Maui and her sister islands — Moloka’i and Lana’i — lure visitors, including scuba divers, with a beguiling blend of blissful weather, tropical scenery and gracious hospitality. Famous for their Aloha spirit, the islands’ charms extend beneath the surface too, where lava-strewn reefscapes serve as playgrounds for endemic sea life, colorful reef fish, sea turtles, manta rays and sharks — and lucky scuba divers.

Hawaiian Rafting Adventures/Dive Maui (Lahaina, Maui)

PADI Dive Center Hawaiian Rafting Adventures owner/operator Stephen Juarez proudly takes the helm of Hoku, his 37-foot Naiad rigid inflatable boat, and opens up the twin 250 hp Mercury four-stroke engines. We zip across the channel from Lahaina to Lana’i, and 30 minutes later we’re nearing its shores. Juarez, a 25-year veteran of these waters, zeros in on Shark Fin Rock, one of his favorite dive sites. The site’s allure is obvious. “I’ve seen everything here, from whale sharks, manta rays, whitetip sharks and flame wrasse to leaf scorpionfish and lots of octopuses,” says Juarez. “There’s truly something for everybody.”

Though the RIB ride over was undoubtedly a blast, what really draws divers to Lana’i is the underwater excitement: the island’s legendary lava tubes. The area’s history stretches back about 800,000 years, when the island of Lana’i was created from the volcano Lana’i Hale. Over millennia of eruptions, lava flows became “channeled” into a few prominent streams. Overflows of lava from these streams solidified quickly and rose up the channel walls, building natural ramparts, and then crusted over to form a roof — similar to the way a stream in winter continues to flow beneath the cover of its own ice.

The tubes, caverns, ledges and walls formed by these lava flows attract a variety of shelter-seeking marine life, from moray eels and lobsters to nurse sharks, whitetips and turtles. And for visiting divers who want to travel light, Hawaiian Rafting Adventures has a convenient solution, outfitting guests from head-to-toe in the latest gear. “We provide our guests with computers, full 5 mm wetsuits, boots, good split fins and Aqua Lung Titan LX regulators,” says Juarez. “All of our guests dive with quality dive gear that I would feel comfortable diving myself.” Now if only he’d let me drive the RIB on the way back to the shop.

For more info: Hawaiian Rafting Adventures/Dive Maui

Maui Dive Shop, Seven Locations on Maui

There’s so much to see underwater in Maui that it can seem like there’s not enough time on a typical dive to take it all in. PADI Dive Resort Maui Dive Shop has just the thing — guests can try out a diver-propulsion vehicle, also known as an underwater scooter. Greg Shepherd, operations manager for Maui Dive Shop, explains, “Our scooter dives are conducted from the shore at Makena Beach and Golf Resort and elsewhere for more variety. They bottom out at 50 to 70 feet, and last on average about 45 minutes.” You’ll cover just enough reef to amp up any diving experience.

Shepherd describes the equipment at hand. “Our scooter is a TUSA SAV-7 Evo,” he says. “Batteries last about one hour, depending on conditions. It speeds you along between 2.25 mph to 4.5 mph, depending on currents and your size.” In layman’s terms, a DPV is essentially a propeller with handles, which lets you speed through the water, covering much more territory than mere fins will allow, all while conserving energy and precious air. It also gives you the ability to keep up with more naturally nimble sea creatures that might otherwise speed away.

With DPV in hand, I keep pace with a green sea turtle and shadow schools of fish. An entirely new way of exploring this undersea realm has opened up; it’s the seabound equivalent of trading your hiking boots for a rocket pack. And the kit adds many more possible sights to the average dive.

“We have the second-highest population of endemic species in the world, and we encounter everything from manta rays to frogfish,” says Shepherd. “We also go to turtle cleaning stations, swim-throughs and rarely visited reefs teeming with fish. During whale season, we’ve encountered humpbacks while on our scooters.” With so much to see and the tools to amp up any dive, Shepherd has a point when he says, “I am like a kid at Christmas each time I go into the water.”

