Maui Dive Shop

I don’t recommend this shop. Yesterday evening my husband and I arrived around 8:25, but the store keeper started to rush us out around 8:36, saying they were closing at a quarter to 9, but Unilocal says 9 and so does their official business card. They turned down the light of the fitting room when I was trying something on. Although they turned the light back on 5 mins later, it wasn’t a very nice experience. Plus some gears here are overpriced, and no refund is available at any time, even with original packaging. If I don’t 1-​star this place it wouldn’t be fair to any other shop on Unilocal

Bad experience renting scuba gear. My BCD completely deflated on me twice in the water, requiring assist from my dive buddies. I addressed this with the shop and was told there was some sand in it «which is usual for a shore dive» but I explained I had just gotten into the water when it happened the first time. Clearly they had not cleaned the gear well. Also was told there’s this switch that sticks up on back of BCD that your lines can hit which releases the air, I had never used this brand before… would have been nice to have been notified of this BEFORE the dive. Will not be using this shop again.

This review is specific to their rental equipment. It was low quality crap. We rented two tanks each and planned for a half day of diving, but due to the miserable equipment experience, we cut our dive short and returned two completely full tanks, and 2000 remaining in the tanks we used. We were in the water for about 20 minutes before quitting from frustration.
We are advanced and experienced divers. Worst equipment I’ve ever used.
We told them how crappy the equipment was and they literally said: «Yeah, we hear that a lot». Unbelievable. Rent elsewhere.

Went into the store today. Sorry to say I came across very rude employees! Actually the two women that were rude shouldn’t be dealing with customers! This is for the store in Kihei.

This is a very well stocked dive shop with everything you’d ever need to dive or snorkel. We dive with another outfit but they no longer rent out equipment and referred us to Maui Dive Shop. The staff is very friendly, helpful and they have a great shore dive map for the area. Prices seemed a bit high ($ 7.00 daily per tank) but we’re fairly new to the sport so I don’t have much to compare to. Next time we’ll do the 10 tank fill card for $ 55.00. y’all know scuba is NOT a cheap hobby :)

The team at Maui dive shop did great from the time we booked to when we arrived at the dock. The only down side was they didn’t get my partners BCD in the right size even though we confirmed it. The staff was very attentive and accommodating. We didn’t find out until on the boat we weren’t going to Lanai as planned. But the staff made safe, good choices for us. We got two nice dives in. The boat was a bit crowded the staff handled us effectively and efficiently. Gil was our dive master and he was especially informative and attentive.

My husband and brother-​in-​law took the intro beach dive on Wednesday of last week. They came back from the trip blown away with the experience. The instructor, Robbie, was amazing, calm, patient and knowledgable. They highly recommend this outing and plan to do it again next year. The sales staff was very helpful too.

We went to the Kahana Gateway Center location but I can’t find it on Unilocal.I worked with both Rick & Betsy and they were wonderful to work with. I rented snorkeling gear for me & my husband. I had to return to change my mask & it was easy, fast & hassle free. The next day I went in to rent an underwater camera & Rick was incredibly helpful, made sure to go through the camera functions to make sure I understood them, and was efficient in getting me out the door. The next day I called to ask if I could keep the camera for an extra day & he said yes and suggested that I come in to check the battery. I did go in & they also downloaded the first batch of photos & video on a disc to free up space for me. When I asked him about one of the cameras they sold he was very knowledgeable about it. The prices for the rentals were very reasonable & the process fast & easy. Above all, Betsy & Rick were so personable & friendly & fun to talk to that I felt like I was chatting w/​friends. They will always get my business when we travel to Maui! Thank you for such a great experience!

