Diving in Hawaii

[wfdohse]

Hey All:  I am new to mnscuba.  I am recently certified.  I will be taking a family trip to Hawaii over the winter holidays.  I want to dive but no one else in my family is interested.  So I will be buddyless.  I will be in Oahu, Maui and the big island for a few days each.  I am will have my own equipment except for tank and weights.  Any recommendations for dive centers, sites or anything else?  Thanks in advance.

[freedivernd]

can't help ya, as I've only been to Kauai of the islands.. but welcome to the board, share some pics when you return.. the pits that no one else in the family is interested.. should at least get them going snorkeling.. shoot, it's a whole 'nuther world under the water.
Someone else on here might have some hawaii info for you.
Fred

[Michelle Crowe]

I have Dive Site maps of both of these islands hanging on my garage wall.
There are litterally hundreds of sites to choose from
I just returned from Maui 2 weeks ago (sorry, I know I still need to post pictures)   

I did Oahu 2 years ago.
Here are your priorities:

Hanauma Bay (collapsed volcanoe) great family beach & activities for kids
Turtle Canyon
Blow Hole Wall
Waimea Wall
Six fingers


On Maui
Molikini Crater
Black Rock (Voted Top Ten Shore Dives in the World)
Turtle Town (great for families)
Mala Wharf (collapsed pier from '87 Hurricane, shore dive)
Shopping Mall is one block away, She shops...You dive, only 20 feet depth ...what woman wouldn't love that?
Coral Gardens (by boat- mountain wall) excellent for beginners
The Cathedrals (might not be for beginners)
Makena

2 weeks ago visibility was 110 feet and water temp was between 82 and 84. You will see species of fish in Molikini that exist no where else on earth. It will take your breath away.

_____
For others of you that think you cant afford to go, think again.
A couple years ago, I paid almost $6000 for a week stay. Parting with that amount of money made me cringe. (Eating out was killer)

This time I was a lot wiser
Log on to travelzoo.com and become a member for free. I got 5 nights and 6 days in Maui in a great condo with a huge kitchen for 699 during off season. Gulp on this...
it included airfare.
Between myself and my 2 sons we spent about $680 on all dives including full equipment for one child.
It's worth it to check it out and the memories will last a life time.

Hope all of you are well.
Miss you guys. Dive safe.


Me.

[dr mindcrime]

Wow Michelle, that sounds great makes me want to go. I just hate the long flight over there. I may have to plan on going back again this year. last time I was there (1995)I was not a diver, I did snorkeled alot though and that was great!
Have a great trip wfdohse!

[smurfette100]

I got certified on the Big Island this spring. We went through Kona Honu Divers. They were very professional and fun to work with. Kona Honu Divers also has a square on the Scuba-Opoly board we picked up while we were in Hawaii.

We didn't dive with them, but Big Island Divers is also very good. I've heard the diving is best off the Big Island (compared to the other islands), but I have no comparison. Jack's Diving Locker is also supposed to be good, but they say that you'll be on the boat until about 3-4pm. We didn't want to waste away our day, so we didn't go with them. We were back about 1-2pm with Kona Honu Divers (left at 8:30am).

Kona Honu assigned 4 divers to a dive master as your personal tour guide.

If you do go to the Big Island, most of the operators have the Manta Ray dives at night. I didn't get a chance to go on one, but they are great from what I hear and a MUST DO. When we go back to Hawaii, we will definitely do that.

Dives on the Big Island are usually in the 30-60 ft range. Since the Big Island is mainly made of the world's tallest volcano, most of it being underwater, the dive sites are very close to shore since it gets so deep so fast.

Kona is the city to stay in. I LOVED that city! Shore diving is going to be harder as most of the island is very rocky and there are few sandy beaches there. However, the waters are a lot calmer on the Kona side than on the Hilo side. Most of the dive operators are on the Kona side.

I recall Turtle Pinnacle as being a fun dive site. Unfortunately for us, the sea turtles were a no show that day, but are usually plentiful. One group also saw an octopus. I'd have to dig out my dive log (we're moving now, so it's tucked away) to let you know about that.

Depending on when you're going, don't forget to check out the whale watching tours!

One thing we did on Oahu is take the Atlantis submarine tour instead of diving there. It was pretty sweet to see the airplane and boats!

Feel free to send me a personal email if you wish to chat more about Hawaii. I would also be happy to send some of my underwater photos.

Have a great time! (I'm jealous!)
Theresa

[Raiderswim]

Ed Robinson's was great

They offer a 2 tank dive or a 3 tank dive for more advanced divers.  Smaller boats 12-14 as opposed to the cattle boats.  They set up all your equipment, swap the tanks, and take down your equipment.  They also had a nice lunch, snacks, and beverages.  I'd definitely dive with them again.