A new scuba diving app built from the ground up by a passionate local diver has just launched on the App Store and Google Play Store, and it is already positioning itself as one of the most practical tools for anyone planning to dive in Maui.
The Maui Dive Guide is exactly what it sounds like, but with far more depth than most destination apps. Designed, tested, and refined by a diver who spent months exploring the island’s coastline, it brings together detailed information on over 50 shore dive sites, making it a powerful companion for independent divers.
Built by a Diver, Not a Developer First
Unlike many generic travel apps, this one started with a simple idea: make shore diving in Maui easier, safer, and more accessible without needing expensive guided trips.
After retiring, the app’s creator dedicated months to building it, combining hands-on diving experience with careful documentation of sites, access points, and marine life. The result is something that feels far closer to a personal dive logbook crossed with a field guide than a typical app listing.
There is a clear authenticity here. Every feature reflects real-world use rather than theory.
Why Maui, and Why Shore Diving?
Maui is often overlooked compared to destinations that focus heavily on boat diving, but it offers a huge advantage: accessibility.
With more swimmable beaches than any other Hawaiian island, Maui naturally lends itself to shore diving. That means:
- Lower costs compared to boat charters
- Greater flexibility to dive on your own schedule
- The ability to explore more frequently
For budget-conscious certified divers, this is where the app becomes particularly valuable. It effectively removes the barrier of needing a guide, provided you have the experience and a buddy, or are trained and confident as a solo diver.
What the App Actually Does
At its core, the Maui Dive Guide is a navigation and discovery tool built specifically for divers.
It includes:
- A map view and list view of dive sites
- Detailed site breakdowns including entry points, parking, and underwater landmarks
- Marine life identification sections with high-quality imagery
- Visual references for both topside and underwater navigation
The landmark system is especially useful for shore diving, where knowing exactly where to enter and what to look for underwater can make or break a dive.
The “Kamaʻāina Mode”: A Smart Approach to Sensitive Sites
One of the most interesting features is something called Kamaʻāina mode, a hidden setting that unlocks additional dive sites.
By default, users see around 23 sites. The remaining locations are intentionally restricted because they:
- Require local knowledge
- May be difficult or hazardous to access
- Are environmentally or culturally sensitive
- Could be negatively impacted by overexposure
Access is available through a code-based process, but the developer encourages divers to obtain it responsibly, either through local connections or by contacting the app directly.
It is a thoughtful balance between sharing information and protecting the very environments divers want to explore.
Free to Use, Built as a Passion Project
Perhaps the most surprising part is that the app is completely free.
The developer openly describes it as a “labour of love”, created not as a primary income stream but as something they genuinely wanted to build and share with the diving community.
There is a light commercial element through a linked photography store, where users can purchase prints and digital downloads of marine life images featured in the app. Beyond that, the focus remains firmly on usability and value.
Who This App Is For
The Maui Dive Guide is not trying to be everything to everyone. It is clearly aimed at:
- Certified divers planning a trip to Maui
- Experienced shore divers looking for independence
- Budget-conscious travellers avoiding boat dive costs
- Underwater photographers and marine life enthusiasts
- Freedivers exploring accessible offshore sites
Beginners may still benefit from guided dives initially, but once comfortable, this app becomes a powerful tool for exploring more of what Maui has to offer.
What’s Coming Next
This is not a static project. The developer has already outlined future plans, including:
- Allowing users to add their own landmark pins
- Expanding site data and refining hidden locations
- Launching a Maui Snorkel Guide version
- Building a global dive guide platform with user-submitted sites, reviewed for quality
If executed well, that final idea could evolve into something far bigger than a single-island app.
A Different Kind of Dive App
In a market filled with generic travel tools and scattered dive information, the Maui Dive Guide stands out because it feels grounded in real diving.
It is practical, locally informed, and built with a clear understanding of what divers actually need when standing on a shoreline, looking out at the ocean, and deciding where to enter.
For anyone heading to Maui with a tank on their back and a sense of independence, it is well worth downloading.
Comments
5 Comments
The diver that created this has been banned by multiple dive shops on island. I would not trust a single thing in this app. He now has to fill his own air tanks because the local shops will no longer allow him access. I would not take the risk.
Dear Concerned Local,
Be concerned not!
If you are who I think you are, I have 23 more years of experience diving on Maui than you do, and likely thousands more dives here too.
And why the anonymity? Afraid to own the unfounded things you say about me?
Please see my reply to Rae Dee below to learn about the truth behind the “bans” at 2 dive shops (2 is technically “multiple”, but “a couple” would have been more honest) and why I fill my own tanks (saves me $200 /month!).
Aloha
Have a nice life.
I am shocked to see The Scuba News promote this app.
