Dive Centers in Oahu and Maui

I am going to Hawaii for the first time in a couple of months, specifically Oahu and Maui. I have been searching online for a good quality dive center to dive with, but I am just curious to see if anyone has been to Oahu or Maui and if so, which dive centers did you use to dive with?

when I'm on Oahu i use aaron's dive shop and when I'm on maui i use mike severns diving..both are safe and accommodating.

For Maui it will sort of depend on where you're staying - unless you like a lot of long early morning drives...It's about a 45min drive between Kaanapali/Lahaina and Kihei/Wailea. All the Kihei boats leave early to beat the tradewinds coming back. Some like Severns leave at 5:30AM to get there first.

In the Kihei area all the boats go to Molokini. Severns, Ed Robinsons or B&B Scuba are my recommendations. For shore diving there's Maui Dreams Dive Co in Kihei. They also rent tanks in that area - as does B&B.

In West Maui there's Lahaina Divers or Extended Horizons. If your dive count is correct - I'd suggest LD. They have bigger boats and also dive both Molokini and Lanai.
Tiny Bubbles is an option for escorted shore dives. I know them only by reputation/reviews here.

Should you want to do some shore diving get tanks at one of the Maui Dive Shops - about 1/2 their locations rent them.

The signature Maui dives are probably Molokini Crater and the Cathedrals at Lanai. Black Rock is an easy shore dive and Mala Pier at night is exceptional. Do it with Lahaina Divers - the legal entry is difficult during the day - at night it would be really difficult. (lots of shallow coral to navigate around)

On Oahu, I'd suggest Kaimana Divers and/or Hawaiian Diving Adventures if you're around Honolulu/Waikiki or the West side. Regardless of who you wind up booking with, a call to Gabe at Kaimana to talk about what you want to do and what's available around the island vis-a-vis wreck and shore dives...would be a good investment of your time.

Aaron's is an awesome shop, but is located in Kailua on the windward side near Kaneohe, and tends to dive the Hawaii Kai area I think (I may well be wrong) which I don't find as interesting unless you're doing something they'd consider risky and subject to conditions, like drifting Sea Cave or Spitting Caves. Which is not to say they're not awesome--I really like the staff there, and they clearly know their stuff.

If you're on the North shore, I've heard good things about Deep Ecology in Haliewa or however it's spelled, but I've no personal experience with them.

I second the recommendation for Kaimana Divers on Oahu. Gabe and the crew are awesome. On Maui, I dove with Extended Horizons and can highly recommend them. Besides writing out all the previous dive info on a board on the boat, what I loved was that I was in the first of two groups and since I had plenty of air left when my group was ready to go up, the divemaster sent me over to the second to continue. It was very appreciated.

Diversteve is correct about Maui. If you tell us where you're staying and whether your 0-24 total dives is correct, I think you can get more helpful responses regarding Maui. There's quite a difference between staying near Lahaina and staying near Kihei as far as dive op recommendations.

Just a suggestion, but you really should get your AOW before you make this trip. Many of the really good dive sites are beyond your current certification level.

As said, some depends on where you are staying on Maui. It's a long drive in the early morning to come down to Kihei to board a boat (but the flip side is there is no traffic at that hour!)

As far as Kihei ops go, if you are a beginner, I recommend B&B. They do a VERY good job of taking care of their novice divers. If you are a bit more experienced, and especially if you are keen on marine life in detail, the Mike Severns boat caters to a somewhat more experienced crowd. The owner is a marine biologist and co-author of one of the guides to Hawaiian endemic species. They make a great effort to get their clients to places where unusual species can be seen.

Dove with Aquazone a couple weeks ago. AQUAZONE.NET I was pleased with the service, very convenient they take you to the harbor so no car needed. The shop is at the Waikiki Marriott and it was the hotel we stayed at so it was perfect. They dive off a Catamaran, a very stable platform and the boarding ladder was one of the easiest ones I've ever climbed up with gear. They do all the wrecks so, if that's what you like then this is the op.

Definitely marking this thread. Planning to take the wife to Hawaii (for her next birthday) and want to get in some good diving while there!!

Please keep us posted on who you choose and how the trip was!