Hawaii-good? bad? opinions please?

i am just curious what everyone thinks of diving in Hawaii in general. I am interested in personal experiences as well as what people have heard from others.

My first open water dives after certification were done in Maui. I totally enjoyed them and would definitely go back some day. I was able to do 2 shore dives and two, two tank boat dives. We went to the Molokini Crater, Turtle City, Lanai Cathedrals and Fish Rock. I can't speak for the other islands but Maui has my vote.

Thanks angel-- have you been to alot of other places to have something to compare it to? like the bahamas or some place a little closer?

dived big island and maui. not bad although no colorful reefs. decent fish life and the manta night dive (big island) is a must. surreal experience. however, for people who live on the east coast (like me) i think you can get comparable or better diving much closer to home. also, of all the places i have been to hawaii is by far the most expensive diving. 2 tanks for $110 is not unusual.

Hawaii doesn't have the sponges, gorgonians, and soft corals that abound in Cozumel and most of the Caribbean, so some divers are surprised by the more bare, more rugged look of the reefs.

Lanai and Molokini, both of which are destinations of Maui boats, routinely have 150+' visibility and both large quantities and varieties of fish life.

Maui and Cozumel are like cake and ice cream --- I love 'em both, even though they are different.

I find Maui to be the happy medium between the more hectic Oahu and the very quiet Kaui and Big Islands. Good diving, lots of topside activities for my non-diving wife, yet still laid back.

Prices are steep, though -- Hawaii is the only place that makes Grand Cayman look affordable.

Charlie

I'll be diving Oahu the last week of May after returning from Palau. I'll post a trip report and pics although I still haven't decided with who or where I'll dive.

There is one word I guess comes to mind when I think of comparison of my dives in Maui and Cozumel and that is color. The colors are less vibrant in the Hawaii water. Visibility was exceptional. As is in Cozumel.

There were less fish and marine life at Lanai Cathedrals than I would have expected. There really is no way to compare those volcanic formations to coral, prehaps one comparision is that there are some swimthroughs and they are very massive in height and depth. Depth was about 84 feet.

I would also say that there is more marine life and color in the Bahamas, but not as much as Cozumel. My favorite dives have been those drift dives in Cozumel.

I will say that we crossed over some areas of coral at Molokini Crater, the inside that when looking around it seemed to be a much like a field of coral as far as one could see. Visibility was unlimited. Also, on the shore dives I saw alot more fish and there were some interesting coral formations at that site.

Hard to compare some of these with each other as I enjoy all my dives so much that there is something in all of them that is great to me.

I dive Kona 4 or 5 times a year. I'm told that the coral is not as colorful or as generally impressive in Kona as it is elsewhere (e.g. Coz), but the nektonic life is outstanding. I regularly encounter morays, sea turtles, manta rays, eagle rays, peacock flounders, frog fish, turkey fish, and all manner of nudibranchs. I've seen schools of barracuda, reef sharks, and the occasional octopus. While cruising around in the deep water on surface intervals, it's common to come across dolphins, pilot whales, and the occasional hammerhead. Night diving with manta rays can be totally out of this world.

I don't know what your travel alternatives are, but I wouldn't skip Hawaii.

but IMO SE Asia is much better. Maui is better than Oahu especially for viz. The coral in M & O is rather unimpressive but there are many small morays, turtles are common, and mantas are not so unusual. The Caribbean has better coral than M & O. Anyway diving is okay there.