The workers on this boat were wonderful. They were accommodating, proactive and kind. They were deck hands, equipment handlers, guides, servers, instructors and lifeguards, among other things! And for 4 people serving 100+, they worked hard! The trip to the snorkel spots was great and we were able to spot multiple whales, but we never got very close. The negatives - I didn’t realize there would be over a hundred people on the boat. Way Over crowded for my liking. They send you a list of what to bring, how to get there, … but they never mention that parking is a huge challenge. We had to park 2 blocks away and pay for parking. It wasn’t expensive but the half hour we wasted trying to park put us at the end of the line of 100+ people. Which meant there was nowhere to sit together. And social distancing is a joke on this boat. I’ve been on what we call “cattle boats” before, but this one was really crowded! That includes when you get into the water. Everybody is on top of each other. Then there is the snorkeling itself. There were several colorful fish to see, but it is quite clear that these beautiful reefs are in big trouble. The coral is all bleached out and while there are fish, these areas are not the big, bold, colorful wonderlands they once were. And it’s because of the cattle boats. Sad really. If I did this again it would be on a smaller boat, less people and healthier coral.
Réponse de l'hôte
Mar 2022
I question if you were even on our boat honestly. We are the only large vessel still operating at half our Coast Guard rated capacity and while we are rated at 160 passengers, we DO NOT carry 100 or more passengers, and always have plenty of room and seating for the 80 passengers we operate with. Pride of Maui is the largest Maxi Power Catamaran on Maui which offers more space with fewer passengers than any other tour boat on Maui.
We provide each and every guest who book with us a very thorough confirmation email with explicit instructions on how to not only get to the harbor, but also included is the GPS address that places you at the dock where we check you in. Our confirmation email also explains your parking options which is $1 per hour, and about as inexpensive as you will ever pay anywhere for metered parking. One does have to walk about 300 feet from the parking lot to the boat. We also have large signs at the location of the GPS address with arrows pointing to the Pride of Maui check in area. Sorry, I just find it difficult to tolerate false information and misinformation for no apparent reason, other than you are confused about what boat you were actually on, or just were running late and frustrated yourself. That may also explain why you found nothing nice to say about the beautiful reef system and variety of amazing marine life that fortunately, so many other guests are elated to see and experience. If you truly are interested in a better understanding of the impact that global warming is having on our coral reef, you might consider reading our Reef Safe practices and initiatives on our websites. In short, yes Hawaii and the entire planet is warming, and this increase in ocean temperature, is killing some species of coral. It is sad and unfortunate, though is unrelated to guests like yourself visiting the reef under the watchful eyes of operators like us, vested in the future of our reefs, who provide reef safe sunscreen, and rash guards, not allowing the use of other damaging sunscreens. Our Captains and crew are passionate about the ocean and marine animals, which is why we adhere to policies and snorkeling procedures that reduce the impact of our visit to the reef. Your blanket statement of too many people going snorkeling is causing the coral to bleach is about as scientifically untrue as the other inaccurate statements you have made. We would be grateful if you choose another operator next time out. Thank You.