Visit Date: March 2012

- FORGET SCUBA SHACK! They are the cheapest and they don’t charge for equipment, however they make their money by shuffling the herd to the fastest place they can dump you in the water and meet the obligations of your agreement.  The crew isn’t going to show you much. I was very surprised that the captain strongly encouraged to NOT use a snorkel. In fact he even stated that if you went snorkeling you "were not going to be diving with him again". I am a very experienced diver and a snorkel is a key piece of safety equipment e.g. if you should find yourself on top with no air and in rough water. Both dives I did were drift dives and they dropped us in the water and made us swim against the current using all our air.  The current was very strong and by the time we got to the area of interest the dive was over – ridiculous.  The captain has an unhealthy obsession with peeing in websuits. They have a fast boat and the captain likes to spin it around to show it off at the end of the dive. I have a fast boat too and while I enjoy that sort of thing I could see the rest of the passengers getting sick - that maneuver was just childish. Is the equipment they use new? not really..

I thought it was funny to read someone else’s review mentioning "not my cup of tea and no pee in wetsuit policy".  Believe me nothing has changed. Also he leaves at 6:15 sharp.  If you miss it, the owner does not care at all, will not refund your money and will make ZERO effort to put you on another boat. worst of all, he has thiis smug little attitiude suggesting it's not my problem buddy. If at all possible you should use your own.

I also dove with Lahaina divers.  Did a day and night dive. Very professional, helpful and courteous. B & B leaves from the same boat ramp.

Overall, I would highly recommend diving in Belize for the greatest bang for you buck.

Good luck!

Visit Date: October 2010

There were 4 advanced divers in our group. We all had a great time. Toby our guide was great...hot Val the captain..well..she's cute as heck and a great captain! The diving was pretty good...Hawaii isn't great diving...there are no soft corals or sponges but they do have some pretty cool stuff found no where else. Their boat is super fast, twin turbo diesel engines..need i say more.

Something they could work on is repetition of dive sites. We did 4 dive days with them and saw the same second dive 3 times...i could have led the dive i knew it like the back of my hand. Other than that, they are professional, safe, fun and attentive without being annoying!

We'd dive with them again for sure!

Visit Date: October 2009

Seriously, Charlie has one of the fastest dive boats you'll ever get on. It makes well north of 40kts and uses jet drives - so it might not be fatal if he hits a turtle or whale. Seriously, though it's only ~15 minutes to run from the Kihei boat ramp to Molokini. Since you have to be at the boat at 5:45am, you'll be back at the ramp by 10:30am with a full day ahead of you. Also, you'll only have to share Molokini with one other boat at that hour - instead of having 200 other divers in the water.

The boat is brand new and most of the rental gear is pretty close to the same. It's all top quality gear and it's great to only need to carry your mask and camera in these days of checked baggage fees. Other good points include the fact that they provide snacks before you leave and a muffins, bagels and fruit between dives. Oh, and did I mention the hot shower on the stern!

The crew is generally pretty awesome. The owner Charlie is a character and you definitely should hope to have him aboard. If not, Captain Valerie will take good care of you along with the dual dive masters. Everyone has an great sense of humor for people that do the same thing every day. They do take dive site requests and endeavor to point out interesting critters.

That's the good news. The bad news is that you're out there so early in the morning that you miss a lot of color from the lack of sunlight. Also, they always go to Molokini for dive #1 and somewhere along Makena for dive #2. If you're only diving for 3-5 days, you'll never repeat a dive. However, if you were hoping to dive the Carthaginian or Lanai, you'll need to book with a different operation. However, these folks are so far superior to Lahaina Divers, it's a worthwhile sacrifice - especially given the time you'll save if you're staying in Kihei. (I do agree with the other review comments about them running an excessively tight ship with regards to schedule and being shamelessly self-promotional. The latter is good business, the former is not when you're giving everyone a computer. I'll ding them on the lack of computer orientation and encouraging everyone to log their dives.)

Visit Date: July 2007

We have travelled many places. Rarely is an organization so bad that I am compelled to write a negative review. However, stay away from Scuba Shack! First off, their high ratings result from a concerted effort to convince people to give positive reviews in exchange for a photo taken during the dive. The owner, Charlie, has a wierd obsession with not pissing in a wetsuit. Not an issue for me, but as far as I see it, if you own it- piss in it! Also, there is plenty of attitude around the boat. You will feel more like a third grader on a field trip than an adult on vacation. They pretty much think Maui is the only place on Earth with coral and fish... I do love Maui though! Lastly, if you sip air, your dive will be cut short, I surfaced with 2,000 PSI after swimming around. Your second dive will likely occur at a site easily and safely accesed by shore diving. Scubaboard.com and other resources will help guide your shore dives. Anyhow, if you cant tell, Scuba Shack is by far the worst charter we have ever paid for.

Visit Date: March 2009

My newly certified daughter and myself (30 years of diving experience) booked two days of diving with Scuba Shack in March 2009. They were very well organized and friendly. Each day started with meeting them at the boat launch at 5:45am. There they assigned us gear (remembering our exact size on the second day) and had basic breakfast snacks available. These ran out rather quickly and were of very basic quality. This is the one aspect they could improve on.

Once on the water, we very quickly arrived at our destination, beating other boats that left earlier than us. With all the gear and a full boat, there isn't a lot of room to move around, but it is still comfortable. Each day consisted of two dives. The dive masters made sure to check where we had been on the previous day to make sure to take us elsewhere on the second day to give us a unique experience. They were attentive to our needs while diving and made sure everything was done safely and respected the environment.

We were provided basic snacks between the dives and returned to the boat launch around 10:00 am each day.

The gear is top-notch and includes such items as dive computers and integrated weight belts. I felt very comfortable using their equipment as it's obviously very well maintained.

The dives were amazing! We saw a number of things that I'd never experienced before. Definitely worth it!

I strongly recommend Scuba Shack.