I almost couldn’t believe the price to rent a jeep for a week… less than $ 400, no charge for mileage or any crazy add on’s. The vehicle was older, but clean, fun to drive around the island and best of all they don’t have restrictions for off-​roading! So we were able to drive the road to Hana and beyond and catch some amazing views that would have been more difficult and/​or not permitted in another rental vehicle. Don’t get me wrong, we didn’t abuse it, we took care the way we would our own vehicle but where other company’s restrict what roads can be traveled, this shop did not.
We also were able to rent snorkel gear at a very reasonable price, including an optical mask. The staff were fun, friendly and encouraging of our adventurous spirit! They also arranged for airport transportation when we dropped the vehicle off. Overall great experience and we will definitely recommend this shop to anyone travelling to Maui.

You need it, they have it.
They were selling used rental wetsuits and I got a decent, barely used shortie for ridiculous cheap! And some stank wash… no matter how diligent I am, rinse, wash, I don’t pee in it… the ocean is a stinky lady when she dries out, she needs a little freshening up.
Rentals, Sales… sandals, board shorts… even prescription goggles. A boon if you lose your contacts or just wanna do without.
Oh, and if you want to rent a shortie wetsuit, they’re the only folks around with them. The other operator I used to rent from only has tops now. –sadface–
They amalgamated several shops into their main shop so it’s not right next to our resort any more and we have to drive there. I get that it’s tough times, and you do what keeps the business alive. They offer good product & advice, with a smile.

Loved this place! Their staff was very patient and helpful with our large party. They gave us details on good places nearby to snorkel. Alauna was super awesome to work with.

Firstly, these guys take the time to explain things in detail to you. For an utter beginner at nearly everything snorkel-​related, they took the time to patiently took the time to answer all of my questions about gear use, fit, and cautions… how to best use a camera underwater. It was very useful… and comforting! They also took the time to talk to use about cool snorkeling places.
They are also very fair. We had a tour scheduled to go to Molokini in the early morning through a different company. Because there was a possible tropical storm rolling through the area, the tour was canceled. Maui Dive shop refunded my money for the camera we rented… even though I had it in my possession for nearly 24 hours and even though the reason it didn’t get used had nothing to do with them. This was, what I would call, going above and beyond expectations.

We had a great time diving with Maui Dive Shop (Molokinini and drift dive). The guides were great and Sam (Scuba Barbie!) was a good mix of professional and fun. She did a great job ensuring everyone in her group got to see all the cool things that would have easily been missed without her.
Our group was a mix of fairly experienced divers and a couple of newly certified divers, but Sam catered to everyone. She made sure the people who were a bit nervous felt very comfortable while ensuring that the more experienced divers still had a good dive — not always an easy thing to balance!
Captain Marc was great and we spent the ride back to the mainland chatting with him.
Overall, great experience and great staff. They made everything as easy as possible so that everyone could enjoy the day. Would defnitely recommend. Also, we both got a free tshirt after the dive :)

Long-​story short… junior’s snorkel had a problem. It was one with a float that prevented water from going down the tube, except it wasn’t working properly. Lots of water going down the tube! It was suggested they might be able to fix it here, so here we are.
They didn’t seem enthusiastic about fixing it, first because they didn’t really have parts and second because they didn’t like the float snorkels. Talking with the sales person it seemed clear they were knowledgeable. I did not experience any conflict with the personnel, but maybe I just got lucky? Anyway, after some discussion we looked at the Impulse 3 snorkel. Pricey (big surprise!). But appeared to be a good snorkel. We bought that and a set of «socks» to protect the foot from the fins rubbing the skin raw. Per our daughter, both the snorkel and the socks worked great. She was very happy.
I cannot compare to the Scuba Shack someone else mentioned, and will in fact check them out on my next visit (if I ever get to come back). I had no problems here, but they were pricey and I would be interested in someplace with knowledgeable staff and good equipment at lower prices. I would try to handle all such needs BEFORE I left home, but sometimes stuff happens. If you’re in need, and want good equipment, this shop does seem to have just about everything you might want. I definitely would shop here before Snorkel Bob’s, though I cannot compare their rentals as we did not rent from Maui Dive Shop. Wish I had known about this store earlier… I’m happy with my Snorkel Bob corrective mask, but this shop is clearly superior in terms of equipment and leaves me wondering if they have better ones.

