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I had a thrill diving into the crater of Molokini but the Carthaginian II was the only opportunity I had to go wreck diving while diving in Maui. You go diving this shipwreck you only need to walk to the Lahaina town centre’s marina to board your scuba diving boat. Once onboard, it only takes about 15 minutes to be ready to dive. It must be the most accessible dive site of all Maui Island.
The steel-hulled sailing boat built in 1920, was brought to Lahaina, Maui, in 1973 to serve as a floating museum to explain the past whaling industry of the town. She was sunk in 2005 to create an artificial reef on a superb white sandy bottom.
It was such an exciting dive with excellent visibility and a close encounter with a white-tip shark along the hull at 30 m deep and an adorable pink scorpionfish on the deck. Ideally, start with the deepest part near the sandy bottom to check the propeller before getting back to the deck to look for macro critters there. To respect the non-decompression time of your dive computer and a safety stop, the total time of this dive is usually between 40 and 45 minutes.
When staying in Lahaina, Maui, don’t miss the opportunity to go wreck diving in Maui with Lahaina Divers, they go to the Carthaginian II every Monday afternoon. You need to be an advanced diver to dive deeper than 18 m, but appart from this, it’s an easy dive.
In the meantime, put the music on and explore the Carthaginian II shipwreck with me!
Do you need more information to plan your dive trip to Maui? Check these additional articles about scuba diving in Maui:
- Shore diving in Maui: Hawaii’s best-kept secret
- Should you snorkel or scuba dive in Molokini Crater?
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