Maui Snuba is the Perfect Blend of Scuba and Snorkeling
The beautiful island of Maui attracts visitors with its beautiful beaches, abundant sea life, and warm teal waters. Some water sport adventurers prefer Maui’s snorkeling, floating languidly at the surface and gliding gently through the water, hovering above the sea life they are viewing. This is a comfortable place for those who have not spent a great deal of time in the ocean, but it can sometimes be difficult to get an up-close view of the sea life. Generally, only advanced snorkelers have the ability to dive down and completely submerge.
Others prefer to scuba dive in Maui, becoming completely immersed in the underwater world. Scuba allows you the freedom to really explore your surroundings, but it involves wearing cumbersome equipment and going through a lengthy certification process. This may not be very convenient for the person who only swims in the ocean once or twice each year, or is on a short vacation.
Maui Snuba offers the best of both worlds. It allows the swimmer to swim at any depth with which they are comfortable, limited only by the length of the air hose they breathe from. There is no lengthy certification process, and the swimmer does not need to wear any bulky equipment.
How Maui Snuba Works
Snuba is a patented system that allows the swimmer to breathe through a 20-foot hose. The air line is attached to a traditional scuba tank, which is mounted on a small, lightweight raft. As the swimmer moves through the water, the raft follows along. The only equipment the swimmer needs to wear while submerged is a mask, fins, and a light harness attached to your Maui Snuba raft.
A swimmer can remain submerged below the surface for up to an hour at a time in the waters of Maui. Snuba also offers the freedom to swim near the surface or dive deeper, depending upon the swimmer’s comfort level. This allows the Maui Snuba participant much greater freedom to explore coral reefs, or follow schools of tropical fish or the graceful sea turtles.
Certification is easy and only involves a 15 to 20 minute safety and equipment familiarization briefing. All Maui Snuba operators are experienced dive professionals who will not only provide you with your initial introduction, but will remain in the water with you in the event you need assistance.
Anyone in good health can enjoy Snuba, including children at least eight years of age. Those who have heart conditions or are asthmatic should not participate.
Where to Snuba in Maui
Many of the dive and snorkel tour operators in Maui also offer Snuba. These combined snorkel/Snuba or dive/Snuba boat tours visit all of the popular dive and snorkel locations, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the plentiful sea life that lives in Maui. Snuba is a great experience for young and old, as interacting with the miracles of underwater sea life is an incredible experience for anyone visiting Maui.
Molokini Crater is a popular area for Maui Snuba adventures. Not all of the dive locations within the Molokini Crater area are accessible to snorkelers, but several can be explored and enjoyed by Snuba – allowing you to see much more of the exciting sea life that lives in the Molokini underwater oasis.
The many turtle habitats visited by dive and snorkel boat tours are also an excellent place to for Maui Snuba. The turtles glide slowly through the water, and it is possible to swim along near them for extended periods of time. Snuba allows you the opportunity to interact more closely with these graceful underwater creatures, perfecting your Maui experience.
If you are visiting Maui, Snuba should be considered for your list of adventures. Your enhanced underwater experience will make you glad you did.