Not sure which one of the exact Maui Dive shop I went out of, but did dive with them 2 days last week.
Was picked up as promised from the Four Seasons by Matt, one of the Divemasters and had a great discussion on the days’ dives enroute to the shop and the boat.
Both days were 2 tankers to their listed dive sites. No fault of the shop and having never been to Maui before, I was a bit disappointed at the crowds, and generally ok but not spectacular dives. This in no way reflects on the outstanding service given at the shop and on the boat. Great crew, and dives were as good as they were going to be.
I’d dive with these guys again.
Hope this review gets to the right place as the Unilocal site lists a number of different locations in Maui…

Walked in with my snorkel and broken mask clip. Was treated rudely and sold something that didn’t fit the snorkel, even though I had it on the counter. (I was so flustered by the «I dare you take any of my precious time for a $ 3 item» attitude that I didn’t think to put it on in the store.) Upon recommendation, walked over to The Scuba Shack, and had wonderful service with nary a trace of condescension. When I mentioned how great it felt in The Scuba Shack compared to The Dive Shop, they said, «Yeah, we get that a lot!» Then, being a glutton for punishment, I walked back to The Dive Shop to get my 3 bucks back for the unused clip. They said they only give store credit. I told them to just keep it to keep it out of a land fill, and to have a nice day.

This shop is a ridiculous piece of shit. We rented the underwater camera and due to bad weather we were not able to go to Molokini. They totally refused to give a refund. We did not even take a single picture and gave back the camera within 30 mins. That guy with a moustache was very blunt. I would not recommend anyone renting from here.

As a snorkeling novice, renting here was easy and quick! Brandon hooked it up with excellent customer service, we got the whole snorkeling kit for $ 8.95 for 24 hours — plus they even gave us some leeway till noon the next day. Some of the other shops we called really tried to upsell and push hard for us to get more unnecessary stuff we beginners wouldn’t even know how to use. Great, friendly staff who know their stuff when it comes to snorkeling and super affordable!

This review is based solely on rental gear. (We are experienced snorkelers). We rented a optical snorkel mask. When it leaked, we returned to the shop and got a different mask. It too leaked. We followed every recommendation the people in the shop had. The mask still leaked. When we returned for a third time, they did not have another mask in our diopter. They refused to refund our money or even offer store credit. We had prepaid for two weeks and only had the mask for 3 days. They took our equipment back and told us we would have to go somewhere else. They couldn’t help us. We had to rent everything all over again at another shop. The mask from the other shop had no leaks and worked perfectly for the rest of our stay. Maui dive needs much better customer service.

This rating is based solely on renting and buying equipment from the shop. I did not participate in any of their tours or dives.
This place is okay. Nothing remarkable. We chose it because it was within walking distance of our rental house. From advertisements I saw, their prices for rental gear seem much more than other places. However, like I said, we chose it for convenience.
Overall the staff was nice. They had the gear that we needed, and helped us size it correctly. But that should be expected from a dive shop, right?
There was a little confusion when we returned the gear. Nothing big. They claimed that I was returning it a day late, even though I had told them when I would be returning the gear. The price still ended up being what I expected for my rental time. Just a little awkward until we figured it out.
If I was in the area, I would probably use them again. But if another place was closer, I would probably go there.

