Hawaiian Rafting Adventures / Dive Maui

Captain Steve and his crew took my whole family out for a two tank boat over to Lenai Island. His expertise on the special spots and Popular spots was fantastic. We had encounters with manta, dolphins and even a whale for not too far off. It was unanimous, we highly recommend this dive operation.

The gentleman that checked us in was AMAZING, super nice and helpful but the owner seemed liked he wanted to be anywhere but diving. He yelled at his crew in front of everyone which was uncomfortable and was more focused on taking pictures then leading us on a dive. My boyfriends tank was not properly secured and fell out of his vest 3 times so we ended our dive early. No one apologized or seemed even concerned. I would never go back to this dive shop again.

I’ve come to Maui 3 times over the last few years, the fellows at Hawaiian Rafting Adventures /​Dive Maui are world class and I pay them a visit every time. I am a very experienced diver (PADI msdt instructor, certified hundreds of divers over the last 5 years) and they have everything I look for in an operation. Relaxed /​friendly /​knowledgeable staff, orderly operation and a clean /​fast /​small boat.
Steve the boat captain is efficient with handling the boat and gives great dive briefings, Steve (different steve) and Brian were awesome DM’s and I enjoyed talking with them out of the water boat to and from the dive sites. Brian led my group of six on dives and our charter to lanai, he was attentive but not overbearing of the less experienced divers. The actual diving of Lanai is always fantastic, lots of reef fish, nudibranch’s and lava tube swim through’s!
Ive taken other charters while on Maui but was left with a really bad taste in my mouth from other companies who employ smug divemasters and retail staff that act as they are God’s gift to SCUBA.
Do yourself a favor and roll with these guys.

I’ve been diving with Steve Juarez and HRA for over 20 years — not because I’m a creature of habit, but because the diving is phenomenal and Steve is one of the best dive masters out there. The back side of Lana’i is famous for the startling beauty of its dive sites, and Steve knows over 30 sites to choose from on any given day. He always knows «where the viz is.» In addition, Steve seems to know where each rare, unusual fish hangs out on the reef. (I’m not exaggerating, it has amazed me for years!) As a result, every dive is interesting and beautiful. Importantly, Steve has a high regard for common sense and safety, and he expects the same from his employees. I’ve dived with many of the dive masters that Steve employs, and they’re all great. Lastly… I’ve trusted Steve and HRA to certify two of my teenagers, need I say more?

Steve, Brian, and Steve gave us one of the best diving experiences we have ever had! It was a quick trip to Lanai, and the dive sites were amazing!

Staff is super friendly and our dive master, Mark, did everything in his power to make sure we had a terrific dive experience. Mark provided a guided tour on our way out to the dive site and then made sure everyone was comfortable before entering the water. We didn’t feel rushed at all and the whole crew made sure everything was right before we dove. I can’t say enough about their customer service and the dive sites they selected. Incredible underwater scenary and a wide variety of marine life.

BEST DIVE OPERATION IN WEST MAUI! The crew is very professional and took the time to get to know me as a diver. They are there for you if are a new diver, or if you are a seasoned diver, they will let you have your space. As other posters have said, they are laid back and very informative. Don’t be lead on by the hype of some of the other dive operators. Their «raft» is an aluminum hulled Zodiac style boat. Fastest trip to Lanai and pretty smooth ride, even in rough chop.(No back in forth sway as in most boats) As an added bonus, the rental gear is included in your trip price, if you brought your own, they offer to rinse it, and they serve actual food! On our trip, we were treated to coffee, juice, bottled water (Dasani), donuts, muffins, and bagels at the shop before our departure and then for our surface interval, a slice of submarine sandwich, fresh orange, chips, and cookies. Steve and his crew made me feel like I was diving with my friends and family at home. A great big Mahalo for Steve, Robin, Mark, Nick, Pat, and Brian. I can’t wait to come back and dive with you again. Aloha!

Great Scuba base. Very relaxing dive. Steve knows all the good places and is a great guide. The price in the web include everything you might need. There is no extra charge for any gear that you might need to rent. All the equipment is brand new. It is a clear recommendation.

