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. 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 strive 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-four years, discovering many new species of marine animals and publishing a paper on the spawning of Hawaii's most abundant species of coral, the first time spawning had ever been recorded for this species worldwide. MSD now offers annual dives to see this species spawn. 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 comprehensive Hawaiian nudibranch website seaslugsofhawaii.com. In 2009 she was inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame. Very enthusiastic about learning and sharing what she has learned with interested divers, she takes care 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 thirteen years ago and joined MSD in order to spend less time on business and more time on 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 marine life guidebooks, such as John Hoover's Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes and his Hawaii's Sea Creatures. Andy's great sense of humor and skill as a captain are two of our company's greatest assets, as our repeating divers will attest.

Autumn Hill ("AJ") has worked as a medic, an emergency room tech, and a dental assistant, but loves diving most of all, as evidenced by her positive attitude and the huge smile she sports when she is out on the water. She has her Ocean Awareness certification and as a divemaster (when she's not pointing out giant manta rays) she excels at pointing out characteristics of animals that divers would not normally get to see. When not leading dives, AJ is a dedicated runner, often getting her miles in before the morning charter. She recently completed her first marathon here on Maui with a time even a veteran runner would have been thrilled to have posted.

Warren Blum put in 16 years as a dentist, most of them in private practice, before breaking out and heading to Maui twelve years ago to fulfill his dream of diving and working 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" and long-term divemasters Warren's knowledge and calm countenance make diving with him a true pleasure.

Seth Waller was raised on adrenaline, skiing in the green mountain state (Vermont), and eventually taking his passion to Lake Tahoe. Years later he and his adventurous wife were introduced to diving and he knew instantly that diving was his true calling. After becoming an instructor and tasting the diving life in places like Roatan, Thailand, Indonesia and the Keys, they finally decided that Maui's beauty, climate, and relaxed pace were a perfect fit - and they moved their possessions one last time. Caring and capable, Seth loves combining the adventure of diving with excellent service. "Every day I'm reminded of the reasons I moved here, and I love sharing that with people through diving."

©2012 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.