Oahu - opinions on sites?

My wife and I will be in Oahu (this starts out just like all the other threads doesn't it??) in late November (turkey day week). Since the waves are crashing hard on the north shore, where do you suggest we attempt to get to for nice diving while there? We'll be in Waikiki, but have access to a rental car, so we are open... We're ok with some current/depth since we live and dive in NC. Main objective is to see animal life (micro or macro) not so much to see a given wreck. Shore dive locations?

Anyone had good experiences with any dive outfits in particular? Any cruise type day-trips we should consider? What dive sites should we really try to see?

I'm taking along my camera as well, so if there are spots that are great for photos, I'd like to know about them as well.

Thanks!

Just found this thread (http://www.scubaboard.com/t69073-thanksgiving-in-oahu.html) about 4 pages back... that has some info on two recommended shops... but for the rest, anyone take a stab at suggestions?

Thanks again!

The best diving in Hawaii is normally Kona, the western coast of the Big Island.

If you can hop over there, with your gear, that would probably be your very best bet.

http://www.jacksdivinglocker.com/welcome.htm

A book by Franciso B. deCarvalho, "The Oahu Snorkeler's and Shore Diver's Guide", is a starting point; available at Amazon, if not at your local big-box. The best bet for shore diving is Kahe Point Park and the nearby Electric Beach; both are usually divable when the rest of the island is snotty. Both are in the shadow of the Kahe power plant; can't miss it, just get on the freeway west (toward Waianae) and go until you see the smokestack with its strobe -- a 20-30min drive from Honolulu, depending on traffic. Kahe Beach is a shallow dive, not more than 20-25ft, and is very popular with diving classes -- meaning it's gonna be crowded on weekends and especially after 0900. The entry/exit through the little cove can be "sporty" if there's any surf big enough to produce whitewater. The main problem is that the safe route is a 10ft slot between boulders next to the power plant cooling pool and a flat rock shelf on the park side. The exit usually gives the most problems because the surf typically breaks/plunges right at the entrance to the cove and you can't see (and can't really swim) in whitewater foam. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people swim in, only to get their feet picked up by a wave and then sent "over the falls", head-over-heels into the rocks -- pulled more than a few out myself and found a boxful of gear that got torn loose. I use a funky technique to exit through such surf; it basically involves tucking into a ball and flipping so that I'm headfirst into the wave before it hits (and flipping back after it passes to continue swimming in); crazy but it works. Again, if there's surf, take the time to watch others do the entry and exit. And besides, because it's so shallow, viz and surge is going to suck if there's surf. But on a good day, Kahe has a lot to offer. Reef whitetip sharks resting under overhangs, the very rare Hawaiian flame angel (a brilliant scarlet), turtles, octopi, harlequin shrimp, squeaking dolphins further offshore, are possible. Be on the lookout for the peacock flounder which is almost impossible to see and can disappear in an instant. As far as flora and fauna, Hawaii is poorer in quantity and variety as compared to spots in the Carib or South Pacific. Hawaii is subtropical (cooler waters), extremely isolated (low species count but very high % of endemics), with surf and currents which favor stony corals over soft-corals such as seafans. See Francisco's book for other spots. The main cautions are surf, currents (always, always watch it for 10-15min and be absolutey sure and honest about your abilities because Hawaiian surf is probably faster and more powerful than you're used to), and crime -- lock your car, carry no valuables, don't park in some far-off place.

A few more thoughts: Box jellyfish invariably move into southern shores about 8-10 days after the full moon; you may be ok for late Nov. Hawaiian box jellies are related to, but aren't the killers like the Aussie sea wasps; they'll still sting and so be careful, especially if you know you have a bad allergic reaction to such things.

