Thanks! Nancy

I am not certified but I usually do one or two guided scuba trips while in HI. I usually go every couple of years or so.

I'm not really sure you seem "more" sea life than snorkling, maybe a little different. I do it more for the scuba experience which I enjoy. Scuba trips are pretty spendy so unless you enjoy the acutal experience or want the war stories, I would stick to snorkling.

Hi Nancy,

Are you certified? I'm guessing you are if you're planning on using a scooter. If so, for a unique experience you may want to do the Manta Ray night dive on the BI. Other than that, the BI has better scuba/snorkeling than Maui just because it has clearer water. It's a volcanic island so you don't get the dirt runoff (Maui has the red dirt in the north, after a rain it clouds up near shore).

We will be brand new certified divers - getting are certification here in Florida before we leave on our trip.

Jack's Dive locker is a good outfit in Kona to do the Manta Ray Night Dive (FYI, Manta Rays don't have the stingers), they have large underwater night lights, smaller diving outfitters seem to hang around their set up because it's good. They also will video tape you underwater for a great souvineer, they mailed ours back home for us because we were leaving for Volcano National Park the next day and didn't have time to stop by their office to pick it up. There phone number is 329-7585. I highly recommend doing this it will be a highlight of your trip.

If I remember my facts correctly, Hawaii only has about 500 species of fish off their islands. While it will be fun to dive and snorkel don't expect it to be like the carribean.

There are "cathedrals" in the water near Lanai that are popular for diving. These rock formations are supposed to be awesome, but I never made it there. I have dived in other locations between Maui and Lanai and the only thing I saw an awful lot of was sea turtles. There are a lot of fish at Molokini, a sunken crater, but sometimes water clarity is a problem. You won't see coral like we have in the Florida Keys. Personally I would go with the boat dive.