Our Maui submarine tour offered a once-in-a-lifetime chance to ride in a real submarine in a real ocean and look at real tropical fish.
The Atlantis Submarine is not a theme park boat - it is an impressive piece of machinery, built for ocean diving.
The battery powered Maui submarine Atlantis dives to a depth of 125 feet so you can view marine life and the sunken ship Carthaginian along the Maui ocean floor.
Cost and Schedule
The cost is high (about $95 for an adult and $45 for a child), but this is definitely a unique Maui activity that everyone in our family enjoyed and remembers.
The ferry departs for the submarine daily at 9AM, 10AM, 11AM, 12 noon, 1PM and 2PM. You spend about 30 minutes each way on the ferry, and about 45 minutes underwater in the submarine.
If you want to read more, make reservations or purchase tickets for the Atlantis Submarine or Reefdancer, click here to go to the Barefoot Tours website.
Click on Maui, then Submarine / Glass Bottom Boat, then select Atlantis Submarine
or Reefdancer
from the box like the graphic on the right.
You can also call 888-820-2097 to call Maui and talk to a Maui submarine Tour expert at Barefoot Tours right now (they're on Hawaii time).
Even if you are on Maui or Hawaii now, they can get your tickets to you by email, fax, mail, or even delivered to the Atlantis or Reefdancer for last minute ticket reservations.
Tell them Randy Willis sent you and recommended that you ask about their low price guarantee.
Our Dive on the Atlantis Submarine
We were ferried by a small boat from Lahaina harbor out to the ocean and the waiting surfaced submarine.
The ferry boat is behind the Atlantis submarine in the picture.
We stepped from the ferry to the sub and then climbed down through a hole along a vertical ladder into the Atlantis.
Submerging and Diving
The submarine captain and crew were very precise and clear in their orientation.
Portholes line both sides of the sub, and we sat a bit cramped up - just like a sub should be.
When we dove underwater, we were surrounded by huge growths of coral and large schools of colorful tropical fish.
Not all colors can penetrate through water, so the appearance of everything and everyone in the sub changed as we descended into the ocean depths.
Cruising the Ocean Floor
As we cruised along the bottom of the ocean, the captain provided a running commentary on various artifacts such as old anchors and sunken harbor mines which have been neutralized by the military.
At one point, a giant manta ray appeared in the distance and swam right by the portholes.
Our captain estimated that it had a wingspan of fifteen feet, but from close up it looked as big as our vessel.
Carthaginian
The sub also passes right by the sunken Carthaginian, a replica of a 19th century supply vessel.
I took this picture of the Carthaginian in 1985 when it was still berthed at Lahaina harbor.
The rigging was removed and the 97 foot Carthaginian was sunk off Lahaina in 2005 and now serves as an artificial reef for sea life and scuba divers.
Maui Submarines
Two Maui submarines berth at Lahaina Harbor.
The Atlantis anchors each night in Lahaina harbor, then towed out each morning to its diving location.
As the Atlantis is towed, it is dwarfed by the cruise ship Celebrity, even though the sub is much closer than the cruise ship.
We think of the Reefdancer in Lahaina Harbor as a yellow submarine, but it's a glass bottom boat with an underwater viewing cabin that runs under the entire length of the vessel. This cabin is almost all windows you can view the coral and underwater creatures on both sides of the boat.
You can also view a submarine (a tiny one) at the
Maui Ocean Center near Ma'alaea in central Maui.
Christened the Makalii, this Hawaii undersea research lab reminds us of the Beatle's Yellow Submarine.
Atlantis Maui Submarine Videos
These Atlantis Maui submarine videos provide a good four minute overview of the tour, including the sunken Carthaginian ship. The videos provide a free preview if you are considering spending several hundred dollars for your family to take this tour.
Click on the PLAY button in the image below to view the video.
Our Maui submarine tour offered a once-in-a-lifetime chance to ride in a real submarine in a real ocean and look at real tropical fish.
or Reefdancer
from the box like the graphic on the right.
by email, fax, mail, or even delivered to the Atlantis or Reefdancer for last minute ticket reservations.
The submarine captain and crew were very precise and clear in their orientation.
As we cruised along the bottom of the ocean, the captain provided a running commentary on various artifacts such as old anchors and sunken harbor mines which have been neutralized by the military.
The sub also passes right by the sunken Carthaginian, a replica of a 19th century supply vessel.
The Atlantis anchors each night in Lahaina harbor, then towed out each morning to its diving location.
We think of the Reefdancer in Lahaina Harbor as a yellow submarine, but it's a glass bottom boat with an underwater viewing cabin that runs under the entire length of the vessel. This cabin is almost all windows you can view the coral and underwater creatures on both sides of the boat.
You can also view a submarine (a tiny one) at the
