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Dive Review of Mike Severns Diving in
Hawaii/Maui

Mike Severns Diving, Oct, 2006,

by Bill McGrath, AZ, USA ( 2 reports). Report 3070.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 1 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments Overall, this is a wonderful dive operator for either advanced or beginning divers. The way the dives are conducted won't appeal to everyone, however.

The divers are broken up into small groups, and are led by a divemaster. He or she will lead the divers on a well-guided tour of the underwater environment, showing the habitual locations of many interesting, and often rare, critters. The dives are preceded by a thorough briefing on both the underwater topology and the likely critters to be seen. Books with good photographs are used (one of which was written by Pauline Fiene, the owner) so that the divers will know what they might see. If you began the dive with a buddy, both divers are expected to start up when the first diver reaches 700 psi. If you dive with someone who uses air at a vastly different rate, this could be problematic. If you came by yourself, they won't arbitrarily pair you with someone, so you will have more flexibility. If you sip air, you can dive your own computer profile without pre-set time/depth limits.

We dove Molikini Crater every day because recent heavy rains made the viz poor at the dive sites near shore. Late in our trip, after the rains abated, we were able to dive the Landing Craft, the St. Anthony's Wreck, and 85 Foot Pinnacle. Each of these sites has its own interesting collection of resident critters, and the divemasters made a great effort to point them out.

If you really don't like guided tours, this might not be your operator of choice, but you might miss out on some interesting finds.

The boat is meticulously maintained, and takes a maximum of 12 divers. The snack table is loaded with yummy fresh cookies, tasty sticky buns, and salty snacks like nuts, crackers and pretzels. Fruit, soda, water and hot coffee are also provided.

The crew was friendly and fun. Each diver was polled as to what he/she would like to see on the dive, and that information was used as one of the criteria for site selection. Crew members happily entertained questions on local flora and fauna. They also ascertained the experience level of each diver so that no one would be placed in a situation in which they might not be comfortable.

I was with my girlfriend who is a newbie to diving. I am an Assistant Instructor with a lot of experience. We were both happy with the approach taken by Mike Severns Diving, and wouldn't hesitate to use them again. Thanks, gals and guys!

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Caymans, Bahamas, Roatan, Belize, Cozumel, Turks & Caicos, San Diego, Vancouver, Fiji, Cabo San Lucas, La Paz, San Carlos, Arizona
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, dry Seas calm, choppy
Water Temp 80-81°F / 27-27°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 50-150 Ft/ 15-46 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions If you came with a buddy, you stay with your buddy. Solo divers not so regulated.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas None
Dolphins 1 or 2 Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 1 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

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

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments A small corner of the deck was set aside for cameras, but no rinse buckets or setup tables were available.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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