First trip

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jjach

Contributor
Messages
133
Reaction score
25
Location
Chicago area
# of dives
100 - 199
My wife and I are thinking of going to Hawaii next April for our 25th, We want to dive but also see the sights. We have just under 200 dives apiece, mostly in the Caribbean. I am looking for suggestions on which island would be the best to stay on. I don't think we would have time to do much island hoping. I would like to do some dives in the AM, and sight see in the afternoon. I guess a good place to start would be to figure out which island has the most to offer. Then go from there.
Thanks
 
My wife and I really like Maui but we've only been twice, and we've been to Kauai once and liked it too, but not quite as much.

Definitely figure out which island first, from research Oahu is more urban of course so I suspect that means more night life, shopping etc.

Kauai is very laid back, we stayed on the north side in Princeville and did a lot of hiking and drove to the south side to do some diving. Princeville was nice BUT after 4 days we were tired of the distance we had to drive for restaurant options etc, if/when we return to Kauai we are pretty sure we will stay on the south side of the island next time.

Maui specifically Kaanapali Beach is just paradise for us. Shops and restaurants are within walking distance (lots of options) the views of Molokai and Lanai from your balcony are beautiful morning and evening, Black Rock too is so beautiful to wake up to every morning and have a quick snorkel. There are hammocks along the boardwalk to lie in and watch the stars and listen to the surf at night. And the snorkeling and diving is very good too!

I've read great stuff about diving the Big Island as well but the one negative I've read is that there is a lot of driving because it's such a large island. I suppose you can try and plan the logistics to minimize the driving but it's a common complaint but the manta dive is supposedly amazing.

Good luck choosing!
 
You can't really go wrong and if you haven't visited Hawaii you'll be happy no matter what. Each island has it distinct differences. Kona boasts the calmest and clearest waters on average for example. They also have the world famous Manta Ray dive. Maui has the option of visiting the fantastic Molokini crater (wall diving), crossing to Lanai (popular lava tube dives), and great coastal locations for world class turtle diving. The shore diving off of Maui is also fantastic. Kauai can have rougher waters but has fantastic diving as well with the option (condition dependent) of crossing to the island of Niihau which is often regarded as the best diving in the islands (essentially a slam dunk to dive with the critically endangered Monk Seals!). With your experience level you'll be able to take advantage of some of the more advanced locations no matter which island. All three islands have fantastic sight seeing / hiking locations that are at elevation so keep that in mind while planning dive days.

As far as Big Island driving ...

I've made both weekend and week long trips to Big Island and done so with very little driving. For that matter, you could probably stay in Kona and not even need a vehicle. The island is huge and long distance drives are certainly available for those who wish to explore - but by no means required to enjoy the island both above and below water.

I don't want to ramble to much but if you have specific questions please feel free to message me at any point if I can help with anything. Excited for you and you upcoming trip/planning.

Have a wonderful week
A
 
You'd probably find enough boat diving and sightseeing on any of the four main islands to be happy for at least a week. For sheer number of developed tourist activities, Kauai clearly ranks below the other three.

For diving, I put Big Island (Kona area, or Kohala) on top by a wide margin, but that's because of the abundant high quality shore diving sites, and superior water and wildlife quality they possess. For a handful of boat diving trips, the advantage over Maui probably disappears, and Maui has the best beach and most beach lodging options. There are a couple of nice beaches on the Big Island but it's mostly lava coastline with some small sandy spots.

Both of those islands offer considerable top side attractions to keep you busy for quite awhile. The edge for variety probably goes to Maui, but the active volcano on the Big Island is a special wonder. For cramming the most into a short time, probably Maui is most conducive - you'll probably find more topside activities in close proximity to your lodging, esp if you stay down south in Kihei or Wailea. Kihei is more budget tourist condo, Wailea is pricey beach hotel. On the Big Island, Kona is more centrally located than Kohala where the top end resorts and beaches are. Some of the Big Island topside attractions, like Parker Ranch, Waipio Valley, the water falls, Hilo, the volcano, the black sand beach, tidepools, and the jade beach, are more day trips than an afternoon drive from the west side.

Oahu is iconic, much more developed and crowded, and doesn't seem to offer the same attraction for divers. I've only dived a handful of sites there, so I can't really comment comparatively.
 
My wife and I started going to Maui 12 years ago and go every year. We flew to Oahu to see the Arizona memorial which I thought was a great trip. Three of our parents were in WWII. Unfortunately we did not venture far from Honolulu, which is just a very big city for us Montana hicks. Maui on the other hand is wonderful. We stay on the beach and love the family we have developed at our condo over the years. The same crew goes back year after year.. The Molokini boat diving is spectacular. Shore diving is phenomenal. I would recommend a guide for shore diving. You will see way more critters with a guide.
Most of the shops will do a shore dive. I use Ed Robinson out of Kihei for boat dives. Shaka Doug (shore dives only) or scooter dives from shore are great. Maui does not have a swinging night life. Some cool places in Lahaina, however the boats from the Kihei ramp leave between 5:45 and 6:30 am to beat the tradewinds. But 5:45 is 8:45 for me....kinda like sleeping in every day.
Maui is my fav!! If you go there, do Coconuts for lunch in Kihei. KILLER fish tacos!

Dennis
 
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