When was the last time you were on a Maui submarine tour or Maui glass-bottom boat tour?

If you're one of the few who have been on a submarine, I'll bet it didn't have windows! Here's your chance to board a $4.5 million submarine, dive to a depth of 150 feet, and cruise around the ocean floor for an hour - and see everything out there from the best vantage point possible. Sound exciting? A Maui submarine tour is!

During my first Maui submarine tour, I remember thinking how incredible it was to be down that deep for that long. I was actually spending a part of my day on the ocean floor examining the sanctity of the underwater world, a world which had previously been beyond my grasp. I remember wishing that every child could have this experience, that somehow it would help them understand that there is more going on in the world than what's happening on their street, in their neighborhood. Was I impressed with my first submarine tour? You bet, and I know you will be as well!

The climate-controlled cabin and giant viewing ports make your submarine tour below the surface both comfortable and interesting. You'll see hundreds and hundreds of fish and coral heads of all sizes and colors. Sometimes you'll see eels, rays and occasionally a shark. As you inch along the sea floor, more and more is revealed, color upon color, shape upon shape. During the winter months whales have swum into view. Each submarine tour is different, but each dive is exciting, informative and educational.

Semi-submersibles, or glass-bottom boats, are also available. The underwater experience is similar to that on a submarine except you remain on the ocean surface. The cost is less but the visual impact can be impressive as well. They are a far cry from the old glass-bottom boats we used 20 years ago off Lahaina's coast.

Helpful Tips from Tom Barefoot - Maui Submarine Tours

• There is no age limit on submarine tours, but there is a height limit - you must be at least 3 feet tall.
• Photography through the submarine's portholes is rewarding if you place the camera lens as close to the glass as possible, don't use a flash, and use 400 ASA film.
• Allow at least two hours for the submarine tour. The dive itself takes an hour, but the time spent checking in and riding on the shuttle boat to the sub adds another hour.
• During a submarine tour - colors change at 150 feet depth. Don't be surprised when the filtered sunlight turns your brown eyes blue and your white t-shirt yellow!

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