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Kihei's first dive boat operation was
established in 1979 by Mike Severns, who obtained his biology degree
from the U. of Hawaii after three years of travel around the
world. Mike's adventurous spirit and scientific interest led to
numerous discoveries both on land and underwater. Over the years he
discovered the longest underwater cave system in Hawaii, the first
ancient Hawaiian fishing site and a wave bench 240 ft. underwater at
Molokini from a previously lower sea level over 10,000 years ago. His
land
discoveries
include living tree snail populations that were thought to be extinct
and lava tubes which contained the bones of over 30 previously unknown
species of extinct birds. He has has coauthored and photographed
several books, among them Molokini, Hawaii's Island Marine Sanctuary;
Sulawesi Seas; Hawaii's Sea
Shells; and Diving Hawaii and Midway. Recently an Indo-Pacific wrasse
was named for him as Pseudojuloides
severnsi. Although Mike no
longer owns or operates the dive operation, he can be contacted for
other business at: mseverns@hawaii.rr.com
Mike Severns Diving is a close-knit group of
people driven by the love of diving and the desire to share that love
with other divers. All five of us have years of experience showing
divers Hawaii's unique marine life and want to make sure that you have
a wonderful diving experience.
Pauline Fiene has a
degree in biology from St. Olaf College and is especially interested in
Hawaiian nudibranchs, two of which have been named for her, Hallaxa
paulinae and Hypselodoris
paulinae. She has studied Hawaiian
marine life for over twenty years, discovering many new species of
marine
animals and publishing a paper on the annual spawning of Hawaii's most
abundant species of coral, the first time spawning had ever been
recorded for this species worldwide. She is coauthor of several books
including Molokini - Hawaii's Island
Marine Sanctuary; and Diving
Hawaii and Midway;
and with Cory Pittman co-authored the Hawaiian nudibranch website seaslugsofhawaii.com. Very
enthusiastic
about sharing what she has learned with
interested divers, she takes the time to make sure that they see the
details and unique animal behaviors that make diving so interesting.
Andy Schwanke gave up partnership in a dive business
ten years ago and joined MSD in order to spend less time on business
and more time where he belongs - in the ocean, sharing his talent for
discovering animal behaviors that the rest of us have overlooked for
years. His most recent contribution has been to our knowledge of the
Hawaiian green sea turtles that live along Maui's Kihei/Wailea
coastline. Using a digital camera he has identified several hundred
individual turtles and the data he has compiled has resulted in the
first fibropapilloma tumor rate estimate for this area of Maui. His
unusual animal observations and photos have also appeared in several
books. Andy's great sense of humor and unique approach to marine life
are two of our company's greatest assets, as our repeating divers will
attest.
Michelle
White brings twelve years of experience
to our operation having grown up on Maui and worked in diving since she
was a teenager. Knowledgeable and charming, Michelle has her
Hawaii Ocean Awareness certificate and leads fascinating
dives during which she loves to point out details about the animals
that make a dive
memorable. When not leading dives she has been restoring a 32-foot
sailboat with her high school sweetheart, in preparation for a South
Pacific voyage (we hope not too soon!).
Warren Blum put in 16 years as a dentist, most of
them in private practice, before breaking out and heading to Maui eight
years ago to fulfill his dream of diving and working out on the water.
Although an instructor, Warren's real passion is showing and teaching
people about Hawaiian marine life. One of his interests is in
photographing and identifying manta rays that visit the areas that we
dive. He has added several individuals to the known Maui population and
one is even named after him. As one of our more "mature" divemasters
Warren's knowledge and calm countenance make diving with him a true
pleasure.
Sharon McGauley graduated with a zoology degree and
spent the following years as a whale research intern, research diver
and marine biology teacher to groups of school child ren. Most recently
she left behind her artgallery and divemaster job in Key West and moved
to Maui to experience new adventures. Within her first 10 dives here on
Maui she had seen humpback whales twice underwater - something some
long-term divemasters here have never seen. Her luck has continued with
her work being chosen for Maui's competitive annual artshow, Art Maui
2005. (See her work at www.sharonmcgauley.com). These things aside,
Sharon is simply a joy to dive with.
Mike Severns Diving HOME
Mail to: severns@mauigateway.com
©2009
Mike Severns Diving
The information contained in this web site
may not be republished or redistributed without the
prior written authority of Mike Severns Diving.
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