Next door to Bob’s snorkel shop, HRA/​DM would be easy to miss if it wasn’t for Unilocal.It’s got a great small business, laid back dive feel, while still being full service. The tanks and equipment are well maintained, the wetsuits all look pretty new, rental is included in the trip, and everyone gets their own dive computer. The crew and captain are friendly and knowledgable, and they make the extra effort to make sure everyone has a good time. They aren’t a large operation so you aren’t constantly running into groups of divers underwater.
They have coffee, juice and donut holes before you leave and try to squeeze into the 5 mm wetsuits. Then you take a short walk to the dock where all your gear has already been brought on board. The pontoon may not look like much, but it’s a great ride. It typically takes about 45 minutes to Lanai, and then the dive sites are chosen the morning of based on conditions. If they have recently been seeing cool wildlife — spinner dolphins, whales, monk seals, turtles, etc. they will make the detour so that you can have a «dolphin tour» in addition to your 2 dives. Bonus!
HRA/​DM goes the pace of the divers on board — nothing too intimidating if it’s been a while and you’re a little nervous, but also fun things like «the chute» at the first Cathedral for the more adventerous. On one of our dives, a lady started feeling claustrophobic while in the cathedral. The dive master quickly noticed and got her to an area where she felt more comfortable. It was very reassuring to know that someone was paying attention.
After your first dive, lunch is provided — sub sandwich, chips, fruit, cookies, juice and water. By the time you’re done eating, you are at the next dive site and you’ve been at the surface long enough to go for the second dive. It can get a little rocky on the water, and when someone started to feel sea sick, the crew did a good job making sure she got in the water first, was the last one out, staying hydrated, checking in with her, etc.
All in all, an outfit that felt safe while providing good fun. My family has already gone with them twice, last month and 2 years ago, and we’ll be sure to go with them in the future. Thank you HRA/​DM!

Super fun, knowledgeable and courteous crew! Had a great time! Food wasn’t great but we weren’t there for the food.

Small out of the way shop, but a very serious, professional shop. Captain Steven and Robin ensure a safe time but great diving. Finding octupi buried and allowing us to have a picture taken with an octupus stuck to my hands is great. Very smooth and fast boat. Great equipment and allowed me to use theirs when the computer malfunctioned. Mark was great as the first mate. Additionally, beside Captain Steve and Robin, there was Marty taking pictures.
Effectively, 3 professionals in the water for seven customers. Great photography and they charge half of what I would have paid for the 10 pictures of me, but he put 70 on the DVD so I can see the other divers and pictures of the dive sites. The briefing was thorough so you know where extactly you were going and allowed each diver to surface as air allowed. So some divers were done in ½ hour and others an hour, so the experienced divers did not lose bottom time.
Would not choose another shop unless they were closed. They don’t dive on the weekend but will do a night dive with Mark tonight.

Had a great time with my family this week thanks to Maui Dive shop. We spent three dive days here! The staff was super nice and helpful. Rentals were fairly priced and the crew sets up all of the gear for us making the start of our trip easy-​breezy. In between our first and second dive, lunch was served on the boat. And while you are diving, the crew has underwater photo equipment to get some really great shots (we purchased a CD of the photos afterwards).

YES to the Lanai diving.
The owner (I believe), Steve, is very friendly, but… quiet. Besides briefing before dives, he does not talk too much. He’s great fit for the job… because most of the time you will be down the water anyway (FACT). On the other hand, Mark, one of the dive master, is very talkative and informative… he is more fit for tour guides. But, hey, when you are down the water, you will see crystal clear water, various fish, beautiful corals, maybe sharks, maybe dolphins, maybe rays, maybe octopus… you mind will get blown away… who will remember what the tourist says. fun diving experience with them for consecutive two years… maybe more when I am going back to Maui.

Steve runs the safest best operation around on Maui. I have personally been diving with Steve for almost 20 years through his shop. He gives great briefings, will point out all sorts of critters I often overlook and knows diving with the best of the business.
If you get seasick, please check the weather ahead of time. It can be a bumpy on the crossing to Lanai. Most of the time it’s a smooth fast ride!
Steve will fins the best locations given the weather conditions for the day and always takes care of the newer folks on the boat. If you have been a few times, he may give you some leeway to stray from the group. But ONLY if you know the dive sites.
With the many locations over on Lanai it is great to be away from the massive hoards of folks diving Maui. The dive spots have clear water, more critters and you usually get to see Spinner Dolphins along the boat ride.
If you are a dive enthusiast or a beginner, HRA will take care of you and you’ll have a great time!

We went diving with this team for two days, four different sites off Lanai. Small operation, great personal service. Felt safe, had fun– would definitely go with them again!

