Scuba Hawaii

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Hi all,

I was trying to plan a vacation to Hawaii and was hoping to get some insider tips. I am looking to go anywhere in Hawaii but would love to be somewhere dive-able on a student budget. This includes, inexpensive airfare, hotels, scuba rentals etc. Sorry if this is a bit broad but I've never been to the Aloha state and look forward to any advice you guys and gals might have! Oh, I am trying to set this trip up for some time in July. Thanks in advance!

 

[justleesa]

until you get some answers you might want to check out this Ohana sub-forum ScubaBoard - Local Reference to get a bit of an idea on this or that

 

[K9Pig]

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I was in Oahu last April and dove with a Dive Shop called Island Divers Hawaii www.oahuscubadiving.com They had the best prices an excellent customer service. They will pick you up at your hotel and drop you off. The owner Matt Zimmerman WOW!!! I couldn't say enough goods things about him and his crew to do them justice. FIRST CLASS!!! Oahu has alot of great dive spots. Rental gear is new every year and doesn't look like it has been rode hard and put away wet. HA!! HA!!! Great website.
Airfare I'm not sure about, but it looks like you are in a good travel spot California to get pretty cheap airfare. I didn't have to pay for hotel because my wife worked for Starwood Hotels at the time. Food/drinks very expensive like everything else there. If you rent a car don't ever leave anything in it, and I wouldn't even recomend locking it. They will break a window out to steal whatever they can see or can't see(trunk). I know July is a long ways away, but let me know how your trip was. I'm 100 percent jealous of you. Good Luck If you need anything else let me know.

K9Pig olice:
Ted

 

[KrisB]

Unless you're desperate to see wrecks, I'd avoid Oahu. It's crowded, the diving is generally sub-par compared to Maui (and reportedly, the Big Island) and transportation is a b*tch.

In my experience on Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Oahu, Oahu is so far the one with the least aloha spirit (well, at least it's more isolated / protected -- you're more likely to get the one-finger-shaka driving down the street there, that's for sure!). If you're staying in Waikiki / Honolulu, it's a large city, and comes with the usual big-city problems, including transportation, parking and crime.

Maui has decent diving, is easy to get to and transportation is straight-forward. Though accommodations might be a little pricey.

So, the one thing that Oahu has that Maui doesn't is the military influence. If you want to see Pearl Harbour, the Mighty MO, etc., then Oahu's your ticket. But don't expect anything stellar for the diving.

 

[justleesa]

Wonders me every time you post it, because I haven't experienced Oahu the way you describe it....

 

[KrisB]

Wonders me every time you post it, because I haven't experienced Oahu the way you describe it....

I think a lot of it is perception.

I've visited Oahu about five times and found it excessively busy with an exceptional amount of time spent driving... and not even around nice scenery -- unless you like freeway / skyscrapers.

I've stayed in Hawaii Kai, Waikiki and Honolulu (near Punchbowl).

I've dove Magic Island (on a horrible day for my IE), Baby Barge, Angler's Reef, Koko Craters and another site near those on a pretty good day, and can say that a BAD day of diving just about everywhere on Maui exceeds all of the above.

On my next dive trip over there, I hope to see some of the Waikiki wrecks and/or the west / northwest sides so I can give a more definitive review.

Add this to the fact that I've been told Maui is pretty crummy diving if you're used to the Caribbean, and I'm left with an extremely low opinion of Oahu's diving.

 

[scubadrewvideo]

I think a lot of it is perception.

I've visited Oahu about five times and found it excessively busy with an exceptional amount of time spent driving... and not even around nice scenery -- unless you like freeway / skyscrapers.

I've stayed in Hawaii Kai, Waikiki and Honolulu (near Punchbowl).

I've dove Magic Island (on a horrible day for my IE), Baby Barge, Angler's Reef, Koko Craters and another site near those on a pretty good day, and can say that a BAD day of diving just about everywhere on Maui exceeds all of the above.

On my next dive trip over there, I hope to see some of the Waikiki wrecks and/or the west / northwest sides so I can give a more definitive review.

Add this to the fact that I've been told Maui is pretty crummy diving if you're used to the Caribbean, and I'm left with an extremely low opinion of Oahu's diving.

KrisB, call me then next time you are on Oahu.....I just can't let you bash our home without showing you the better sites. I agree with the traffic and driving time...thats why I live where I do....far far far away from Honolulu! But, I LOVE the wrecks every time I dive them! Cant get enough and there are so many to choose from! Did the Mahi today and swam in the middle of about 10 eagle rays!
ScubaDrew

 

[torqd]

I lived on Oahu for about half a year and have to say that I didn't think the diving was stellar compared to other parts of the world. Different climates provide different diving environments, so it's simply different on Oahu.

I have also been diving off Maui (Kihei area mostly) and really like that area a whole lot more when compared to Oahu.

If you are sure you want to visit Oahu, I highly encourage the use of Dive Oahu for a wider range of dive sites and much more convenient location to the Waikiki area. It's also my personal opinion that they are a bit more professional and better organized than Island Divers. That's my experience, at least.

You don't say what your certification level is, but if you are not at least the equivalent of a PADI Advanced Open Water diver, you may be asked to participate in the Deep Adventure Dive so that you don't exceed the (PADI) recommended floor of 60 feet on the deeper dive sites. You only have to pay for this once, so don't think that it's that big of a big deal. I know that IDH was a stickler on this issue, and I suspect the rest of the PADI shops will likely follow that practice.

 

[mow2000]

I'm not an expert on Hawaii but I thought i'd kick in some budget ideas. You might consider renting a car (which seem to be relatively cheap here compared to other dive spots - although age might be a factor) and staying at a campground. Maui seems to have quite a few beach dive locations - although diving these locations with a dive shop seems as pricey as a boat dive in most places. So ideally you'd want a buddy (and enough experience, etc, etc).

As a side note on budget diving. I stayed at a campground in st. john back in '98 and there were a couple of guys there from eastern europe. They'd brought a small rubber boat with them and something like a 2hp outboard motor. Everyday these guys would putter out to go diving. Boat diving on the cheap - lean and mean.

Keep an eye on airfares via Orbitz, Travelocity, etc. I just got a roundtrip to Maui in May for $560 total from the east coast. That's less than I paid to get to Kona back in 2001.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

I haven't dove Oahu but have dove a lot in the Caribbean and honestly all I can say is the diving is different. I mean the water is about the same temps, the vis was about the same, the coral nicer in the Caribbean but the critters were much smaller. It was kind of fun to see a dive leader there get out of their skin over a tiny little turtle. Much larger critters in Hawaii.

I've sent some students who were going to Oahu to visit Leeza and Roger and they loved the diving there and had a great trip. When I move to Maui we plan to ferry over to Oahu in the mommy van and spend a few days relaxing and checking out their dive sites. I'm sure we'd enjoy it.