Looking for packing advise

[dieseldude]

I leave the 26th for Maui-I have been there diving before but rented all my gear-I am fully geared up now & would like to bring most of my own stuff-can anyone offer some helpfull advise on whats worth packing & what is not-Obviously won't tackle flying my tank-I figured my reg,bc,fins,mask,snorkel, & a 3mm shorty-should I bother with weights?? My bc is weight intergrated-I dove with 14lbs last trip using their gear-I only get 5 days this trip so I don't have to pack lots-o-clothes but I have to stay below 50lbs I think-
Any advise from the travel gods??
MJ

[scottsax]

I leave the 26th for Maui-I have been there diving before but rented all my gear-I am fully geared up now & would like to bring most of my own stuff-can anyone offer some helpfull advise on whats worth packing & what is not-Obviously won't tackle flying my tank-I figured my reg,bc,fins,mask,snorkel, & a 3mm shorty-should I bother with weights?? My bc is weight intergrated-I dove with 14lbs last trip using their gear-I only get 5 days this trip so I don't have to pack lots-o-clothes but I have to stay below 50lbs I think-
Any advise from the travel gods??
MJ

Weights are pretty easy to come by at a dive shop, so I'd leave 'em at home. When I went to Bonaire, I carried on my BC, reg, backup light, and mask (and bathing suit, toiletries, etc...), and checked my fins, wetsuit, and the other peripherals. I figured that way my comfy mask and life support was with me-everything else I could buy or rent until my bag arrived.

[spatman]

I leave the 26th for Maui-I have been there diving before but rented all my gear-I am fully geared up now & would like to bring most of my own stuff-can anyone offer some helpfull advise on whats worth packing & what is not-Obviously won't tackle flying my tank-I figured my reg,bc,fins,mask,snorkel, & a 3mm shorty-should I bother with weights?? My bc is weight intergrated-I dove with 14lbs last trip using their gear-I only get 5 days this trip so I don't have to pack lots-o-clothes but I have to stay below 50lbs I think-
Any advise from the travel gods??
MJ

Weights are pretty easy to come by at a dive shop, so I'd leave 'em at home. When I went to Bonaire, I carried on my BC, reg, backup light, and mask (and bathing suit, toiletries, etc...), and checked my fins, wetsuit, and the other peripherals. I figured that way my comfy mask and life support was with me-everything else I could buy or rent until my bag arrived.

good advice, i did pretty much the same for italy, except i carried my computer and compass on too since they're not in a console.

also keep in mind that there are weight restrictions for baggage these days, so it's probably better to just rent the lead when you get there.

[Pez7378]

Regs, BP/W, computer, compass, mask. That's all I bring generally. I don't need weight for warm water unless I'm using a heavy wetsuit as opposed to a well warn rental shorty. I've taken fins once, and left them behind once. They're bulky and take up space in my bags. I can fit all my dive gear in a 22" carry on (Except for the fins) along with my P&S camera and housing, as well as some accessories. I check my clothes and other items. If they get lost, I can buy more when I arrive for far less than I can replace scuba gear. Besides, if my clothes vanish, it gives me the perfect excuse to Scuba Naked!

[dieseldude]

Besides, if my clothes vanish, it gives me the perfect excuse to Scuba Naked!


OOOOUUUUCCCCHHH!!!! My eyes!!!
pretty yellow butterflies,pretty yellow butterflies,pretty yellow butterflies...
It's not working-I'm scarred for life!
Wheres nailer when you need him?

Thanks for the advise anyway-I will be keeping my clothes on-heard strange things about tropical fish & why not to urinate in the water-not for me! I don't care for a weight belt so I might weigh my bags at home & see how much room I have-I planned on carrying on my laptop so I'm gonna have to get creative for carry ons-time to suck up to one of the kids

[LCF]

First, before I forget it, if you do a lot of traveling, a fish scale is a great investment. We bought one at a marine store near our house. It's digital and I think it cost about $19. Yeah, you can do the bathroom scale thing, but the fish scale is easier. It only goes up to 50 lbs, the one we bought, but over that it doesn't really matter.

Second, we've found that roller duffle bags (often available at Costco for fairly reasonable prices) make great bags for dive gear. They're intrinsically light, and shapeless, so you can stuff a lot of things into them, but you can roll them. And they don't scream "Dive Gear Within!"

We have taken everything except weights, including Jet fins and canister lights, but then, we're frequent fliers so we still get a second checked bag without charge.

[OreCoastDiver]

When we went to Maui in March I took my BC and in my carry-on bag and for my "personal item" I took my regulator bag that's about the size of a large purse. In it I had my regulator, camera, computer, compass, favorite mask, two dive lights and my favorite swimming suit. I put my heavy old jet fins in my checked bag.

We had some great dives. They were all shore dives except for a two-tank boat dive out to Molikini. It seems like there's a Maui Dive Shop in every strip mall on the island. They sell a 10-tank-rental card for $40 (regular tank rental most places is $6 -- $5 at Maui Dreams in Kehi). At 4 bucks, diving has to be one of the most inexpensive things you can do on Maui. All Maui Dive Shop tanks are AL80s like everyone else on the island. We looked in vain for some HP steel tanks. I don't think anyone on Maui knows -- or, more likely, wants to admit -- they exist.

So, what are your favorite shore dives on Maui? We're going again in March.

[LCF]

For my money, THE best Maui shore dive is the Mala pier in Lahaina. It's the remnants of a pier that was built about 20 or 30 years ago. The locals said, "Don't put that there, it will go down in the first hurricane." But it was built anyway, and sho'nuff . . . At any rate, there is a ton of structure in the water, steel girders and rebar and some cable, and it's inhabited by tons of life. Schools of snapper and grunts, turtles, white-tipped reef sharks, and a variety of nudibranchs are just a few of the things I've seen there. It's like the Alki Pipeline -- a very shallow site, so your gas lasts forever, and deco's not a worry. I've done this one a half dozen times, and never been disappointed. Apparently you CAN have reduced viz and current there, although we've not encountered either.