Dove with my Dad in March 2014. Hawaiian Rafting Adventures /​Dive Maui is a small shop, big on service and providing great diving experiences. All equipment was top notch — tanks properly maintained and put together on-​board a 40 foot custom dive boat. The crew was knowledgable and advanced. They go at the pace of the divers on board, no detail left out including descriptions of the dives prior to the plunge. Incredible +70 ft. dives on Lanai, thank you HRA/​DM.

Hawaiian Rafting Adventures/​Dive Maui was the absolute best dive I have ever had. I have had the opportunity to dive throughout Australia, the Caribbean, and French Polynesia as well as other parts of Hawaii (and even Maui on past trips), and this is by far the most professional, knowledgable, and all around best company I have ever had the pleasure to dive with.
I can’t thank them enough– I was absolutely thrilled with the experience. Captain Steve, Jason, and Micah absolutely know what they are doing– they know the best dive spots, accurately read conditions, share their wealth of knowledge about the area, diving, and marine life, and moreover just take great care to ensure that everyone is having the best possible experience. Jason even let me borrow his camera housing for my GoPro– though Captain Steve’s photos are still lightyears better then mine.
The open air raft was excellent for someone like me who tends to get a bit boat sick on other vessels, and the group was limited to a nice intimate size– I hate getting lost in the shuffle of 24+ people on a boat followed by a dive in which you feel surrounded. Everything about Hawaiian Rafting adventures is perfect– if you are trying to decide between the millions of pamphlets and suggestions, this is definitely the shop to choose.

the logistics: pain-​free reservation online, plus you get a discount, front desk/​phone staff guy can be less rude/​intimidating and more nice as this is a tourist driven business, a small shop located behind cannery mall, easy enough to find that you wont get lost, late start (830) and got back at approx 2pm for the lanai charter (some may like a late start, I tend to lean towards earlier), a pontoon that will get you to lanai quickly, safeway american sub + lays chips + safeway chocolate chip cookie + orange slices + water/​sodas for lunch/​snack
The dive: DM (sorry, forgot his name) was informative throughout the ride and surface intervals, good dive site briefing by capt nick, did double arches and cathedrals I, i like that the DM doesnt baby you around, you get brought back to the vicinity of the boat when the majority of folks are around 700psi or so, you time your own stops and surface when its done (some people may like this, some may need more attention, but I liked it), charter was comprised of experience-​enough divers so that no one really dragged the entire group behind and no bottom time was wasted
they are competitively priced, which is the main reason i went with them… thinking about doing another charter during this maui trip, debating between them or doing a couple of shore dives on our own
overall solid dive outfit once you’re on the water

Stand up guy. I arrived in Hawaii missing several small but crucial pieces of my camera housing. Captain Steve Suarez dug around in his personal gear and loaned me the parts I needed. Would not accept payment and did not expect me to dive with his company.
I have been out with him on previous trips (but I know he did not remember me). He is a smart and professional dive master, keeps his groups small, and points out interesting life and good photo ops. I hope I get the opportunity to dive with him this trip.

I first met Captain Steve and his son JJ at the Long Beach scuba show a month before my trip to Maui. I liked the idea of diving Lanai and wanted to try something a little different so I booked a day with him for my Maui trip.
I had an amazing time and wish I could have gone out a second day. You show up at a reasonable hour in the morning and it’s located in Lahaina so if you’re staying in Kaanapali it’s super close. You arrive and hand over your gear and they do the rest.
The ride out to Lanai is about 40 minutes and their boat is very clean and organized. I think there were maybe about 9 people on our dive and we were broken into two dive groups. My DM was Heath and he was awesome, super friendly and made you feel safe.
Lanai is insane! We saw a bunch of dolphins on the way out there and Captain Steve stopped for a good ten minutes so everybody could watch.
The reasons that I would recommend Dive Maui:
— Captain Steve has been doing this for a very long time and is considered the expert on Lanai diving.
— Their boat is big, new, clean and very organized with baskets to put your wet gear and dry boxes for dry storage and they even label them with your name on it!
— The crew is very friendly, and catered to everybody’s needs from beginning divers doing their certification dives, and advanced divers. I showed up, handed them my dive gear and they set everything up and even washed my gear for me.
— Warm water shower at the end of your dives is always a plus!
I’ve been on a lot of dive boats and will definitely return to Dive Maui when I’m back in Maui (Hopefully in Feb. for their wale diving trips)
Thanks Steve and Heath!