Here’s something I have never done before – scuba diving! Fortunately for you, our brother-in-law is a diver and he has shared a few of his videos from this trip’s dives.
This is Paul’s third time diving on Maui. His preference is to dive from shore with a dive partner. Unfortunately for him, we don’t have any divers at our house, so he books group dives. He’s been diving for 11+ years now, but it is always a good idea to have a dive partner when you go in the water. Just in case you run into trouble. Incidentally the same also goes for snorkeling.
He has booked group dives with Scuba Shack, Maui Diving and this year, Dive Maui, depending on where he wanted to dive. He brings his own gear, but you can rent from the many dive outfits on island.
If you are interested in diving, check out Dive Maui’s blog for local dive tips and information!
This week Paul went on two scuba diving trips. His first was an off-shore dive in Lahaina. The second was a dive in the Molokai channel. The Molokai Channel dive was incredibly choppy with 15-20 foot waves. While conditions were less than ideal, he saw a rare whale shark!
What is a whale shark?
Did you know – a whale shark is the largest living fish and can grow up to 40 feet long. Thursday’s whale shark was likely around 22 feet long. Unlike other sharks they are relatively harmless to humans, feeding mainly on tiny plankton. It is pretty rare to see whale sharks in Hawaii. Note, humpback whales are mammals as they give birth to their young. Whale sharks eggs hatch while still inside the female (strange?).
Running into trouble in the ocean
Did you know the most common cause of visitor death on Maui is drowning? In the past few weeks there have been two incidents of drowning on Maui. On July 23 a California visitor fell off a cliff at Wainapanapa State Park (along the Road to Hana). On July 16 a scuba diver was pulled out of the water at Makena Landing. He had been swimming with a friend, but lost sight of him. Unfortunately these incidents are not uncommon on Maui. Sometimes it’s lack of common sense, but often it’s accidental. Our condolences to the families.
Just this week a 51 year old woman was found after spending the night drifting at sea on her paddle board. While exhausted, she should be ok.