I completed 2 dives with Maui Dive Shop aboard the Maka Koa. Our trip was out to Lanai to dive one of the Cathedrals and another spot. The day turned out perfect so our boat ride out there and the dive conditions were great. It is about an hour and half ride out to Lanai, which I enjoyed as much as the rest of the day. We were luck to see some whales swimming by on our ride out even though it was a bit early in the year for them.
Our Dive Masters and Captain were very knowledgeable about our dive sites and gave us very good site briefings before the dive. They also went over the equipment and made sure everyone was comfortable and ready to dive. Our group didn’t have any novices so there weren’t any issues that came up that I am aware of.
They provide food and beverages which are quite adequate and standard for these types of trips. They weren’t cheap and there was lots of food to go around to all of the hungry divers.
The Maka Koa is a great boat. Lots of room to move around. You can sit on the bow of the boat and get some great shots. We had a small pod of dolphins swimming with us on the way back to Maui. I was able to get some great shots from the bow of them swimming with us.
Our first dive was Wash Rock and the second we got to go to First Cathedral. Both of them are great dive sites and I would highly suggest going to Lanai for some diving.
One thing that really impressed me was at the end of our dives our Dive Masters came by and gave us cards that showed all of our dive stats taken directly off the dive computer on each of our individual gear. It was a great reference and also handy for me to fill out my dive log. I’ve never had that before and really appreciated it.
Overall I gave them 5 stars because I was really impressed with them from start to finish. I would definitely book another dive trip from them.

My family recently spent a lot of money in this store purchasing a spear gun, dive masks, dive knife, and so much more. I live here in Kihei and have several vacation rentals. I used to send my guests to Maui Dive Shop, but never again and this is why… I went into the shop to purchase a spear gun tip to go on the speargun that I purchased for my son several months ago. They had one type of spear tip and when asked if it would work for our speargun, Mark said, «it should, but I’ve also seen them sold at Longs down the street if it doesn’t. I purchased the tip and took it home and it didn’t fit. I put the tip back in it’s original package (plastic type that snaps together), so I could return it. I took it back a couple days later and was helped by the same nice young lady at the counter who remembered me from a few days prior when I originally made the purchase. I explained the tip didn’t fit and I needed a refund. She then got Mark’s attention and said, «this customer was in a couple days ago and bought this spear tip and it didn’t fit and he wants to return it» Mark then approached me and said I can exchange it or get store credit. I told him that they don’t have the correct size and I would appreciate a refund. He said, «NO REFUNDS». I asked why, since I was in just the other day and told by him that it should fit. He said, «it’s posted right there on the counter, NO REFUND. I’m starting to get frustrated and didn’t want to make a scene, so I said I would accept the store credit. What really got me was this
guy Mark wouldn’t make eye contact or even attempt to explain their ridiculous policy. After Mark took my spear tip and hung it back up on the sales floor, the kind young lady apologized for everything and processed my store credit while I too processed everything that just happened. I told the young lady to relay a message to Mark who was at the time with another customer. I asked her to tell him that I would never be back and I would never send anyone to his store again. Again, I didn’t want to make a scene and wanted to give Mark an opportunity to think this through. I figured that I would receive a call since they required my name and phone # to get the store credit. I never received a call or anything. I must say they might be able to get away with this with most tourist’, but not my guests. I will never send any of my vacation rental guests to their store and I will never spend another penny there again. Congratulations Mark! I hope you come to realize that the $ 29.15 that you thought you could extort from me has backfired into thousands and thousands of dollars in lost income for your employer. I’m serious when I say this, the gift card you gave me went in the trash. Beware to all.

This review is for the store only not the boat dives. The Maui dive shop has terrible customer service and «store policies» such as a 24 hr Max rental of tanks (or they charge you).
You can only return your rented tanks at the same shop you rented it from even though there are something like 5 Maui dive shops on the island. Why can’t they just refill my tank at the lahina shop even if I got the tank at kihe.
When we returned our diving equipment the guy made a big stink that we left the weights in the bcd. Seriously? You can’t do your job and take the weights out yourself?
Finally I bought a wetsuit as a thank you present. He did not want it so we tried to return it and apparently there is a no return policy! After saying he couldn’t return it the person made it seem like he was doing us a favor by returning the suit. Well thank you for finally offering some customer service.

Went in wanting to purchase a life vest.
The guy at the counter was with a customer so I politely stepped to the side and waited for my chance to ask him if he had the type of life vests we were looking for.
He was rude when he answered us, didn’t seem friendly or the least bit interested that any customer had walked in.
If this place wants to stay in business then maybe they should work on their customer service.

