This dive is for the ardent environmentalists who want a more laid-back Maui activity. Unlike other scuba charters, Mike Severns Diving doesn’t put a limit on your underwater time. You can explore at your own pace and see as much as you want. At your request, a dive instructor will come with you and show you around Maui’s fascinating marine paradise. Beginners, amateurs, and certified divers are all accommodated, and the staff is more than willing to assist first-timers.

Another thing that sets Mike Severns apart is that they don’t have “guaranteed” dive sites. Instead, they go wherever the weather allows, depending on visibility, surf, and your own preferences. They know Maui weather like the back of their hand, so they can tell which sites are best to visit on a given day. A typical tour includes a stop at Molokini, except on very rough days. Other common dive sites include the Back Wall of Molokini, St Anthony’s Wreck, Makena, La Perouse Bay, and the 85-foot Pinnacle.

Whale watching is also offered in the winter, but the best time to go is from February to March. Although the humpbacks start arriving in October, they don’t appear regularly until late in the season. Again, you can take as much time as you want on the whale watch, and go back for a dive if you feel like it.

The two-tank, one-day dive trip costs $130 with mask, tanks, fins and weights included. You can rent other gear such as a regulator, BC and wetsuit for $5 each. If you decide to dive the next day, you get $15 off the fees. Here’s the best thing: every day you dive, Mike Severns donates one dollar to the Maui Reef Fund, a private charity that protects the coastal environment of Maui.

For more info and reservations visit http://www.mikesevernsdiving.com/