Non dive related question - Hawaii

DI_Guy · Mar 20, 2006

I was wondering if any of the locals around Pearl Harbor can answer a question, please ?

My wife and I are taking a cruise around Hawaii the end of April. Of course I will be diving while there. A question regarding Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial. Are line-ups to see the memorial,excessively long or do you get a "TIME SLOT" when you purchase your ticket.

My wife cannot wait in line for long periods. Someone told me they waited in line for 2 hours to see the memorial. Can anyone shed some light on the situation ?

Much appreciated...

RICHinNC · Mar 20, 2006

i was just in Oahu and visited the memorial.

And yes, there are def long lines, and the potential for long waits. If you are not there when they open up, the tourist busses drop hundreds of people off and the lines begin VERY early. They can only ferry a small amount of people at a time out to the site and you are there about 10 to 12 minutes max.

Granted they do have it down to a science getting people in and out. When you buy your ticket it tells you what group and time slot you have. I guess you could stand in line for the ticket then see what you would get slot wise. But, you might find out you have an hour to two hour wait and have wasted the 30 min to 45 mins in line finding out.

It is interesting to see the oil drops come up and see the stacks. But, I found the submarine more interesting actually. And, there is a tour of the Mighty Mo the battle ship. Lots of walking there.

Hope it helps.

Humuhumunukunukuapua'a · Mar 20, 2006

RICHinNC:
It is interesting to see the oil drops come up

I haven't been there. What does this mean? Thanks.

justleesa · Mar 20, 2006

The wreck is leaking oil

Long lines are common. They open the doors at 7:30AM...If you get there way early you might be the first....but would wind up waiting too. Remember that no bags or backpacks are allowed.

You might want to check out this link

http://www.nps.gov/usar/pphtml/planyourvisit.html

DI_Guy · Mar 20, 2006

Rich,,, Thanks for your comments. It sounds as if it is a NO GO for my wife and I ( it's too bad ) . We'll probably rent a car and drive up the coast.
Take care...

DI_Guy · Mar 20, 2006

Thanks Leesa. I appreciate your help and comments also.

BTW, I was hoping to PM you about dive spots in the area and whether or not it is feasible to make reservations for scheduled dives when our cruise ship gets into port only at 8:00 am. ( off the ship by 9:00 ) . Most dive ops that I have dealt with around the world, usually like to have you there by 6:00 am for debreifings etc.

Humuhumunukunukuapua'a · Mar 20, 2006

justleesa:
The wreck is leaking oil

Wow, bummer. I know it's a memorial, but has there ever been talk of cleaning it up?

It seems that a memorial that is still causing environmental damage over 60 years later is doing more harm than good...

I don't know how hard it would be to clean up, or if it would be possible without violating the sanctity of the wreck, but it's a shame that the environment and residents of Pearl Harbor who suffered so much in 1941 should still be feeling new environmental pollution even to this day as a direct result of the attack.

KrisB · Mar 20, 2006

Humuhumunukunukuapua'a:
Wow, bummer. I know it's a memorial, but has there ever been talk of cleaning it up?

It seems that a memorial that is still causing environmental damage over 60 years later is doing more harm than good...

I don't know how hard it would be to clean up, or if it would be possible without violating the sanctity of the wreck, but it's a shame that the environment and residents of Pearl Harbor who suffered so much in 1941 should still be feeling new environmental pollution even to this day as a direct result of the attack.

IIRC, they're not sure how much oil is left there... it could cause more environmental damage to clean it up than it does to just leave it leaking at the extremely slow rate that it does.

okamiotoko2004 · Mar 26, 2006

There is a ton of oil in the memorial still. They removed as much as they could from the wreck some years back, but any more and they risked collapsing the wreck. The other wreck on the other side of Ford Island also leaks (also sunk during the attack). There are days when there is a sheen on the entire harbor and the Navy goes out and cleans it up.
Lines can get really bad at the memorial, but the Mighty Mo and the sub lines are not nearly as bad. Alot of walking on the Mo and the tours are very good. More and more of the ship opens up all the time.
Hope you have a great time here.

kidspot · Mar 26, 2006

The museum itself is worth the visit to the Memorial as well, and IIR you don't have to wait in line for that. Plus you could wait in line while your wife looks around and just have her join you when you get to the end of the line.

Considering how many people go through there every day it is amazing how quickly they deal with people, and how considerate they are of the visitors, sometimes parks with lots of people forget that they are there to help people make the most of their visit, not for crowd control. I've not seen that attitude at the Arizona museum.

Aloha, Tim

Non dive related question - Hawaii

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