Maui Dive Shop — Attraction in Maui

TLDR: this is a fantastic crew for diving while you’re vacationing on Maui, but if you are doing any kind of training, this is the only shop to use on Maui!

The crew (in the dive shop and on the boat) are professional, kind, and fun, and truly excellent instructors. I’m so happy to have done my Rescue Diver and Divemaster courses with them, and my husband did his Deep Diver Speciality as well.

I first found the shop through the Scuba Diving Magazine “Best Of” ratings, which I have found to be reliable in my dive travels. I went on dives with Maui Dive Shop and some of the other mentioned shops before I picked MDS for my coursework. Their attentiveness to each diver, professionalism, and thoughtful “extras” set them apart (they provide breakfast, lunch, drinks, and snacks, which I had never seen before). The crew is also highly experienced and educated (decades of diving each in locations worldwide, advanced certifications...the crew includes a marine biologist and a Coast Guard veteran, to mention some) and very knowledgeable about diving and Hawaii's marine life.

Ernie, who is one of THE BEST dive instructors I’ve encountered in 20+ years of diving, was the primary instructor for my Divemaster course. He is conscientious and takes his teaching with the appropriate amount of seriousness (Divemaster is a professional course where you learn to be responsible for other divers) while also being fun. The Rescue Diver course was taught by Dani, who did an amazing job teaching what I think is the most difficult non-professional dive course. I worked with almost all of the divemasters and instructors during my few weeks on Maui, and they are all excellent.

In terms of teaching, not only are all of the instructors world-class, but Maui Dive Shop is the only dive shop on the south side of Maui with a dive training pool — which is absolutely necessary! I was there during the massive waves that hit Hawaii and the ocean was not safe, but since the shop had a dive training pool it was no problem at all and I was able to complete my course on time.

My husband and I worked with all of these divemasters and instructors and would recommend all of them wholeheartedly: Ernie, Dani, Josh, Michael, Marc, Jake, Jess,...

My husband and I came to Maui for our honeymoon and knew we wanted to do a water activity. We picked Maui Dive Shop because they had the option for both of us to go out at the same time - scuba diving for my husband, snorkeling for me. Our first day out, we went to Molokini Crater and Turtle Town. My husband and I had such a great time that we booked two more trips with them!

Maui Dive Shop made our experience incredible in so many ways, from answering questions about the local sea animals, to explaining diving techniques, and pointing out cool features of the reefs.

In particular, I had a blast snorkeling with Jake, who was always able to identify the fish I saw. He even offered to take my GoPro and swim deeper down to get some close-up shots of the fish I pointed out. My husband also had an amazing time diving with Ernie, Gil, and Nick. We couldn’t get over how knowledgeable all of the crew members were about the beautiful marine life here in Maui. That was a huge sell for me and my husband, because we love animals.

One of the unexpected highlights was the boat ride itself, especially sitting on the top deck with Captain Jack or Captain Luke. During the ride to the crater we also saw some humpback whales! Seeing their fins “waving” to us from the ocean was something I’ll never forget.

Each time we went out with Maui Dive Shop, it was over too soon. My husband and I would’ve gone back every day if we could. We will definitely be booking with them again the next time we’re back in Maui. We love you...

Another vacation in Maui, and we’re once again incredibly pleased with Maui Dive Shop and their dive charters. Wow! Customer service is top notch. My group has had a heck of a week here in Maui with one person breaking/dislocating her ankle in the ocean, 2 people getting sick (me being one of them) some troubles at home, and not the greatest weather here in Maui.

My husband, a friend, and I went out on the Maka Koa yesterday (Friday Feb 3, 2023) for a dive trip in the Molokini crater and a drift dive on the Molokini back wall. Well, being quite congested and no voice, the crew was incredibly accommodating and allowed me to snorkel a bit and simply enjoy some whale watching since I couldn’t dive. I didn’t cancel, because I knew most charter’s don’t provide a refund for a last minute cancel.

The captain and crew took it upon themselves to call the shop and ask that I only be charged as a rider, rather than a diver and I was refunded quite a bit of $$$. They did this out of simple, good customer service. I asked for nothing and just accepted my losses. This crew and this company just went above and beyond to make my situation as good as it could be.

We’ve gone on numerous dive charters with Maui Dive Shop in previous years and have always had phenomenal experiences. We will absolutely dive with them again in the future and they are at the top of our list for Maui recommendations....