We're already planning to go in March. Otherwise i'd be tempted to join you. I love diving Black Rock. It's an easy dive and a lot of people over look it, but it is loaded with life. I've seen some species of fish there that I haven't seen anywhere else. Of course you can always see turtles if you go out to the end. Sometimes I torture myself by watching the Black Rock web cam (
http://www.mauigateway.com/~rw/video/sheraton.html)
There are lots of good places to dive close by as well. Check out this site for some directions and ideas: (
http://www.alohashoredivers.com/sites/index.html).
There are Maui Dive Shops all over the place. I think the closest one to you is in Whaler's Village and there's another one in the Cannery Mall. They sell a 10-tank rental card for $40. Maui Dreams in Kehi (and maybe some of the other shops) sell the 10-for$40 punch cards as well. It's one of the best deals on Maui. We pack all our gear except tanks and weights so shore dives are pretty cheap. Especially compared to boat dives, which run about $135 for two tanks. The second dive is usually something just off shore anyway, in my experience.
Sounds like you may have been to Maui a couple of times, so you may not need this advise but: Plan on doing your dives early in the morning, the earlier the better. The wind comes up about noon and it gets surgy and vis drops to 30' or so. The water in December is pretty cool (76-78) so a 3-2 full wet suit is more comfortable than a shorty, but my first time in Maui I was fine in a shorty in Feb.
Have loads of fun, take lots of photos, and give a full report when you get back.
The hotel we are staying at is supposedly only a few hundred yards from Black Rock. Its the Kaanapali Beach Hotel....There are some screaming deals out there on Hawaiian airlines. We booked a 4 day trip including hotel and airfare for about 500.00 bucks apeice. We leave on friday and return on monday.. It would be cool if there were some others going the same weekend.
