Ed Robinson’s Diving Adventures

Mark my words as long as Ed’s is in business (and there is space for me on the boat) I will not go to any other dive operator in South Maui. We have dove with Ed’s before and booked 2 dives on our recent 5 day trip. Robin in the office was so great about helping me book things a few weeks ahead of time and she was even more amazing when our trip took a left turn and our diving companion had to cancel at the last minute.
On our first day out we had a small group with Joe leading our dives and on our second day out we had a slightly larger group with Justin leading our group. Captain Byrd is always the best and Kim was a great help on deck. The crew at Ed’s is always top notch! They setup all of your gear and give great briefings of the dive sites. I really have to commend the crew for trying to make sure that we saw different sites since we were diving multiple days.
I really think one of the strengths of Ed’s is being able to determine everyone’s diving abilities and structuring the sites and dives around that. I also love Ed’s because they are willing and totally able to go to some of the sites that other operators will not. I feel like Ed’s has a bit more of an adventure feel and pace and that happens to be right up our ally.
I really could go on and on about why I (and my dive companions) love Ed’s operation. Just know that whenever we get the chance to come back we will most certainly be diving with Ed’s!

I went on a diving trip with this company, and had a very good time. They took care of everything– bringing the equipment, snacks, getting equipment ready, etc. Very nice and knowledgable of the area. Took my wife along for snorkeling, which I thought was far more pricey than some of the other snorkeling companies. Otherwise, highly recommend!

Ed’s really takes the time to make you feel comfortable and they don’t make you feel rushed. They do an excellent job on briefing you on what to watch for on each dive. We only did a two tank dive and wished we had time for more. We highly recommend them and will only dive with them when we return.

My husband and I dove with them 3 days in the past week. Byrd is an excellent captain. I really appreciated the time they took to scout out the diving sites to determine if it was a good site that day.
Dave, Ricardo and Justin are all fantastic dive guides and a lot of fun on the boat.
We noticed there were a lot of repeat customers that come year after year. After diving with his crew it is no wonder why. We had a great trip and experience with Ed Robinsons. Highly recommend them.

We did 4 referral dives with Kerry and a boat trip to Molokini with Captain Byrd and crew a couple of days later. I can’t say enough nice things about this dive shop. I traded several emails with Robin in the office before booking everything; she was extremely helpful and quick to respond. Our instructor, Kerry, was patient and very informative as she guided us through our remaining open water shore dives and finished our certification. The boat trip to Molokini was amazing. The crew was very friendly and the boat only holds 12 passengers (6 divers per dive leader) so it was not crowded at all. We stopped at Red Hill before hitting Molokini which was absolutely stunning. We also ended up renting tanks and weights for the remainder of our trip to do some shore diving on our own. I highly recommend ERDS and will definitely be using them for our future dive trips!

We dove with them twice. First day we felt we went deep just to go deep. If I am going that deep I want to see something cool and not waste my air on something I could still see at 60 feet. Our dive master Justin was the best. He was knowledgeable friendly and willing to do whatever he could to ensure everyone was having a good time. I would dive with him anyday. Second day we dove with Ed which was much better except the person who put our gear together did a poor job. Twice we had floating tanks and one of our group did not have their inflator connected. Second day we went to a beautiful reef and saw the bomber. This made up for some of blah from the day before and the poor service from the crew. Fifty fifty chance we dive with them again as Maui has some of the best shore diving around.

Took advantage of Ed’s Adventure-​X Wednesday dive charter. It was excellent. I highly recommend it for photographers or cinematographers who want to customize their dives. Ed is an avid photographer himself and the whole group gets to decide where to go for each dive. We did three dives last wednesday. The apartments (deep dive), Three Anchors, and the Hellcat/​Helldiver wreck. Fantastic group of people. Will definitely look them up again.

This was ALMOST a 2 star review, but only because of captain Byrd’s demeanor. He’s not the friendly/​funny captain that you hoped to work with on vacation. He gave the impression that he’d be fine if I had gone with another dive shop. Hopefully he was just having a bad day. Everyone else was friendly, though, especially the dive masters. Robyn at the shop was also pleasant to work with.

