Long before the islands of Hawai‘i emerged from the sea, their volcanic underpinnings were already attracting visitors, sea life that ultimately formed resident marine ecosystems. Today human tourists often overlook the beauty of the islands’ undersea treasures despite the various ways to enjoy its pristine, natural wonders. From snorkeling and scuba diving to glass bottom boat and submarine rides, tour operators offer an array of undersea options the most exciting of which is an underwater scooter experience run by Maui Undersea Adventures, which empowers guests to zip through the water just like one of its many resident sea creatures.
An underwater scooter, or Diver Propulsion Vehicle (DPV), is essentially a propeller with handles. It has the power to turn a stodgy scuba diver into a human torpedo. With training and a bit of practice you can slice through the water at 4-5 miles per hour covering much more territory than mere fins would allow all while conserving energy and precious air. It also gives you the ability to keep up with more naturally nimble sea creatures. Rather than just watching the kaleidoscope of sea life, DPV-equipped divers actually become part of the fun.
Imagine flying alongside a green sea turtle or skimming over a colorful coral-dotted reef or shadowing a school of fish without tiring or falling behind.
A DPV opens up entirely new ways of exploring the undersea realm. It’s the sea-bound equivalent of trading your hiking boots for a rocket pack. Of course the leap to alternate technology requires special training and supervision, and that’s where Maui Undersea Adventures comes into play.
Based at the Four Seasons Resort Maui Wailea, the company grew out of the resort’s long history of catering to its guests’ interests in ocean recreation, either through snorkeling, scuba diving or kayaking. The person entrusted with that role since the mid-‘90s was Rob Lohle, who like many visitors to Hawai‘i was so enchanted with his first trip that he decided to stay.
Lohle explains the company’s evolutionary path. “I ended up working for six years as the head instructor and staff trainer and then in 1999, Four Seasons Resort general manager Thomas Steinhauer gave me the incredible opportunity to operate the dive and kayak tour concession -- and that was the birth of Maui Under Sea Adventures.”
Famous for exceeding guests’ expectations, the Four Seasons is the perfect home for such in-depth, upscale experiences. Lohle delights in hosting not only the hotel’s celebrity guests like rocker Steve Tyler and actress Clair Dane, but all kinds of adventure-seekers and environmental connoisseurs. As president of Maui Undersea Adventures, his role is running the day-to-day operations but he says his passion is, “ensuring a high level of service for each and every guest.”
Lohle explains, “We provide the best equipment and guides and keep our groups small to maximize interaction with our guests. Our goal is to provide each guest with an incredible and memorable ocean adventure.”
Those adventures begin each day at the Four Seasons where non-divers can learn to scuba dive and current divers can upgrade their skills with PADI accredited specialty-training courses, or simply experience the adventure of a lifetime on an undersea scooter.
This writer’s undersea adventure began with an early morning pickup at the Four Season and a 10-minute drive south to Makena Point. Once there, Lohle and I donned our scuba gear, picked up our two 40-pound scooters and walked across the street to a sloped beach entry. Slipping our fins on, we shuffled into the surf until buoyancy rendered our scooters nearly weightless. Lohle then showed me the operations of the DPV and I tested it out in the safety of shallow water.
The sleek, yellow scooter has two handles that flank a protective propeller casing. It is operated by a simple on-off switch with a locking button for sustained use. Response is immediate so it’s important to hang on tightly otherwise the machine could escape your grasp.
After a few trial passes, Lohle judged me ready to venture deeper so we descended, pulled by our DPVs. I spotted goatfish foraging along the seafloor, a pair of butterfly fish darting among the coral and surgeonfish swaying in the surge. Then Lohle motioned for me to join him at the base of a rocky formation.
As I approached it I could see it had an opening at the bottom, through which Lohle quickly disappeared. I throttled my DPV and lurched forward after him into darkness. Lohle was ascending so I followed him up and soon broke through the surface into a small air pocket. He explained we were inside part of a volcanic cave hidden from the outside world, accessible only through the sea. Then we ducked down again and exited the cave’s opening.
Now I was feeling more at ease with the DPV so I opened up the throttle and felt my body stretch out as my speed increased. Before me was a field of volcanic and coral formations – the perfect setting to test my new found aquatic agility. I navigated around and over several of the rocks feeling the pull of the machine and the rush of water over my face.
Then I noticed Lohle charging ahead, with his DPV between his legs, his hands were free to snap pictures. I marveled for a moment then tried to mimic his technique but the feeling of an untended spinning propeller between my legs gave me the creeps.
Moments later a massive school of fish hung in front of me and I couldn’t resist dashing into the middle of it like a schoolboy rushing a flock of pigeons. As they scattered I noticed Lohle engaged in what seemed like a dance with a green sea turtle. As I approached this turtle tango, I realized for the first time in many dives I was able to keep pace with this amazing creature.
The intensity of the experience made the time whiz by and I noticed we had already exceeded our planned hour-long excursion so we began to speed back to our entry point. Moments later we were back in the shallows and walking up the slope to shore. We degeared, rinsed and headed back to the Four Seasons.
Back on dry land Lohle explained that he offers custom scooter dives to other parts of the island, including a jaunt that takes people to a shipwreck lying in 70 feet of water. He summed up the overall experience saying, “Hawai‘i is a unique and exotic destination. Above the water is an amazingly diverse landscape of jungles, volcanic mountains, dry desert and upland forests. But under the ocean it’s equally amazing with colorful reef fishes, coral reefs and an abundance of green sea turtles. As we say on Maui, half the beauty of the island is underwater!”
