Need advice on Maui water excursions

[CatLovers]

You know what they say -- "when in doubt, go to TUG." (well, okay, if they don't say it, they should!)

We are going to Maui for the first time for two weeks in February, and it is likely that we will probably not return (at least for a while), so I want to make sure that we use our time there wisely. There are four things we absolutely want to do and I'd appreciate TUGgers advice on which companies to use, timing, advice, pretty much anything you think we should know.

1. Trip to the island of Lana'i - if the snorkeling is good there, we'd like to get some in as well. I know that Trilogy is the only one that goes "right to the island", but is there really that much difference between Trilogy and the other operators?
2. Snorkeling at Molokini - would love to do two snorkeling stops on this one, and I know that many operators do Molokini and Turtle Town. Any that you recommend?
3. Whale watching - should we do a tour on its own, or will we see whales on some of the other excursions we are looking at? We like listening to knowledgeable guides, so is it worth going on a tour that focuses only on whale watching? There is a another active thread right now recommending Ultimate - how rough is the ride with them?
4. Snuba - I know that several companies include snuba on their Molokini snorkeling tours, but are there any that snuba anywhere other than Molokini?

We are "water-babies" and love to snorkel and spend our time in and around the water, so we plan on doing lots of day-excursions on our own as well to beaches where you can swim out to snorkel. The above four are just things where we think we should use a "tour" company.

One last thing, if the water is really rough (like it was traveling for 2 hours from Kauai to Nihau island in March), my husband can be prone to seasickness. Would we be looking at this type of rough water for any of the options listed above? Or can I reassure my husband that he will be fine?

 

[DeniseM]

[*]Trip to the island of Lana'i - if the snorkeling is good there, we'd like to get some in as well. I know that Trilogy is the only one that goes "right to the island", but is there really that much difference between Trilogy and the other operators?

Trilogy is the only boat that is licensed to anchor in the marine preserve on Lanai. I would skip Molokini (which sometimes has dozens of boats out there) and just do the Lanai trip. Molokini is over-snorkeled and isn't what it used to be.

[*]Whale watching - should we do a tour on its own, or will we see whales on some of the other excursions we are looking at? We like listening to knowledgeable guides, so is it worth going on a tour that focuses only on whale watching? There is a another active thread right now recommending Ultimate - how rough is the ride with them?

You will see whales on Trilogy or any other snorkel trip and they have knowledgable guides.

One last thing, if the water is really rough (like it was traveling for 2 hours from Kauai to Nihau island in March), my husband can be prone to seasickness. Would we be looking at this type of rough water for any of the options listed above? Or can I reassure my husband that he will be fine?

It's winter and it's the stormy season, so any trip can be rough. If he is prone to sea sickness he should take Bonine the night before and again the morning of the trip. He should also avoid alcohol the night before and eat lightly in the morning.