We showed up eager and excited at 6am for our first dive after booking online several weeks before. They had no record of our booking and scolded us for using the online system «which isn’t connected to their email and they don’t check it». They reluctantly tried to find someone to take us anyway.
Then we filled out a questionnaire with medical questions, which we both failed due to controlled blood pressure and a history of sinus surgery 20+ years ago. We were told we’d need a doctor’s note and that we should get that and come back another day (in 3 + days, after the time needed to get the doctor’s note). These medical questions were not posted online and were not mentioned on the booking page.
We then had to ask them to refund our money, which apparently did not occur to them.
We left without experiencing our first scuba dive.
Very disappointing.

I’ve been diving with this outfit for about a decade, so I guess it’s past time to review them. For all the people who complain that they don’t have digital comps or integrated weights… When you have many dozens of people using the same gear every day, you want simple and basic. If you need expensive, complex gear to enjoy your dive, bring your own.
The divemasters with Ed, by and large, have all been with him for many years, and have seen it all. They are very relaxed, but very knowledgeable and attentive. If you show them that you know what you’re doing, they will leave you alone as much as you want on the dive (just don’t head off miles away).
Whenever I dive Maui, I dive with Ed Robinson.

I have been snorkeling a couple times before on my own and a couple times with tours. I have never had an experience like the one I had today with our guide Jeff from Ed Robinson’s! I not only was able to snorkel with my husband, boys, sister, brother-​in-​law, and nephew but also I got a lesson on everything I never knew about snorkeling and the creatures I encountered. I learned NEVER to touch the sea turtles. Thea majestic creatures not only can land you a huge fine for touching but also run the risk of dying from just a touch. I learned how to say the state fish name, I can’t remember how to spell it, but I can say it.
Jeff was amazing he was so extremely patient and he knew so much. He don’t just throw us in the water and watch us go. He swam with us pointed fish out and really took the time to make this the most amazing snorkeling trip ever. It is so worth it to learn about what you get to see!
Thank you so much Jeff;)

My husband did a discovery dive with ERDA, with Joey instructing. His review; Joey was very instructive and tailored my class to my skill level (first time diver). As I improved he helped me less and made the dive more challenging. I would recommend him for anybody, I had a great time!

I am not swimmer. I can swim, but have issues. Waves make me nervous. We have gone snorkeling with a private guide three times with E. R. D. A. and every time has been a successful fun adventure. Most recently Jeffrey took us out and we can’t say enough nice things about him and this business. Well worth it! Jeffrey and every guide prior, including Suzi, has been patient and understanding at my reluctance and hesitation. You don’t have to be a good swimmer to enjoy snorkeling and it’s nice that these folks have an understanding for those of us that aren’t good swimmers or aren’t comfortable in the water.

Had the dive of a lifetime with these folks! First of all Robyn in the shop is awesome! Super helpful and a very knowledgable diver. Capt. Byrd brought us out to Molokini for a drift dive. Divemaster Dave took us down and showed us all kinds of sea life including sharks, rays, huge uluas, garden eels, and all the small stuff that would be easily missed like the rare Flame Angel. Towards the end of our dive we were lucky to witness two pacific humpbacks within 30 feet of us. Will never forget that moment! Second dive at Red Hill. Another drift dive with Divemaster Ricardo. He showed us Mantas, spotted eagle rays, frog fish, eels, turtles, and more. These folks are great! I recommend them 100%!!! A big thanks to Robyn for getting photos of the whales for us!!! A million thanks to Byrd, Dave, Ricardo, and Robyn!

These guys are salty as hell! Would definitely dive with them again. Knowledgeable, funny, helpful, friendly. All good.

Diving with the team at ERDA was the highlight of our time on Maui this year. Dave and Joe, Divemasters at ERDA, along with Captain Byrd, are truly a first class team of professionals. As divemasters ourselves, we’ve never felt more safe than with this team and enjoyed excellent advanced dives off Molokini and southwest Maui with them. I highly recommend ERDA.

I’ve been diving with Ed and the team for over 20 years and have, occasionally, been on the boat with less experienced divers. Byrd and the team are first class professionals in every way and you won’t find a better captain than Byrd. Period.
Sites are chosen based on group preferences so there is a likelihood that you’d dive the same spot within a week. Safety is their first and last concern and divers who ignore that are dangerous. That being said, I’ve never seen Kim annoyed with competent, thoughtful divers. You don’t have to be experienced, you just have to listen and follow the plan.
The site decisions, though, ultimately are made on prevailing conditions — wind, currents, vis, etc. Byrd and the team are experts and determining those conditions and often contact other boats that are in or near the target destinations to get advance information.
After nearly 100 dives with them, I highly recommend ERDA.

