This entry was posted on Friday, June 13th, 2008 at 12:43 pm and is filed under About, Adventure Cruises, Snorkeling, Snuba. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
When visitors come to Maui to get into the clear, warm, blue waters of the Pacific, many do not know about a growing sport called SNUBA (a combination of snorkel and SCUBA). So, if you are the adventurous type and maybe would like more of a challenge than snorkeling offers, SNUBA is for you!
We can all probably agree that it is a real privilege to get into the water and observe the local animals from the surface, but have you ever found yourself wondering what that little creature down there is doing? With SNUBA you can dive down to around 25’, while wearing a weight belt, but not the tank. The tank stays at the surface resting in a small raft while you and a partner each wear a regulator. This allows you the advantage of coming eye-to-eye with that little octopus, crabs foraging for food, or possibly observing, first hand, that a sea star can be quite a speedy critter.
There are many tour companies that offer SNUBA while you are on a snorkel cruise. One of the best advantages of SNUBA is, unlike SCUBA, you don’t have to be 12 years old, so this allows children and parents to venture down to the reefs together. Most instructors will take children as young as 9 and as old as the youngest in heart. The best part is that no experience is necessary.
How this works is quite uncomplicated. A certified SCUBA instructor will hold a brief class while you are cruising out to Molokini. All questions will be answered, fears eased, reef etiquette will be taught, and a fish identification class may also be taught. Depending on the company, equipment will be all inclusive of the price, which varies between $40 - $60 additional to your snorkel price. This is really quite a bargain and, in this writer’s opinion, well worth the trial investment. For parents, who may have a budding Jacques Cousteau in one of your children, most of the fun with this exciting sport is watching the excitement while studying a crab drag a prize into its den, or observing two fish fighting over the same piece of seaweed. Most dives will last 20-30 minutes.
For many, SNUBA is a stepping stone for SCUBA and most certainly opens up a whole new angle to getting in the ocean. The next step would be to take a class in off shore diving. So, quit thinking about it. Take the plunge for a truly unforgettable experience!