For more info: Maui Dive Shop

Scuba Shack Maui, Kihei, Maui

Maui’s most popular dive sites are found off crescent-shaped Molokini Crater, just a few miles off the island’s southwest coast. With easy access, 100-foot average viz and abundant sea life, it’s one of the few places in the world where divers can see Hawaiian garden eels, masked angelfish and long-nose hawkfish.

One of the best ways to see Molokini is to hitch a ride with PADI Dive Center Scuba Shack Maui on its jet-powered dive vessel Double Scoop. “We are usually the first boat out to Molokini every morning, ensuring we get our choice of dive sites,” says owner and captain Charles Neal. His claim bears out as Double Scoop speeds us to a blissfully uncrowded dive site in no time.

As we approach Molokini, divemaster James “Toby” Tobin gives us the scoop on what to expect down below. “Every day you have the possibility of seeing something completely different from your last dive,” he says. “There’s always an assortment of critters, like turtles, frogfish, leaf scorpions and a large variety of eels, including the crocodile eel and the very rare dragon moray. You might even spot an elusive monk seal.”

We take the plunge and slip down to the reef. Barely seconds after equalizing, I notice a lone whitetip shark, midwater, surveying its deep domain. We descend farther, and Tobin motions to a sandy patch where dozens of garden eels are waving gently in the bottom current. As we approach, they synchronously slip back into their holes, and we move on.

Deeper into the dive, we discover a hidden frogfish and moray eels, and encounter orange-spined tangs and a playful green sea turtle. Off in the distance, a manta ray flies past, just to tease us. Scenes like this encourage repeat visits off Molokini and elsewhere, but it’s the friendly service and easy access provided by Scuba Shack that ensures frequent and satisfied visitors. Neal adds, “It’s the team that makes my company what it is, and I have complete confidence in them.”

For more info: Scuba Shack Maui

Trilogy Ocean Sport, Lana’i

PADI Five Star Dive Resort Trilogy Ocean Sport is the only full-service dive operator on sleepy Lana’i, which makes a stay on this laid-back island even more attractive for those seeking multiple dives off its shores. The company has served the area for more than 35 years and hosts divers on its signature sailing catamaran Trilogy VI. “I’ve been diving in Maui for six years, and just love the unique endemic species and the ease of access the coastline provides for divers,” says Capt. Dominick Gambino.

The most popular Lana’i dive sites — First and Second Cathedrals — have become a pilgrimage for lava-loving divers. The unique formations made when ancient molten lava cooled have created a playground of lava tubes, caverns, ledges and lattice walls, making excellent backdrops for underwater photography, and magnificent mazes for exploration. “I love the Cathedrals dives off the coast of Lana’i because they’re relatively shallow, and they have an abundance of wildlife, including giant morays, whitetip reef sharks and plentiful schools of butterflyfish and tangs,” says Gambino. Our dive guides set out to prove it as we descend to First Cathedral, where we’re immediately swept up in the surge of sea life — tangs, gold-rim surgeonfish and flame angelfish are just a few of the reef residents that welcome us.

As we move on to Second Cathedral, a school of blue parrotfish flits by. A lone squirrelfish hides in a hole, and reticulated butterflyfish pair up like hyperactive yellow-suited dive buddies. Large rock formations become more obvious, and our guide heads to the base of a huge one, disappearing through an opening. We trade the bright, colorful action of the open sea for this dark, mysterious tunnel.

As the tunnel widens, my eyes adjust to discern the dimly lit scene. This Cathedral easily accommodates a dozen divers, with room to spare. The ceiling soars 20 or 30 feet in places, and the base is twice as wide. Overhead, a patch of rare black coral sprouts from the ceiling, like a living chandelier swaying in the surge. It artfully justifies the site’s ethereal nomenclature, and adds another playful feature to the dive. It’s also given me one more reason to return to these welcoming waters again and again.

For more info: Trilogy Ocean Sport

DESTINATION PRIMER
AVERAGE WATER TEMP mid-70s in winter, low 80s in summer
WHAT TO WEAR 3 mm to 5 mm fullsuit
AVERAGE VISIBILITY 70 to 100-plus feet
WHEN TO GO year-round