HERE's a page of dive site reviews by a local diver. About two-thirds of the way down is the section on the Mala Wharf, with a video review that stars our own Kirk Hamblen!

Other great shore dives I've done there are Ulua Bay, which is very easy and quite full of life, Makena Landing, which has a long surface swim but is a great site, and Ahihi Bay, which can have reduced viz and problematic parking, but is an easy entry and easy navigation.

Tim's site is a great reference, and Tim's a great local resource, as well as being a generally nice guy.

[Sea of Green]

I leave the 26th for Maui-...can anyone offer some helpful advise on whats worth packing & what is not
MJ

Always take your toothbrush and clean underwear.

[dieseldude]

orecoastdiver said

So, what are your favorite shore dives on Maui? We're going again in March.

Normally really enjoy Honolua bay-it's a bit of a walk with your gear on from the road but it's got a nice wall kind of right center as you face the water from the beach-I see boats come in but we shore dive it-great place to snorkel too-last spring we had issues with northern swells & the vis there sucked too bad to get in but that was the 1st time I'd seen that-you can stop at a vista point on the way there & look down into the bay & get an idea of the vis-maui dive usually knows where to go as well

I'll 2nd Ulua-great inner & outer reef-kids can hang & snorkel while we dive-I will go here for sure
Did Makena last spring as well-stopped at 5graves entrance & found vandalism & went to Makena beach(easier entry)
Long swim is a modest statement-if the current is wrong it makes edmonds look like a stroll-we had poor vis on that one too
We were not aware at the time about the 5 finger caves, one of which is supposed to have trapped air at the ceiling-might like to check that out though I have no overhead/cave training
Kahekili Beach park(old airport) is a nice easy one with nice facilities
I'd love to do Black Rock but can't figure out how to get there with gear without walking a mile
Mala warf sounds intriguing-not sure what I'd do with the kids while I did this one so it might have to wait for another day
FWIW- we stay at the Mahana-every room is waterfront & the price is mid level-never been unhappy with it-beach is 20' from the hotel-We dive there too(never seen another diver there)

MJ

[OreCoastDiver]

Sorry you didn't enjoy Five Graves/Caves, it is one of my favorite Maui dives. Almost every time we've gone (3 out of 4 times) we have had the place to our self. The bubble cave is cool, but the pinnacles at the end of the reef are pure magic.

We dove Uula a couple times last March and will do it again, especially since I know the compass heading to get to the St. Anthony. (Thanks Lynne!) Lynne wasn't the first person to recommend Mala Warf to me, but I'm for sure going to do it next March. (Thanks again!)

I snorkeled Black Rock a lot on previous trips but decided to pack the gear in from the parking structure this year and it was way worth it. When my wife got certified I decided to get a Beach Cart http://www.wheeleez.com/beachcartfolding-mini.php which cost more than one scuba unit. When my wife found out she gave me a hard time about it until we dove Black Rock. That made a believer out of her. We set up her tank, BC, reg and put it on the cart with both our weight belts. I had my tank on my back and pulled the cart. It wasn't bad. The payoff was she said she would continue to dive with me as long as I treated her like a princess. We were going to employ the same strategy at Honolua Bay, but we were both too tired on the day we were going to do it. The cart was even handy at Makena.

To circle back to the main question of the thread: the Beach Cart Folding Mini took up most of our biggest suitcase, but I'm taking it again even if I have to pay for an extra bag.

[BDub]

All Maui Dive Shop tanks are AL80s like everyone else on the island. We looked in vain for some HP steel tanks. I don't think anyone on Maui knows -- or, more likely, wants to admit -- they exist.

So, what are your favorite shore dives on Maui? We're going again in March.

FYI, Maui Dreams has AL100's for rent (and they are quite heavy).

As for favorite shore dives.....Mine are Scenic Lookout (mountain goat shore diving ) and Haloa Point.

[CaptBligh]

Generally whenever I go anywhere I try to carry all my essentials but an easier way to go is to ship it to your destination before you ever go. That way you don't have to worry about carrying anything other than a small carry on. If you know the dive shop you're going to, check with them and see if they'll accept your gear and hold it for you until you get there. Most places want your business so they'll usually go along with that and some will even ship it back for you when you're done. It makes things a lot easier. I used to have people send me their gear when I ran an operation in Florida and it worked out great for everyone. We'd just store it in our rental area until they got there and then ship it back after cleaning and drying when they were done. Just another idea. Have a great time and good diving! Capt Bob

[dieseldude]

Great advise from everyone & appreciate the link from LCF as it opens up some new avenues for other sites-the toothbrush & underwear thing was a little obvious(I'm not too excited to remember those)but I don't think naked diver guy would like that one(is that legal?? )I might give 5caves/graves another shot-I did a snorkel cruise a few years ago that ended at turtle town which is in the same neighborhood & the snorkeling was good-still have to have the kids in a safe area to hang while I'm down under-the tank card was a good suggestion too but my wife would probably scold me for that-I can relate to the "treat her like a princess" statment-i.e.carry her gear,set up her gear,clean her gear,put her gear away,massage her sore back....& she wonders why I like to dive alone
Shipping is a good idea too but I'm unwilling to be without my gear for that long-I will cold water dive right up till we leave-already have this saturday & tenatively next friday lined up-Is there a Divers Anonomys club I can join?? It's become an obsession & I'm real cranky when I can't go. :naka:-for all that contributed to this thread & obviously frequent Maui be assured I will leave only bubbles & bring home fond memories
Aloha & Mahalo
MJ