WEST MAUI - Maui: Including Molokai and Lanai - page 78

Dive Operators
The Ka'anapali resort diving scene is dominated by Five Star Scuba
( www.5starscuba.com ) which has operations at many of the Ka'anapali resorts. Options
include pool sessions and one-tank dives to certification and night dives. A single one-tank
dive for certified divers will usually be $89, with the exact dive location determined by
what resort you're staying in and where conditions are best.
In front of Ka'anapali Beach Hotel, Trilogy Ocean Sports (808/661-7789) also offers
one-tank dives, pool classes, and certification courses. Introductory dives are offered at
$95, and certified dives are only $69, which is the best deal you'll find along the resort
strip.
LAHAINA
Dive Sites
Within walking distance of southern Ka'anapali, Hanakao'o Beach Park is the northern-
most beach in Lahaina and the site of many introductory classes. This is a good dive if
you're practicing your skills over sand. The shallow area is also good for spotting turtles
and colorful reef fish.
The best dive in Lahaina is Mala Wharf, although it's most often accessed as a boat
dive. When Hurricane Iniki came storming through the Hawaiian Islands in 1992, the
30-foot waves it created were strong enough to destroy the outer half of Mala Ramp. Over
20 years later the collapsed pilings are still lying in 25 feet of water, and the result has been
two decades of live coral development on what is now one of the island's best artificial
reefs. The caverns of the pilings are home to numerous turtles and whitetip reef sharks,
some of which can reach up to about six feet. Even though the depth never exceeds 35 feet,
this is still a favorite of island dive charters due to its proximity to the harbors and wealth
of marine life.
It isn't every day you get to dive the wreck of a 19th-century whaling ship! The
Carthaginian is an old whaling ship which was scuttled in 100 feet of water by Atlantis
Submarines about a half mile offshore from Puamana. A couple of West Side dive charters
include this deep-water dive in their weekly schedule, with a maximum depth of about
100 feet. While the Carthaginian hasn't yet developed the same amount of live coral as at
neighboring Mala Ramp, it's the deepest dive in the area. Winter dives are punctuated by
whale song.