If you are looking for an amazing snorkel experience; look no further. Prior to booking, I did my research. This was our 2^nd snorkel experience, and I was taking 4 teenagers –which can all be pretty particular.
Most of my early on communication was via email with Jonny. Regardless of what I read (which were all outstanding reviews), her outstanding customer service, knowledge and follow-​up was the deciding factor.
When asked her what the company sizzle was her response was «The «sizzle» of this trip is that it’s much more intimate and personalized than anything you’ll ever get to experience on a boat snorkel trip. For one thing, our groups are small, for another, Suzzy, Ed, and Jeffery are all very well versed in the natural history of the many critters you’ll see, along with being very knowledgeable about the reef environment. All of that combined makes for a much more personal experience and a much more impactful experience — you will definitely remember your snorkel trip, what you saw, where you were, and who you were with. As you’ve read, other people do lead the trip (Ed Robinson, and Jeffery). Of course, Ed is extremely knowledgeable, and Jeffery has been doing this for many years. Of course, though, if you’d like to request Suzzy, she will be more than happy to try to accommodate you.
Suzzy did accommodate us, and was our personal tour. You could tell this was not just her JOB, but her passion. Before we got in the water, she took time to review with books and stories, what we could expect to see, etc. Her passion for the water and it’s life was infectious.
If you get a chance, please take the time to do this adventure. It will be an experience that you will take with you forever.
PS…don’t forget your underwater camera — we got fabulous pics and Suzzy to some wonderful group shots of us.

This was my first time diving in Maui. A close friend that has been diving for nearly 20 years recommended ERDA. He always dives with them when he comes to Hawaii, so there was no question in my mind that they would professional and that I would feel completely safe.
What I didn’t expect was how outstanding and friendly eveyone was. Justin and Dave, our dive masters were funny, knowlegeable and totally enthusiastic, which must be hard day in/​day out. Or, maybe it’s not so hard when you’re in that water every day! Byrd and Kim rounded out the experience by taking care of everything on the boat and giving us great direction and advice.
My first dive was on a Saturday and when I returned on Monday two of my fellow divers were back, so it felt like diving with old friends.
Each dive was better than the one before it and I’ve got one more night time shore dive with Justin tonight, on the eve of my birthday.
I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate.

We have been diving with ERDA since 1999, and for the past 7 years have only dove with them. Why?
Reason #1 is their professionalism. I NEVER feel nervous diving with them. Everyone at ERDA is very responsible, professional, and safety conscious. Ed and Byrd wouldn’t have it any other way. We have dove with them enough times (probably 50 – 60 dives) that we’ve had a few squirrelly experiences, none caused by them, but always handled very safely by them (equipment falling off on a dive, a nasty storm that blew up one night on a night dive, an eel bite, etc.). If you are out diving, you are putting your lives in the hands of your dive masters, and I don’t care to do this with anyone I don’t trust completely. I trust them completely!
Reason #2, we always have good dives with them. Some of the other shops seem to have their own «favorite» dive spots, and aren’t too concerned with where you have been or what you want to see. Whenever we dive with ERDA, they always take the time to ask the clients where they have been recently, what they want to see, and really try to tailor the dive itinerary to the people diving on that day.
Reason #3, the crew is great! Everyone from Ed (the owner, who comes down to the boat dock many mornings to meet and greet the passengers), to Byrd who basically runs the show (and who is not only the best captain on the island but is funny as hell), to the dive masters (we love Kim, but Ricardo, Joe, and Tiffany are all fantastic, and they have lost more great dive masters to other firms that most firms have ever hired … Mark, John, Dave, Billy, the list goes on and on!). Even the deck hands are professional and courteous. Everyone really seems to enjoy their work, and sincerely wants to make sure you enjoy your dive!
Okay, some things that aren’t on my list of reasons: the boat … come on, it’s not a Med cruise! Their boats are fine. They aren’t fancy, they aren’t new, but they are safe, reliable, and they get you where you need to go. The food … if you want a gourmet meal, stay on shore, there are lots of good restaurants in Maui. The equipment: what serious diver rents dive equipment?
If you are diving Maui, do yourself a favor, dive with ERDA (unless you’re one of the reviewers below who gave them one star … you go somewhere else, I’d rather not have people like that on my dive boat ruining my day!).