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Our Maui Submarine TourThe 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.
Our Dive on the Atlantis 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
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
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
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.
Cost and ScheduleThe 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 view exact pricing or make reservations for the Atlantis Maui submarine, click here to go to the Barefoot Tours website. Click on Maui, then select Submarine, then select Atlantis Submarine.
Or call 888-820-2097 to talk to a Atlantis tour expert on Maui (they're on Hawaii time). Tell them Randy Willis sent you.
Maui SubmarinesTwo Maui submarines berth at Lahaina Harbor.
As the Atlantis is towed, it is dwarfed by the cruise ship Celebrity, even though the sub is much closer than the cruise ship.
Christened the Makalii, this Hawaii undersea research lab reminds us of the Beatle's Yellow Submarine.
Atlantis Maui Submarine VideosThese 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.
Click on the PLAY button in the image below if you want to also view this video.
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We were ferried by a small boat from Lahaina harbor out to the ocean and the waiting surfaced submarine.
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
