Dive Review of Maui Diamond Sea Sports/Koa Lagoon Apartments in
Hawaii/Maui

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Maui Diamond Sea Sports/Koa Lagoon Apartments: "Maui Diamond Sea Sports a priceless gem!", Oct, 2024, by Gary P Mandarano, NY, US ( 2 reports with 2 Helpful votes). Report 13196 has 1 Helpful vote.
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Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food	N/A
Service and Attitude	N/A	Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	DIVING: Maui Diamond Sea Sports (Maui Diamond). I have close to 1,500 dives and have dove with probably 100 different dive operations. I have never before submitted a trip report, but my experiences with Maui Diamond motivated me to make the time to acknowledge this extraordinary operation. This was my wife’s and my third dive trip to Maui. When we dove in Maui in 2021 during limited Covid restrictions it was hard to get dive space on a boat, so we had to book with three separate dive operations. Our last dives of that trip were with Maui Diamond. This operation is a cut above the rest for a plethora of reasons and we knew if we returned to Maui they were our dive operation of choice. This October we returned. When we booked our multiple diving days, we didn’t want to repeat a location. We booked early. One of the dates we wanted had no reservations yet. They happily changed sites for that day to accommodate our request. Their 46-foot custom dive boat is set up perfectly to accommodate up 20 divers without feeling crowded. Why it even has a stand up head (bathroom). An added bonus is the boat departs from a slip in the Ma’alaea Harbor and not the boat ramp. There is pay-for parking close to the boat. This size dive boat can handle the sea and waves significantly better with much greater comfort than the smaller, trailered boats. Every time we dive we fill out the questionnaires concerning our last dive and total number of dives, but rarely are my wife and I paired with a group of divers with commensurate experience and skill levels. Maui Diamond paired us with divers of paralleled skills which made for longer, more-enjoyable dives. At the dock before boarding, all divers checked in and the staff loaded our gear on the boat and set it up at our stations. Divers were assigned a dive number and loaded aboard by dive gear position. This is an extremely efficient system. I am very particular how my gear is set up and the Maui Diamond staff set up both our gear perfectly! My wife wanted a 63 tank and the request was accommodated. We requested a rinse bucket for our cameras and we were provided our very own. There were many different snacks and beverages onboard to satisfy even the pickiest person. Staff was very attentive, helping with gear, checking multiple times before entry and assisted with safe entry into and exit out of the water. On day #1, dive #1, while putting on my wetsuit the zipper on my suit broke. Under normal circumstances, that would have meant no diving for me. That was not the case. Maui Diamond keeps a full complement of all gear in all sizes below deck. The dive staff instantly gave me a wetsuit that fit perfectly. I quickly changed and was on my way. For the entire trip I used their wet suit and to my surprise they did not charge me for it. We did 4 full days of diving with them, two days doing all aspects of Molokini (the star attraction of Maui) and two days at other sites. Generally the dives all had excellent visibility (80 to 100 ft.) and we dove with four different dive masters. In particular were Dave who took some amazing photos of us and Szechwan (whose name is also Dave). Szechwan looked after us like ohana! Every one of the dive masters that we had were exceptional. They gave great briefings, were very attentive and eager to maximize the dive experience for each diver in their group. My wife and I are both avid underwater photographers, she concentrates on macro and close pictures, I on distance. They went out of their way to find some amazing macro opportunities for my wife and I was extremely pleased with my distance shots. Hawaii is an exceptional place to dive and for divers like us, it never fails to please. 