Hawaii shore diving? It's a "sure" thing!

Just returning from a fantastic vacation on Maui (all the way from Kauai!) and wanted to share some thoughts to those who may be visiting the islands in the future...

Over 15 years of diving here and I am as in love with shore diving here as ever. I have been diving professionally on Kauai, Maui and Big island throughout my years here and simply can't get enough whether it's from shore or boat. I ventured over to Maui this past week for 3 days of fantastic diving from the shore. We had intended to do some boat diving (which is fantastic to say the least on Maui) but had so much fun diving from shore that we never made it. Great visibility - unreal critters big and small - and easy diver friendly conditions were just part of what we experienced. We did 6 different sites all with great results. Anyway, it got me thinking again this morning how amazing the shore diving is in Hawaii and how much I wish everyone got to experience it. Often when divers hear shore diving mentioned they're first thoughts are "oh, beginner diving", or tough entries/hard work etc... The reality is that a day(s) of shore diving can be among your best memories/experiences of diving in Hawaii. Shore dives are generally easy to do here and absolutely LOADED with fantastic critters. Additionally, you are likely to get very long bottom times, have mellow surface conditions, and maybe the most important - receive some of the most personalized service you could ever get. Shore dives can also be a great way to knock off some rust if you've been out of the water for a long time or just want to ease back into a dive vacation.

As I've said in past posts - I am always excited about the level of professional and fantastic divemasters that I meet/dive with here in Hawaii and know how many visitors have the same experiences that are wonderful. By doing a little research on the board here or online etc it is easy to obtain great information on diving shore locations throughout the islands as well as tracking down one of the island's amazing divemasters.

Well, that's just a few thoughts for you from little Kauai. Consider experiencing a shore dive if you visit the islands and have the chance. They sure can be a wonderful way to spend the day in Hawaii. I hope the message just helps look at shore diving from a positive angle that may help some people with there experiences here.

Have a wonderful day in or out of the ocean! I'm going for a shore dive....

Aloha
A

I will be in Kona for Dec. I have been there before, but this is the first time as a diver (and novice at that). I plan to dive a lot, including and hopefully a lot of shore diving. Can you recommend any Kona dive ops?

I totally agree! We visit Maui frequently (since my in-laws live there) and we've gotten to the point where we rarely go out on a boat. The shore diving (if the surf isn't up too much) is easy and there are LOTS of sites to visit. We have seen just about everything we've seen off the boats at the shore sites, including mantas, dolphins and sharks. Sites like the Makena Landing are ideal for people who haven't done much shore diving, because the entry is easy and the navigation is dead-bang simple. And the shallow depths of the inshore reefs mean long, happy bottom times!

Rambo2:

I will be in Kona for Dec. I have been there before, but this is the first time as a diver (and novice at that). I plan to dive a lot, including and hopefully a lot of shore diving. Can you recommend any Kona dive ops?

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I've only gone out with Jack's Diving Locker in Kona, and I was pleased with the experience. I've heard great things about the other dive ops in Kona, so I think it would be hard to go wrong with any of them. I would recommend calling or emailing and asking about shore diving as well as boat dives.

Shore diving is great in Kona, but if you plan to go on your own, you do need to be able navigate back to your entry point. In some places, there may only be one viable (safe) entry/exit spot, so you do need to be able to plan and execute your own dive. If you do not feel that your skill level is there yet, then hiring a dive guide is a great idea.

Have fun!

Rambo2:

I will be in Kona for Dec. I have been there before, but this is the first time as a diver (and novice at that). I plan to dive a lot, including and hopefully a lot of shore diving. Can you recommend any Kona dive ops?

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Keeping with the theme of shore diving in Hawaii here…I have done both but like shore diving better. In Kona go to Jack's Diving Locker. They will rent you everything, give you maps of the shore dives and tell you about the sites. One about 40 minutes south is called two step. It is an easy place to get in and the diving there is great. But there are many more to explore. Most of the boat entry dives on the Kona Coast are also shore entry, the only issue is if the surf is up because you are going over lava rock. If you find that there is too much surf, then go with a boat operator.

My wife and I will be on Maui and Kauai in Feb.

We hope to do quite a few days of shore diving and maybe a boat dive out to Lanai.

We do quite a bit of shore diving on Maui and this summer had 3 days where we couldn't. One day was because all of the S. Maui beaches were closed due to a Tiger Shark, but the other 2 were due to swells that destroyed the viz, taking it down to less than 3'. Thats is why we still do a combination of boat and shore diving while on island. Since we typically spend about 6 weeks a year on Maui, it gives a good combination of sites and diving opportunities.

What was the tiger shark issue? I'm curious as to what the criteria are to close beaches over them. Size, proximity, it attacked?


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I have enjoyed many great shore dives on Maui and agree 100%...you left out that they are usually quite a bargain vs boat dives too !

drrich2:

What was the tiger shark issue? I'm curious as to what the criteria are to close beaches over them. Size, proximity, it attacked?

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Someone was "tasted." Whenever that happens, they'll close the beaches in the area to give the shark time to go away.

We do love the price of shore diving....$4 since we own our own weights and flag and just need a tank. $8 for a 2-tank dive!