The Polynesian adventure

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO ED

Ed Robinson’s Diving Adventures

Ed Robinson’s world is defined by diving — the best diving Maui has to offer. Ed has been operating off Maui for 35 years, so he’s as close as anyone can be to the island’s intimate nuances and spectacular thrills. Ed’s also a top-notch underwater photographer, and his knowledge of Hawaii’s unique marine life is keen and considerable — a claim that’s true of his team, too. Most come to work for Ed and never leave, a testament to man and island both.

Ed Robinson’s Diving Adventures (ERDA), which operates from Kihei, caters primarily to divers with experience, and the dive menu reflects that. Since Kihei is only about 20 minutes from Molokini Crater,  chances are each morning will find one of Ed’s two custom dive boats slicing a path through the blue toward the site. Here, the Back Wall offers PADI advanced divers a sheer dropoff that faces 1,000 miles of Pacific Ocean. Anything can show up here: whitetip reef sharks, manta rays, dolphins. But the most spectacular element of the dive is the sight of the wall slipping off into the deep and the play of light in 150-plus feet of visibility.

Nearby, the site known as Reef’s End is a bit more productive for marine-life encounters. Whitetip reef sharks abound here, as do battalions of Moorish idols, raccoon butterflyfish, masked angelfish, moray eels and bluestriped snapper. And if it’s small, stealthy and shy, Ed’s staff will most likely find it. With so much marine-biology expertise on hand, the critter count mounts throughout the dive. You’ll come out of the water a much more observant and fulfilled diver; better yet, you’ll have even more stories to tell.

THE ONE-STOP HOUSE OF ADVENTURE

Maui Dive Shop

Especially in a place with as many distractions as Maui, dive travelers often explore the last frontier in the morning and seek terrestrial adventures in the afternoon. Maui Dive Shop knows that, so they specialize in making the most of your island hours. After all, you can sleep when you’re on the plane home.

Slideshow   Polynesian paradise The Hawaiian Islands are the perfect vacation destination for travelers of all types. more photos

That said, though, you can dive all day if you like, and on Tuesdays and Fridays you can slip into the other side of reef life on a two-tank night dive. I prefer diving at night because I see so much more on the reef, especially color. Just thinking about it I get the same feeling in my stomach I once got on first dates: a blend of magical anticipation and mystery.

Maui Dive Shop plans the first evening dive around dusk. You get to know the reef before the sun sets and then see the changing of the guard. Play a light over the reef and the eyes of shrimp, crabs and lobsters shine back. Tiger cowries ease from daytime hideouts and eels emerge to hunt for dinner. On my last trip I spent an entire night dive following an octopus on the hunt, watching it change color and texture right before my eyes.

Between dives, Maui Dive Shop can arrange for you to bike, raft, hike, take a helicopter tour or rent a jeep. Try biking down Haleakala (after you’ve off-gassed and your no-fly time has cleared). Seeing the sunrise there is like watching the earth come alive, and then it’s one nonstop downhill thrill ride from 10,000 feet to sea level.

MORE FROM HAWAII TRAVEL

Hawaii Travel Section Front

True Hawaii Sacred territory Hawaii: A diver’s paradise Hawaii getting used to strict smoking ban Hawaiian cruise tips for thrifty travelers Aloha weddings Historic palace damaged, but blessed Hawaii looks to calm edgy tourists Hawaii dream vacations turn into nightmares The Polynesian adventure Hawaii Travel Section Front   Add Hawaii Travel headlines to your news reader: