Top Five Diving Spots in Maui

Today we have a guest post from Adam Costa, sharing his top 5 Maui diving spots.

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I fell in love with scuba diving at the age of 18 after diving Lahaina’s crystal-clear water. After diving dozens of locations around the world, Maui remains among my favorites. The following are my five favorite Maui dive spots:

Airport Beach (Perfect for Beginners)
Located along the northern shores of Kaanapali Beach, this dive site is perfect for beginners thanks to its easy entry. While depths reach 40 feet, the best diving lies between 20 — 30 feet. Along the coral you’ll find dozens of fish species, including lemon butterflies, Moorish idols, lionfish, yellowtail coris and needlefish.

Kapalua Bay
Another stunning shore dive, Kapalua Bay is as enjoyable above the surface as it is below. You can literally walk into the water, swim a few strokes, and begin your descent into world-class diving. Lava formations line the bay, while thousands of fish – and the occasional turtle — swim in and out rocky outcrops.

Best part? After your dive, dry out on golden sandy shores and work on your tan.

Black Rock
This shore dive is perfect for diving groups with different levels of experience. The entry is easy, with depths of 35 feet. Because it’s a popular snorkeling spot, the fish are very accustomed to humans (many of whom feed the fish).

Black Rock can be considered a wall dive (albeit a shallow one), which makes for great night dives. Eels can be seen feeding at night.

Molokini Crater
Without question, the Molokini crater is the premier snorkeling spot for tourists (up to 2000 snorkelers visit per day).

But its real treasures lie deeper.

A quick 30 minute boat ride from Maui, divers descend to 60 — 70 feet, where white tip sharks, manta rays – up to 15 feet wide — and Garden eels glide effortlessly along.

This is my second favorite dive in Maui, and with good reason.

But my favorite dive is…
The Cathedrals
Named for its tall rock features (created by lava formations) protruding from the ocean floor, the cathedrals are completely, utterly and jaw-droppingly beautiful.

A 45-minute boat ride from Lahaina Harbor towards Lana’i, the Cathedrals are a fantastic diving location for open water and advanced divers.

Deep blue water shines through several openings, while multi-colored tropical fish give the impression of swimming inside an underwater cathedral with stained-glass windows.

With depths up to 60 feet, you enter the Cathedrals from one side and swim out another.

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About the Author: Adam Costa is a freelance blogger/writer. He is the author of Business in a Backpack, a book which shows people how to travel the world (to wonderful places like Hawaii) while building a business.