Leaving for Maui on the 15th!!!!

[fireman26m]

I'm leaving for sunny and warm MAUI on the 15th. I'm so excited I'm about to burst. I've got 9 snorkle trips planned already!!! My brother lives there and is working on getting me a permit for aquatic collection for aquarium purposes. I'm mostly just going to collect inverts. I may come back with a little extra My local LFS is wanting a few things. I'm going through all the legal redtape at the moment and filing all the forms. Then I've got to file the collection total forms when I leave.

I just can't wait to see a school of Moorish Idols swimming next to me!! (Not on my collection list). It's also going to be Humpback season!!!!

I've already got 10 underwater disposable cameras so be prepared for a slide show when I get back!!!!

Fireman

 

[BDAWG]

I'm so friggin' jealous. Have a good time! Can't wait to see the pictures!

 

[The Matt]

Sweet I am going on the 16th. Where are you staying?

Matt

 

[Thumper]

Both of you stink, I dont want to hear about your crappy vacations, LOL Just kidding I'm freaking jealous to say the least. I've always wanted to go their and go snorkling.

 

[fireman26m]

I'll be staying with my brother in Lahaina on the west side (where the best snokeling is!). I couldn't afford it if I had to stay in a hotel....fireman don't make that much....lol. Where are you staying? Maybe we can meet up at Black Rock for some snorkeling!!!

I was gonna do some scuba dives but the wife will be 6 1/2 mo pregnant and I wouldn't want to leave her out....she'd kill me.

2 full weeks of NOT THE FIREHOUSE!!!!! 1st real vacation in 10yrs. (not including weekend trips.)

 

[electrikat]

We leave on April 8 for 9 days on Maalaa'a Bay or something like that. Its below Lahaina and above Kehei. We are really looking forward to the snorkeling too. Hope you have a great time and looking forward to the reviews when you get back.

 

[austinsdad]

10 disposable cameras! So, whatcha going to do on the second day?

Have a blast! I did Cancun a few years back and took my first snorkelling trip. Then, I started my tank.

 

[The Matt]

I am staying at Napili Point. Black Rock had great snorkeling last time I was there. I was chased by a killer Sea Turtle. If you want to go on a fishing trip book a place on the Maka Kai. They are really nice. It has a on board bar (I'm still to young to drink). I cant wait.

Matt

 

[JamesR]

Black rock is excellent for snorkeling. The Maui Ocean center is cool as well.

Jim

 

[mle421]

im so jealous of all of you. my only vacation this year was to pittsburgh.

 

[wlam18]

Mr. Fireman, where do you find the "permit for aquatic collection for aquarium purposes?" I like to do the same but I have budget for any trip yet.

 

[lando]

Have fun and post some pics of the loot.

 

[peterac]

Are you going to male it out to Molokini (not sure if I spelled that right)?

Have a great time!

 

[peterac]

Just curious, is it going to be hard to catch anything? I am going to the Florida Keys in a few weeks and I would like to look into a similar situation. How hard is it to catch fich while snorkeling?

Pete R.

 

[Wolf]

Yeah, what exactly is going to be your collecting method for fish?

 

[Felf]

sorry this is long...

i used to skin dive a lot but not on maui where the fish are friendly because they're constantly being bombarded with tourists but not fisherman. you dont have to have a full body wetsuit or anything, just common sense. the best way to collect fish that i've heard of is using those really long suction tubes (idk what they're called) you pull back the plunger and the water gets sucked up; that's basically it. dont splash a lot (keep your fins underwater by turning your body sidewards) and dont chase the fish (of course), they should come to you if they havent seen too many divers before. make sure you're not in a marine sanctuary (maui has a large portion of coastline where the taking of fish isnt allowed for so many yards offshore). if you really want them to come to you then chum the water with some limu (seaweed) from the rocks or buy some nori from a local market. if you're gonna net them from the rocks then make sure you dont cast a shadow on the water and stay as low profile as possible. shrimp love hiding under rocks so if you find a rock in the middle of a barren plain of sand lift it up and scoop as fast as you can or run your net as fast as you can along the shore rocks but not before reinforcing it with heavy fishing line around the rim. there's a lot of green bubble looking stuff that floats around (i think it's a type of algae) that provides homes for inverts so look out for that. small caves are often lined with candycane shrimp and large caves are often lined with spiny lobsters but lobsters can only be taken in the months that end with "er" (eels are almost always in the same cave so look out). watch for crab shells and holes if you want an octopus but you'll need a spear or stick to "tickle" them out of the hole. if i think of anything else i'll let you know or you can pm me.

 

[Wolf]

Thanks Felf. Kudos to you!

 

[Felf]

np oh yeah and harbors are also good places to go because there're flat concrete slabs that do minimum damage to your scoop nets but inverts also love sitting on them and are clearly visible; i even scooped up a 6 inch cuttle fish once! you absolutely have to get a net with a long handle. the only problem with harbors is the potential for chemical pollutants so make sure the water looks clean but a light brown silt color is usually just from the initial dredging and dirt blown into the water (visible oil slicks are a definite no-no). i've only been to Lahaina harbor but that is the main one on the island and the water is crystal clear. if you really wanna get fish without a problem, then go off on your own with only a DIVE BUDDY OR TWO to minimize the amount of splashing in an area where there's no undertow or strong current. SAFETY FIRST

 

[fireman26m]

Yeah....it's just going to be me and my brother doing the collection. I'm going to be using nets exclusively. I'm primarily just aiming for inverts but if the right fish comes by..... .

The permit comes from the Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, Div. of Aquatic Resources. There is a local office there in Lahaina I think.

For all those who are jealous the term "neener, neener" comes to mind but I don't know why.......

Fireman

 

[Felf]

idk if you have time or want to but the island of Lanai is approximately 5 miles from Maui and i believe there's way more fish since the local population is very very small. opihi (limpets) are a delicacy here and Lanai has the most and the largest that i have ever seen in my life so to me that's a clear indication of availability as far as fish collecting goes. the last time i was there, the ferry from Maui to Lanai was $25 one way but if you do that then you're on your own once you get there (not recommended). if you're lucky your snorkeling excersions will be at Molokini and/or Lanai. it'll be like an all you can eat buffet but dont expect to find lots of inverts out in the open in 5+ feet of water. the harbor is your best bet especially at night; you'll be surprised what you'll see staring back at you on the concrete slabs, carpets, pillars, tires and even swimming around on the surface

good luck