Moving to Hawaii

I've decided that I hate my job so I'm going to run away and hide in Hawaii for 20 years!

I've only been to Oahu for a quick trip but does anyone have any advise on which of the islands is the best to live and teach diving? I'm hoping to move over in June/July after I complete my PADI Instructors certification and enjoy the wonders of doing what I love SCUBA DIVING and partying under the stars !!!

well... depends which market you're interested in... teaching locals, probably Oahu as they have the largest population. Tourists, then Maui, however Maui has the highest cost of living in the state (about 25% higher than Oahu) Best shore diving is probably Maui or Kona, best boat diving usually goes to Kona however. You might email some of the local shops and ask about work, however most of the best shops to work for have a waiting list of potential employees...

Aloha, Tim

you might want to check out these sites:

http://www.hawaiiresidency.org/hrp_portal_pages/move_to_hawaii.html
http://home.hawaii.rr.com/thehawaiihomepag/moving.htm
http://www.ehawaiigov.org/living/html/newcomer.html
http://www.hawaiiresidency.org/HTML/HRPinc/movetohawaii.html

There are even books available:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref...49?search-alias=aps&keywords=moving to Hawaii

Between Kona and Maui, Maui probably has the best likelihood of breaking in and getting a job right away by my guess.... They see ton's of tourist action with lots of shops and beach concessions involved in the business. If they ever crack down on the shore instruction (it seems to me I heard something about that last year, shutting down a couple of popular beaches to shore instruction and such, did anything ever come of it?) that could change things.

Hawaii, in general, is going to be a spendy place to live and try to make a living on scuba. Be prepared to wait tables or pour drinks in the evenings, that seems to be where the money is for some people.

Jobs on Maui are definitely plentiful ... you can easily find one in a couple of hours so long as you are willing to show up for work on time ... Some of the best paying jobs as Steve pointed out are in the nicer resteraunts.

I know they have stopped allowing commercial vehicles to park at most of the public parking lots at beaches, but as far as I knew instructors were still allowed to teach there, you just can't park... which makes it near impossible to do a class there .... PM Shaka Doug as he would probably have the most up to date info on this.

Aloha, Tim

just avoid electric beach and I'm sure your new profession will be outstanding!