Shore dives on Oahu

[smart8]

I have a few boat dives booked for our trip in early December but wondering what are the best shore dives.
Also, any places to rent tanks, staying at the Hale Koa downtown so somewhere close would be better/easier but I'm open to ideas.

Thanks guys!
Jeff

 

[scottitheduck]

Hey Jeff.....

The short answer is that shore diving in the winter time is tricky. With any South or West swell most of those dives are off limits. The general pattern is to have more surf on the North Shore at those times. For instance, here's a surf report for Oahu's west facing shores for the coming week:



Pretty unlikely that any day past Saturday would be fun for a shore entry for even the most seasoned diver. Even IF you could somehow negotiate your way through the surf, the water is so churned up just past the breaks that the visibility may be 5 to 10 feet at best. Thus, it's safe to say that no one will be diving on the West Side.

My advice is to wait until you are here and check the surf report religiously. If you notice that it's 2-3 one day and then 1-2 the next and finally 0-1 the following day then that's a good sign. We generally don't head out unless it's 0-1. Hope this helps you and others. As always when shore diving it's best to be guided by someone who is experienced with the site and the general conditions and areas where you might get into trouble. Electric Beach, Makaha Caverns and Magic Island are the only 3 (aside from Hanauma Bay) that I would recommend to any visitors...... again, condition dependent.

Aloha!

G

 

[scottitheduck]

Oh and here's a link to the surf report:

Surf News Network

 

[xtremesk8ter314]

Jeff,
I would also recommend checking out multiple surf reports. I personally like to use SurfLine for all my shore diving needs. It hasn't steered me wrong yet!

Jonathan

 

[smart8]

awesome info!
thanks for all the help and guidance
Jeff