Best Dive Sites of Maui: The Big Three

 Best of Maui: Scuba Dives

While trying to put together a review of my time here in Maui it quickly became clear that it could not be contained in one post. All the great memories, hikes, dives, animal encounters, and other adventures all deserved their own post so what I am going to do instead is a series of "best of" posts.
 I will start off with the best of Maui scuba diving. In my opinion these are the can't miss dive sites for the advanced scuba divers when you come to Maui. Some made the list for big wildlife encounters, others for tiny nudibranch encounters, and others still for incredible underwater topography. Read on to find 'the Big Three' scuba sites as well as a couple of my other favorites.

First and Second Cathedrals, Lanai

First Cathedrals

Second Cathedrals

 These two sites both boast enormous underwater caverns. Most dive companies depart from Lahaina harbor but Maui Dive Shop does leave from Ma'alaea harbor on select days. These sites are not technically 'cave' dives because you can always see sunlight filtering in through skylights in the cavern. First Cathedral is a more enclosed area, better for the perfect underwater picture in my opinion. Plus the wildlife on the outside of the cavern is too good to pass up. I saw Fellow's nudibranchs, gold lace nudibranchs, bandit angelfish, and a resident viper moray eel here. Second Cathedrals is also very beautiful and boast a huge plume of black coral growing from the  roof of the cavern. It is known as the chandelier.

 Hammerhead Dive, Mokunohiki Rock, Molokai

 Get ready for a wild ride. Just getting to this dive site is an adventure in itself. Leaving from Lahaina the boat crosses the raging Pilolo Channel which separates Maui and Molokai and funnels the tradewinds concentrating their power. But if you hold strong and make it to this offshore rock the reward is astounding, hammerhead sharks! They are seen all year round but in the midst of summer schools of 20 or 30 can be seen. I have heard stories of as many as 80 sharks circling the rock. This is probably the most advanced dive site listed here. Two of the divers in my group went in decompression on the second dive. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

Molokini Backwall

This may be the most famous dive in Hawaii. Molokini crater is a tuft cone about 4miles off the south shore of Maui. Many scuba boats and many snorkel boats go to the inside of the crater. Adventurous charters carry passengers to the much wilder back wall of the crater. 320ft of vertical underwater cliff wall. I get tunnel vision looking for small critters on the wall like blue dragon nudibranchs and lobsters. Every so often I turn and gaze off into the deep blue. You are offshore, in hundreds of feet of water, so you never know what might swim by. Manta rays have been spotted. Whale song echoes off the cliff during the winter months. And if you are going to see a very rare pelagic like a whale shark, this is the place to look. It is a rare feeling being 130ft down and still not being able to see the bottom. 

Honorable Mentions: Wreck Diving and Muck Diving on Maui

The Wreck of the Carthaginian Tall Ship

 Sunk in 90ft of water the remains of the Carthaginian are a magnet for marine life. Frogfish are almost guaranteed. White tip reef sharks lie against the hull and spotted eagle rays do fly bys. And while you don't have too much time to spare at this depth you can almost always be assured of another very unique encounter, a visit from the Atlantis submarine filled with very dry camera wielding tourist. 

Muck Diving at Sugar Beach

 Secret unveiled. This is the hidden gem of Maui. Just off the shore from the Kealia pond boardwalk rare nudibranchs show up in force. It is a most unusual dive site. Only scattered coral heads make appearances but rather sand covered rocky accretions play home to creatures not seen anywhere else. Maybe someday this will be Maui's version of the Lembeh Strait.