Category: Maui

Scalloped Hammerhead Shark Molokai

Back in Maui and I cannot wait for my first Scalloped Hammerhead Shark dive off of Molokai.  We come back here each year for this dive and it is one of my favorite dives on the planet.  The rich biodiversity of this dive site, the great topography and of course, the Scalloped Hammerheads.

Scalloped Hammerhead Shark, Sphyrna lewini, Molokai Hawaii, Mokuho’oniki Rock

I have been diving on this site now for over 10 years and it never gets old.  It is an advanced dive and the seas can be quite rough but oh, what a dive.  If you get the chance to dive here, I highly recommend it.

I dive the site with Lahaina Divers, which is the only dive operator on Maui that goes to this site.  Lahaina Divers is a great dive company, extremely professional and competent with a number of diver professionals that have been on Maui for a number of years.

Mokuhooniki Rock

Mokuhooniki rock is situated off the northeastern point of Molokai in the Pailolo Channel. The trip takes about an hour from of Lahaina Harbor.  You do a two-tank dive on the site with a surface interval of about 45 minutes.  I dive this on Nitrox to help with bottom time, especially given the short surface interval.  This will also allow you to descend to depth when needed for that perfect shot. The dive site ranges from 60 to 110 feet although at the end of the dive you could be in water that is over 150 feet.

The Scalloped Hammerhead Shark, Sphyrna lewini is an amazing creature. The adult can reach up to 14 feet in length but those found around Mokuhooniki rock tend to be around 6 to 10 feet in length.   They typically can be found swimming alone or in small groups of 2 and 3s.  However, there are times when these sharks begin to gather especially towards the summer where you can see dozens swimming together on this site.

Scalloped Hammerhead

The Scalloped Hammerhead Shark tends to be a very shy shark.  The worse thing any diver can do is to swim aggressively toward the

Scalloped Hammerhead Shark
Interaction – Scalloped Hammerhead Shark, Sphyrna lewini, Molokai Hawaii

shark with their GoPro hoping for that amazing shot.  The result, of this behavior, is the shark will turn and swim away and deny the rest of the dive group a chance to interact with the shark.  The best way to observe most sharks is to stay still or move slowly.  The Scalloped Hammerhead is curious and if your dive group is still and chill you may well get an encounter you will never forget.  I have had these marvelous sharks circle me for over 7 minutes on on a dive.  But again, your group typically needs to be very relaxed to be able to get these sharks interact with you and the rest of your dive buddies.

I like to stay around 60 to 65 feet and look into the blue to spot the sharks.  When I see some that are close or look like they may come in close I slowly descend to their depth, typically about 80 to 90 feet.  However, these sharks can be anywhere in the water column so make sure you keep your head on a swivel.  I like to stay on the outside of  the dive group and towards Molokai on this dive.  Typically, I stay about 10  meters away from Dive Master.  This position allows me to better interact with the sharks without worrying as much about other divers behavior.  However, you will encounter sharks close to Mokuho’oniki Rock and in the middle of the channel.  So don’t worry, just keep looking and watching your dive guide.

This is amazing dive site.  Take your time and enjoy.

The pool is open…….

Diving Molokini Crater

Molokini Crater is one of my favorite dive sites in Maui County.  The boat ride from Lahaina Harbor is around 45 minutes and provides spectacular scenery of the islands of Maui and Lanai.  The crater has abundant hard corals on the inside and outside “wall”  White-tip Reef Shark, Triaenodon obesus, (Rüppell, 1837), mano lalakea, Molokini Crater, Maui Hawaii (Steven W Smeltzer)and provides great dive opportunities for both beginner and advanced divers.  If you like a drift dive, then the outer wall dives are for you.  If you like a dive taken at a more leisurely pace with lots of exploration, then the inside crater dives are great.  There is a tremendous amount of marine life at the site, including anything from very small shrimps to a variety of sharks and rays, and, yes, even Humpback whales, which have been seen on Blunt-Slipper-Lobstervery rare occasions.

There are a number of dive sites on the inside of the crater including Reef’s End, Enenui, Middle Reef, and Taco Flats.  There is also a site near Enenui at about 110 feet that use to be referred to as Shark Condos, which as the name implies, is a rocky alcove where Green Sea Turtle, Chelonia mydas, (Linnaeus, 1758), Damaged Bill, Maui Hawaii (StevenWSmeltzer.com (949)290-6367)you can usually find 2 to 4 white-tip reef sharks.  Unfortunately, many of the dive boats do not take divers to this depth.  

From late December to early April you can usually hear the Humpback Whales singing throughout the dive, which is just awesome.  I have seen a number of different sharks and rays on this site over the years and it is one of my favorite dive sites in Maui.  Lots of “critters” to photograph and the coral is very healthy all around the crater.

I typically use Lahanina Divers when I go to Molokini Crater and they have always treated us very well.  The captains are very experienced with the channels and conditions around Maui and manage the dives safely and efficiently.  The boats are fairly roomy with ample space for gear (StevenWSmeltzer.com (949)290-6367)and getting “kitted-up” prior to the dive.  I have tried some of the dive operators off of Kihei, Hawaii, including the guy with the “fastest-boat on Maui”, but I find those boats a good bit smaller (they are launched from a boat ramp by Kihei) and very cramped. If you’re are staying in or near Ka’anapali or Lahaina, I highly recommend not making the drive to Kihei, but using a dive operator out of Lahaina.

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