A little over two months ago, we wrote about Atlantis Submarines Maui returning to Lahaina Harbor. They resumed operations on Maui nearly three years after the fire, and we told readers we’d make a point of stepping aboard ourselves. Or more precisely, Rob would. Jeff dropped him off at Lahaina Harbor and stayed above water, while Rob headed out to see what $160 now buys you 130-plus feet beneath the ocean off West Maui.
On the day of our tour in late August, Front Street had just reopened. The tour group met in a parking lot near the harbor, and when the guide arrived, we were asked not to take photos out of sensitivity to the fire victims as we walked to the Banyan Tree and the harbor. It was heart-wrenching to see vacant lots where buildings and homes once stood.
As we approached the Banyan Tree, which is surrounded by barriers, everyone felt emotion seeing that it had survived. Our tour guide, however, told people that, as a Native Hawaiian, the tree reminded them of foreign influence, land dispossession, and the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, rather than a symbol of hope and resilience. That’s when we knew the tour would cover more than what they would see underwater.
Getting from Lahaina Harbor to 130 feet below Maui.
Atlantis has operated from Lahaina Harbor since 1991, but today’s operation is very different from what it was before August 2023. The fire destroyed its Maui submarine, tugboat, pier slip, offices, ticket booth, maintenance shop, battery chargers, and other equipment. The company eventually brought a 48-passenger battery-powered submarine over from Oahu and formally restarted tours earlier this summer.
Before the fire, Atlantis offered six Maui dives every day, seven days a week. When it restarted this summer, it dropped to three departures at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m., six days a week, with Fridays set aside for battery charging. Fifteen of the 32 employees furloughed after the fire returned to operate the new Atlantis Maui. It’s a start.
We chose the 9 am tour because the wind would be lighter and the ocean calmer than later in the day. To reach the submarine, we took a 20-minute ride on the Holokai shuttle boat along the coast and received a safety briefing. During December through May, the boat ride could turn into some no-cost whale watching. Groups of two boarded the submarine and climbed down a nearly vertical 10-step ladder for 45 minutes beneath the surface.
What it’s actually like inside the submarine.
Atlantis advertises an air-conditioned, Coast Guard-approved submarine with large viewing ports. The first tour of the day wasn’t sold out, so there was a free seat between each passenger. Two rows sat back-to-back. The viewing windows were ample, and no seat was bad.
The guide who met us at the parking lot was the narrator on board; another crew member stood in the back, and, of course, the submarine operator in front. As we descended to about 130 feet, the ride felt smooth, and everyone was excited to see what came next.
The narrator was very well-versed in fish species, marine life, and Native Hawaiian culture. She drew on all of those during the tour. We were impressed because each tour is different, and the guide never knew exactly what would pass by next. She was entertaining and seemed to enjoy the trip as much as everyone on board.
A few days earlier, she told us that someone had seen a shark, but she couldn’t guarantee we would. As it turned out, we did. The captain maneuvered the submarine and turned it around so both rows on board could see. This happened repeatedly, so you never felt you’d chosen the wrong side. The passengers also worked together to make sure everyone could see the action outside.
What was actually outside the windows?
The signature feature of the Maui dive remains the Carthaginian, a 97-foot vessel that Atlantis sank in 95 feet of water in December 2005 to create an artificial reef. Nearly 21 years later, the attraction isn’t simply seeing a wreck. It’s seeing what has happened around it underwater. Because of the current that day, the captain wasn’t sure he could take the submarine over the wreck. As it turned out, he was able to, so we could look down on it as well as go around it.
One thing that surprised the group was how monochrome everything looked, as you’ll see in some of the photos. It was hard to see the shark at first because of this. Rob thought it would be more colorful below the surface than it actually was, and he overheard others say the same.
Once we were back above the surface, we boarded the boat back to shore. The guide went to each passenger, couple, or family and took photos of them with their phone.
The price has changed since we wrote this.
When Atlantis formally returned in June, the published price was $148 for adults and $66 for children, and a summer promotion brought those prices down to $128 and $56. Two months later, Atlantis’s website shows an all-inclusive Maui rate of $160.41 for adults and $72.09 for children. There’s also a current fall promotion with lower rates.
A substantially lower kamaaina and military rate is currently $120.56 for adults and $54.32 for children with qualifying ID. For two visitors paying the regular adult rate, though, this has become a $320 activity, which puts a different edge on the question we couldn’t answer when we first wrote about Atlantis’s return: not whether it’s unusual, but whether what’s down there is worth what it costs to see it. As it turned out, it is. One thing that made the experience was the guide, and in our case, she was outstanding.
Have you done an Atlantis Submarine ride? What was your experience like?
Photo Credits: © Beat of Hawaii.
By Rob and Jeff, Beat of Hawaii.
Some of Hawaii’s most meaningful parts are the ones visitors walk right past without knowing they are there. We’ve spent nearly 20 years finding them firsthand for BOH as full-time Hawaii residents reporting on travel, culture, and island life, and telling you what they mean for your trip. Join us →
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