I completed two exhilarating days of open water certification dives with MDS. As it’s been a month since completing the academic review and pool sessions, I woke up early to cram in as much information before noon. Yah, that worked out not so well since day two, I had a written quiz and forgot most of the readings.
Day one was with Andy. His great sense of humor helped alleviate my concerns of imminent death. We practiced skills and y’know that moment when the one thing you hate the most becomes your favorite? Well, that happened with mask clearing which I’ve gotten better at without continuously burning my eyes with the salty water.
Day two was a short quiz, watching a video reiterating liabilities, brief repeat of skills and learning to use the compass. Juan was very informative and provided helpful tips.
Overall, I recommend getting certified in Maui compared to Monterey as there are more sea life and the water was blissfully warm so I wore a 3M Farmer John wetsuit.
Highlight was having a giant turtle swim by underneath me and at this point, I got used to breathing like darth vader and was happily looking around without fiddling with my equipment.

So this is a tough one to figure out — on the one hand, the people know their stuff, they have good equipment to rent and their boat and guides are top notch.
On the other hand, I raised a concern on Sunday about the weather on Tuesday and they told me it wasn’t an issue. When I went out on the night dive, the folks were great about getting everyone on the boat and heading out on time. We went for less than a mile — the wind was so high we had to stick right next to the island just around the bend from the marina. (After the captain mentioned that there were many places he could choose from).
It seems like if you want to have a great dive in July, get up before the sun, get down to the marina and take off before the winds start. Afternoons and evenings aren’t the best times to dive here.
Because of the wind and the surge, the water wasn’t very clear, I felt like we didn’t see anywhere near the marine life that I was expecting. On the plus side, it was the first time I had been on a 2 tank night dive. On the minus side, it was essentially the same spot, the same lack of things to see once we were underwater for the second .
dive.
Coming from NW Oregon, I understand that there is no controlling the weather. I feel like they should have been more upfront about what to expect when I booked the dive. When the experience is going to be only marginal (even when it’s beyond their control), it seems like a rotten deal to pay full price for a pretty mediocre dive.
I suppose this is like every other situation, Caveat emptor — even though the friendly folks inside are telling you that the weather isn’t going to be an issue, if your gut says that even if this is the only night dive you can do on your trip, pass when the weather guy says high afternoon and evening winds. Save your money and come back another day when you can get the kind of experience that only Hawaii and a very few other places have to offer.
Had the weather cooperated and the marine life been out to see, this would have easily been a 4 or 5 star review. I suppose it’s how a dive operator handles things in less than ideal situations that casts a shadow for me on the rest of their operation.

Dive shops are not difficult to find on Maui, and there are several in Kihei, but this PADI-​affiliated shop was well recommended and I’d discussed the shop at the Tacoma Dive Expo earlier this year.
Soon after our arrival, I stopped by to inquire about shore diving opportunities in the area, and the shop’s staff were generous with good advice, so I returned soon after with my certification cards to rent scuba gear and reserve a place on scheduled boat dives to St. Anthony’s wreck and the Molokini Crater.
I’m grateful to Elliott, Ed and Kristin for their assistance in making my Maui dive experiences a treasured lifetime memory. There are other dive shops nearby, and a few were recommended to me before we left on vacation; however, I recommend this shop for the best of reasons, because I had a very satisfactory experience with it.

Booked 2 charters with Maui Dive Shop. Just came back from the first. Absolutely first rate. Hotel pick-​up on time. Boat not overcrowded as they tend to be here. Dive master (Robbie) was a pro and super knowledgeable about the dive sites and the marine life (fish, sharks, whales, etc). The visibility on the Molokini crater was 100ft+ They provided breakfast (bacon and eggs, etc) lunch after the dives, and drinks and snacks throughout the trip. I had most of my own gear, but the BC and Reg pack were modern and well maintained. A really first rate experience and highly recommended.