The diver who built this app is an incredibly dangerous diver who has been banned from our local shops here on Maui, as well as from our local dive boat operations. I say this as a resident diver who received very VERY bizarre and disturbing messages from this individual that were explicit in nature, as well as when on a dive, he separated himself and myself from the group because he did not care to stay safely with the dive master (which is why he has been banned from other dive boats). He has continuously harassed multiple dive shop owners and has even had to purchase his own compressor because no business will work with him on island. I’m unsure of how he will be getting his viz inspections done on his tanks which will not be safe after they expire. This is something to consider as a huge part of our dive community here on Maui does not wish to dive or interact with this individual.
PLEASE IF YOU’RE GOING TO USE THIS APP, BE CAREFUL. I PERSONALLY WOULD NOT TRUST THIS APP DUE TO THE BEHAVIORS OF THE CREATOR.
LMAO. How am I a dangerous diver? Please give an example.
MDDC only banned b e after I told them I would no longer spend my money at their business, not because of any behavior. It was their behavior that made me not want to use their shop or boat anymore. And because of something Christina said to me, sharing a false rumor, I confronted the one who must’ve started the rumor at the other shop and they then banned me after a interaction that lasted less than a minute:
Me: “Why did you start that rumor about me?”
Tech at other shop: “I don’t know what you are talking about”
Me: “Bullshit”
Tech: “You’s banned, don’t ever come back”
Sure, I could have not said “Bullshit” and then likely would not have been banned, but I didn’t care as I never used that shop anyway due to their 3% CC fee they charge for the privilege of shopping at their store.
And my decision to pump my own tanks? I save $200 a month and was planning to do that before I got “banned.” I ordered the compressor when I decided I would no longer give MDDC or Maui Diving my business anymore.
Get your facts straight, please. And stop with the defamation please.
I would like to address the other points you tried to make:
“I say this as a resident diver who received very VERY bizarre and disturbing messages from this individual that were explicit in nature”
That message I sent you with the explicit story was relating the explicit story that was told to me by the instructor for my MFA/CPR course and he was the reason I decided not to finish my divemaster renewal with MDDC. The rumor I thought you shared (perhaps I was mistaken on that) was that I did not complete with MDDC because I wanted to cut corners and not fulfill all of the requirements. That was not true, so I explained the real reason to you and gave that explicit story as an example of the unprofessionalism of MDDC’s lead instructor and the only one available to do my divemaster renewal. So I completed with an independent instructor that you likely know and liaised directly with PADI to make sure I completed all requirements. Please stop misrepresenting things in order to disparage me.
“… as well as when on a dive, he separated himself and myself from the group because he did not care to stay safely with the dive master (which is why he has been banned from other dive boats).”
First I was not banned from Maui Diamond, they just wanted me to hire a private guide at an extra $300 because they can’t tell their divemasters to keep track of their divers.
As for the experience where I got separated with YOU. What was unsafe? I was with you and you were a divemaster for the group. LMAO. We also caught up with the group without issue moments later. Again, what was unsafe? What is unsafe is when a divemaster swims away and leaves a diver behind on their own, which happened all the time on Maui Diamond and sometimes on your boat. Now, I am a confident solo diver, divemaster myself, and have over 6,000 dives, so I thought they were just giving me latitude. I always found the group or made my way back to the boat with no issues. But one time, the divemaster actually cared about me and when they realized I was gone, they actually did the lost diver procedure (the first time on that boat that they did that in 3 years an 40 charters of me diving with them) Anyway, after that, the GM called me and told me I need to pay for a private guide if I want to dive on their boat again. Well, that won’t happen so even if they did ban me, I would not care.
As an example, a local dive company lost a diver (died) in 2025 on a shore dive when they got separated from the group due to exhaustion (as reported). So what if when I got “separated” I was not just pausing to take a photo but was unconscious? It is the divemasters responsibility to maintain contact with their group. Period. Because the diver may not be able to.
There may be exceptions, like in Mexico on liveaboards, they understand the ease with which people can get separated from the group, so they make sure everyone has a buddy and every diver has an SMB and they give instructions on what to do if you get separated and have to surface. I love those dives. But if the dive is briefed as a group dive and the expectation is that the whole group stay together, then the only person who can guarantee that is the divemaster by using proper group control techniques, which when I was a full time dive pro, we discussed all the times and got very creative.
“He has continuously harassed multiple dive shop owners”
Blatantly false.
“This is something to consider as a huge part of our dive community here on Maui does not wish to dive or interact with this individual.”
“Huge” means a few individuals in this person’s clique. And the feeling is mutual.
“PLEASE IF YOU’RE GOING TO USE THIS APP, BE CAREFUL. I PERSONALLY WOULD NOT TRUST THIS APP DUE TO THE BEHAVIORS OF THE CREATOR.”
Yes, do NOT take advantage of all of the useful information on the dive sites like where to park, enter, descend, locations of underwater feature and the ability to get heading and distance between landmarks, even plan a route. Don’t avail yourself of the marine life ID or the condition reports, emergency numbers, tips, etc. because I may have behaved poorly to this individual on an occasion or two.