Which island has the best diving?

[Midge907]

My choice would be the Big Island if diving is your main reason for going. Great shore dives, some are hard to find as the roads can get a little awkward, you can dive 2-steps/place of refuge over and over again. You can do a lot of diving from shore, and never need to get on a boat. When I go back next time I may do a 3-tank long range, and then the rest of my dives will be from shore. (Unless there is a big sale with the Kona Aggressor Liveaboard).
My second choice would be Maui, the diving is good, but the big draw to me for Maui is the topside activities if your not getting the chance to spend all your time in the water.
As for Oahu, the wrecks there are awesome, and I even enjoyed my shore dives at Sharks Cove, however I HATE the island itself as its way to busy for me, and when you look like a G.I. the locals all look like they want to kill you.

 

[dnote]

...and when you look like a G.I. the locals all look like they want to kill you.

Funny stuff.

My wife's largest prerogative is to sit on a nice sandy beach... where mine is to go diving as much as she'll allow. So i really need to balance the two of these things.

If she shuts me down on the night dive i would definitely try to make it out to Ukumehame beach like diversteve mentioned, in an effort to see a Manta. Like i said earlier, coral is cool, but i can't imagine seeing one of these beasts in person. I feel like video just doesn't do it justice when looking on youtube.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

Seeing mantas just during the day is fairly common. We have one site on the south side of Oahu that seems to produce 3-4 of them more dives than not, though that's not much of a guarantee for a vacation schedule. Diving around the cliffs between Portlock all the way up to Halona blowhole is pretty active for monk seals, but getting a hawaii Kai op to put you in the water around there is hit or miss and its a tricky shore dive near a major current stream.

 

[Scubagolf]

I've dove Maui and BI and find it hard to say which I prefer between those. I'd almost pick based on which topside I was more interested in.

If there's any chance of getting your wife in the water at night, the manta night dive would be the time. I've been on darker daytime dives.

The manta night dive is spectacular for what it is. You are overweighted to keep you on your knees in what can be a pretty good current. It is an experience not to be missed, but overall I think the diving on Maui is more interesting, and from Maui you can do a trip out to the Cathedrals on Lanai with Extended Horizons from the pier on the north end of Lahaina. Both Maui and the Big Island are outstanding topside, but both are expensive, as is anywhere in the islands.

 

[Midge907]

Funny stuff.

My wife's largest prerogative is to sit on a nice sandy beach...

If this is a big part of the decision then now I must change my tune, and say hands down go to Maui. The Big Island is not your typical beach scene when it comes to sandy spots. I really liked the Kehei area of Maui, and you can go out with BnB Scuba, Ed Robinsons, etc. from the local launch point. When I went out with B&B Scuba we went over to Lanai for both of our dives at the Cathedrals as the water was dead flat. My wife is not a diver, and she loved it on Maui, however she hated Oahu. If you get on VRBO you can find condos in Kehei for about $100 night, depending on time of year. I actually rather go to Hawaii during the summer, and to the Caribbean in the winter, and that is when Condos are cheaper there from what I have found.

 

[diversteve]

One point I didn't mention - Umekahame Beach is a very long swim out to the Manta Cleaning station and you have to know where to go. They do it from shore on scooters typically but it's better off a boat since the mooring is nearby.

What others said about the beaches also. There's very few good sandy beaches anywhere around Kona. Most of the shore line is sharp lava down to and into the water. Even some of the "beaches" like Kahuluu Beach Park are a stretch. Magic Sands is pretty nice but it washes out to sea occasionally leaving just the lava that's under it. I didn't see a lot of resorts on the beaches either - most seemed to be near one.

Maui otoh has nice beaches. Some with prior arrangements you could dive from. One of the nicest beaches on Maui is Kapalua Beach - there's also a shallow shore dive there. Some of the local guides work there - Kapalua Diving Co. used to but they closed last year. Try Tiny Bubbles or Scuba Mike. There's also some nice beach in Kahana and Ka'anapali but they can be very crowded in season - they're fronted by multi-hundred room resorts and condo towers.

Sheraton Black Rock has a very nice beach and you can both snorkel or dive Black Rock also. Old Airport is another locals beach that's a decent shallow dive.

Farther south in Kihei/Wailea are some nice beaches also. If you look at the link I posted previously - the Kamaole's, Ulua, Polo, Wailea Beach are all pretty nice. The Grand Wailea resort shares Wailea Beach and it's there for a reason. Many of the more affordable Kihei condos are across the street from one of the Kamaole beaches.

We stay at one a little farther south in Wailea - on a dead end road that only leads to the beach so condo guests pretty much have a private beach. You'll find that many of the beaches on Maui terminate at either end in lava rubble - that's the best diving.

Or you can share your spot on Waikiki Beach with 10,000 others.. Being in the shadows between the tall hotels is something to be seen once - it can be dark on the brightest days - it's kind of eerie. 100's of tour buses line the street in the mornings - IDK where they take them all.

 

[dnote]

@Midge907 - I just searched the cathedrals in lanai and this really looks like an intriguing dive. The more I research the more I understand why everyone says it's difficult to specify an 'all around best' island to dive. There are so many dives in Hawaii that are completely unique in nature.

@diversteve - diversteve, your knowledge of Hawaii diving/geography is vast, you must visit often. It's our preference to stay and dive in the more secluded areas and away from all of the crowds, so this is great info. I'm really leaning towards Maui at this point.

I was looking at the shorediving link you posted and it's interesting how diving is sparse between Black Rock and Olowalu. It seems the most dive spots are further south by where you stay in the Wailea area. The beaches look nice further south as well, and being closer to Molokini is a plus.

I wouldn't be averse to taking a road trip inland either i know Midge mentioned that there are good topside activities in Maui, i had a colleague at work who mentioned the drive to Hana which looks pretty cool.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

The Road to Hana can be fun to drive, but I have personal experience with it making one's passenger quite grouchy/ill - as that may have had more to do with my repeatedly putting the Wrangler up on two wheels, YMMV. All in all, I wouldn't bother unless you want to spend a couple nights in one of the nifty, if pricey, Travassa Hana seaside cabins.

 

[dnote]

:lol:

Is there anything any less risky although similarly captivating? Maybe one of the nearby state parks?

 

[Midge907]

I wouldn't be averse to taking a road trip inland either i know Midge mentioned that there are good topside activities in Maui, i had a colleague at work who mentioned the drive to Hana which looks pretty cool.

We loved the Road to Hana, well worth the trip. We left early enough to get a good start ahead of the many others you will see along the way. The drive is capped off by an awesome place called the 7-sacred pools. Once your there you can either drive back the same way you got there, or continue along the loop around that side of the island, which will eventually get you back to where you started. Get yourself a Jeep Wrangler 4-door so that you can remove the hard top, and have room for dive gear.