Most Oahu dive operators tailor their operations around tourists which is good and bad. Good, in that they'll take care of you if you're new or rusty (as always, there are individuals that may be snotty), and they'll try to pick good sites. It's bad if you don't like larger groups or don't want to dive according to the lowest common denominator (although most operators are smart enough to recognize experienced people and are willing to cut them slack). Also, several operators share boats and so you may end up on a crowded boat even if your group is small. Deep Ecology operates out of the North Shore and caters to experienced divers (must have dove within the past 6mo and have logged at least 25 dives). Captain Bruce also runs a 6-pack charter for experienced divers. Aloha Dive Shop in Hawaii Kai is one of the oldest operations and although the owner Jackie James recently passed, they've continued to run a decent op. Other operators in Wakiwaki (aka Waikiki) are South Seas Aquatics (another very old shop but changed hands and locations many times), Aquazone, See-in-Sea (near CompUSA), Hawaii Sea Adventures (Pearl City), Dive Oahu (right in the Kewalo Basin boat harbor and they'll let you dive vintage gear, i.e. two-hose, if you have it and can use it).

Also, every Saturday night from 1800-2200 (6-10pm), Haunama Bay is open for night snorkeling/diving; no parking fee (normally $1 per car), no entrance fee (normally, $5 per body), but you still gotta watch the 9min video. The lifeguards are there during this time also -- it's always an excellent idea to chat with them about conditions whereever and whenever you see them. The good spots in Haunama are all outside the inner reef; be extremely careful because re-entering the inner reef can be difficult if there's currents/surf -- check with the lifeguards!!

Captain Bruce has a six pack again? The old owner discontinued using his 6 pack years ago...did the the new owners get a new one?

you also might want to chek out this link, tells you a bit about some of the dive sites around the islands
http://www.scubaboard.com/t58194-insider-information---local-diving.html

bluemagoo's correct in that Electric Beach is probably the most consistent year round for shore diving. However, when the waves are up - higher than 3', there can also be a mean current moving perpendicular to the shore. Vis will probably stink enough that it's not worth the effort.

If conditions are good, it can be like an aquarium out there. Just watch out for the tour boats dropping off loads of snorkelers in the same area.

Also watch out when parking your car there - it's gotten worse recently - lots of cars broken into (drug activity nearby). Didn't used to be so bad with the "residents" of the park - once you got familiar with them, they would keep an eye on your car for you. Since they've been chased away, it can be chancy to leave your car unattended.

I've heard some people like to dive off Portlock - the waves are calmer in the fall/winter - but the entry/exit is too tricky for me, so I won't try it with scuba. It looks like a small rock cliff - but the sides are basically worn smooth - they say they wait for the wave to "push" them high enough to get a handhold and exit. However, the edge of the point to the water below has to be between 10 - 15 feet, so I doubt I have enough strength to climb the rest of the way up, even if a wave got me up halfway. One of my dive buddies was freediving out there a couple months ago and encountered a pod of dolphins all around him - he said it was the coolest experience.

Portlock, aka "China Walls", is a good dive. There's some interesting formations about 50yds straight out; looks kind of like building columns. But, there's several reasons why I don't particularly care to dive there. First is access; it ain't easy. You can't park in the cul-de-sac (but you can offload) and then you have to hump everything down to the ledge. Second, it can be dangerous with any kind of surf; the exits can be "sporty" as Chepar mentions -- I prefer to not even try climbing back out and instead will exit further down where there's a little beach (and private harbor thingy); but that means pre-positioning another car or humping all the way back. Third, when there's no surf (Kona weather), the Portuguese man-of-war comes in from offshore; getting stung on the face is no fun, believe me -- the only strategy is to absolutely minimize your time on the roof; get deep and stay deep. Also, of somewhat moderate concern is that the Point is known to be sharky; mainly Galapagos but once in awhile a FrankenTiger will come in close. Currents can be fierce; i.e. the "Molokai Express". On the plus side, pelagics do come in close, including dolphins. I've heard of sightings of humpbacks and a whale shark (and it's only about 40' deep!). Snorkeling there might be a better proposition if you don't mind freediving; just beware of man'o'war.

On truly flat days on that side of the island, I'd prefer to dive Lanai Lookout or Halona Cove.

wadeNC:

Anyone had good experiences with any dive outfits in particular?

Click to expand...

Here's a good experience...

http://www.scubaboard.com/showpost.php?p=630880&postcount=19

Aloha,
Capt Cook