20 to 25 percent of the reef fish in Hawaii are endemic to Hawaii and can’t be found elsewhere. With Maui Diamond, dives were targeted for 60 minutes. My wife is a conservative breather who often ends a dive only because she’s cold even in her custom 5mil wetsuit. That was not the case on this trip. Maui Diamond staff provided her with HotSnapZ warmers that can be activated underwater and placed inside the wetsuit. Each warmer lasts about 15 minutes. Having the extra warmth prolonged her dives. Szechwan seeing how much fun she was having let her have her fun. So much so, that one dive my wife had was 97 minutes. As soon as we got home she ordered her own set of warmers and she may never be cold again. As soon as you get out of the water, you are treated to a fresh hot water shower which really hits the spot. The staff does the tank changes; helps strip the gear and washed our gear and wetsuits. The dive staff even walked our gear bags to our car for us. I guess that is because of our age. Never once did we feel marginalized. We felt valued and cared for. We saw many sharks, eels, schools of fish, eagle rays, turtles, triggers, puffers, frog and scorpion fish, harlequin shrimp, octopuses, lobsters and several variations of nudibranchs. On our last dive day about a minute after decent my camera flooded. That’s never a good thing. I quickly came to the surface, handed my camera to the Captain, who rinsed the housing and camera in fresh water, and I submerged to join my group. Seeing our problem Szechwan coordinated with Dave to cross our group and take photos of us. Dave and other dive masters take photos during the dives and air drop them to iPhone users and email them non-iPhone user guests. That was very special. One photo taken of us with turtles will be our holiday card. They even offered to photo shop Santa hats on us! Overall the diving was exceptional. It was last dive of the trip at Mala Wharf that was truly exceptional for us. There we saw something we had never before experienced. There was a turtle cleaning station. I never knew that there was such a thing. As the dive boat attached to the mooring, we instantly knew that we were in for a treat. We could see as many as 4 or 5 turtles surfacing for air. Under water was even more spectacular, there were at least 50 turtles milling around. Some being cleaned, some playing together – it was literally a scene from “Finding Nemo.” Photos were taken by Rachel Domingo, one of the owners of Maui Diamond. Rachel was on the boat when my camera flooded and made a point of sharing photos from this once in a lifetime dive! Maui Diamond Sea Sports is the gold standard for dive operations and a true gem! Diving with them has been a great experience. I can only compare it to our concierge diving experiences at Wakatobi. ACCOMMODATIONS: Koa Lagoon Apartments is centrally located in Kihei, about a 15 minute drive to both the Ma’alaea Harbor (where the Maui Diamond boat is located) and the boat ramp. Diving starts very early in Maui because of the trade winds. Dive check in is around 6:15a. Having a place with a kitchen to eat breakfast before diving is key. This place is truly a slice of paradise. We stayed there 3 times. It’s close to the airport, restaurants, attractions and shopping. These beautiful private, deluxe 1 to 2-bedroom condos are located right on the beach. The property is magnificently landscaped. The complex has private, free on-site parking. Apartments have full kitchen/baths, washer/dryers, dishwashers, microwaves, AC and there’s a swimming pool too. The back walls of the apartments are full glass with large lanais facing west. The day and sunset views are canvas worthy. These sunsets, with the beautiful palm trees, are some of the most beautiful we’ve ever seen. The property details, apartments and rental information can all be found on their website: [koalagoon.com link] The rental agent Linda is a true pleasure and will do everything possible to ensure all your needs are met.
Websites	Maui Diamond Sea Sports Koa Lagoon Apartments
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Fiji, Palau, Yap, Tahiti, Cozumel, Indonesia (Wakatobi), San Salvador, Belize, Bonaire, Cayman, Turks & Cacios, Saba, Freeport, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Florida Keys
Closest Airport	OGG	Getting There	New York LGA to HNL. Connected in HNL to Hawaiian Airlines. Had to walk a considerable distance from American Air terminal to Hawaiian Airlines terminal. Purchasing a cart for $6 is highly recommended.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	calm, no currents
Water Temp	79-81°F / 26-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness	2
Water Visibility	80-100 Ft/ 24-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	No decompression diving.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Rinse bucket provided upon request. Cameras were handed to us when we got into the water and safely taken from us when we got out. Hose available for fresh water rinse if needed.

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Dive Review of Maui Diamond Sea Sports/Koa Lagoon Apartments in Hawaii/Maui

Maui Diamond Sea Sports/Koa Lagoon Apartments: "Maui Diamond Sea Sports a priceless gem!", Oct, 2024,

Photos Submitted with this Report

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Maui Diamond Sea Sports/Koa Lagoon Apartments in
Hawaii/Maui