Masked Boobies at Molokini – First Verified Sighting

Mike Severns Diving Maui - History/Events, Molokini Crater Leave a Comment

Last August we reported the first verified sighting of Red-footed boobies at Molokini. During the 20 years prior to that the only large seabirds that we had seen roosting on Molokini were Great frigatebirds, so it was very exciting to see the Redfoots. They stayed for about two weeks and then were gone. The frigatebirds too left for the winter. …

Is it true that the Navy is planning to detonate old ordnance in the Molokini Marine Life Conservation District in July 2020? The record shows how devastating this was after detonations at Molokini in the 1970s and 1980s.

Mike Severns Diving Maui - History/Events, Molokini Crater 14 Comments

Molokini Marine Life Conservation District has been a protected sanctuary for marine life for over 43 years. It is open to anyone lucky enough to have a boat or kayak or outrigger canoe. No anchoring is allowed. A permit is required to operate a commercial vessel there. And all visitors, snorkelers, and divers must read and sign a 300-word acknowledgment …

Keawakapu Artificial Reef Was Begun With Junked Cars, Parts Of Which Can Still Be Seen by Divers

Mike Severns Diving Diving on Maui, Maui - History/Events, Maui Wreck Dives 3 Comments

If not for automobiles, a popular artificial reef in waters off of Kihei, Maui would not exist. If you’ve been to the Keawakapu artificial reef, you know that this site is made up of about 2,000 automobile tire modules. These modules were constructed by putting 8 tires next to each other on edge and setting them in a concrete base. …

Ahupua‘a signs now installed in South Maui

Mike Severns Diving Maui - History/Events 8 Comments

Have you seen the beautiful new ahupua‘a signs appearing along South Maui roadways (South Kihei Road, Pi‘ilani Hwy and Mokulele Hwy) during the last six months? These are not the plain state or county signs telling drivers to do this/don’t do that, but handsome signs in rich colors with Hawaiian words and pictures of plants and animals from the land …

Identifying A Mystery Bottle from a Sunken WWII wreck off Makena, Maui

Mike Severns Diving Diving on Maui, Maui - History/Events, Maui Wreck Dives 12 Comments

During WWII the Kihei-Makena coastline of Maui was an important training area for U.S. Marines headed to the Pacific. The sandy beaches were good for practicing beach assaults with amphibious tractors (AMTRACS) which were also known as LVTs (Landing Vehicles Tracked). For unknown reasons, some of these vehicles ended up submerged in relatively shallow water (60-80 feet), and are now some of our favorite …

Part Two – Juvenile Blacklip Butterflyfish (Chaetodon kleinii)

MikeSevernsDiving Diving on Maui, Marine Life, Maui - History/Events 5 Comments

Swarming divers and turtles in competition for food Strength in numbers is not a phrase that applies to the recent settlement of estimated millions of Blacklip Butterflyfish (Chaetodon kleinii) at Molokini and off the south coast of Maui. This many fish compete mightily for the limited amount of available food. We didn’t realize how serious the competition was until we had …