Never Been to Hawai'i

[Barry Goode]

Hi,

I'm an Advanced Open Water diver who's never been to Hawaii. I'm planning on going in early April. Here are my questions:

1. With just 8 days in Hawaii, how many islands can I reasonable see & dive?
(I'm guessing Oahu & Maui would be about it)

2. Can divers get between the islands without flying? Are there ships?

3. I'd like to see Manta Rays. Is this possible without going to the big island?

4. What's the water temp & visibility in early April?

5. What advice do you have for a first-time diver to Hawaii?

Thanks!

Barry

 

[justleesa]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

moved to main Ohana Forum

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[scottitheduck]

Hmmmm.... what do you guys think. I know a bunch of others will chime in:

1) Two islands sounds good. Or one island really thoroughly in 8 days.

2) Hawaii Superferry between Oahu and Maui

3) Mantas sometimes at Molokini Crater (Maui) very rarely here on Oahu (seen em 3 times here)

4) Temp should be mid to upper 70's. Vis laregely dependent on where you go. 20-150 feet!

5) Eat Poke, Wear Sunscreen, Bring Sunglasses and Tip Your Divemaster!

Hope this helps..... let the games begin!

G

 

[KrisB]

Gabe's dead on.

I'd add that there is a place off Maui where you can reliably see Mantas -- contact Hawaiian Rafting Adventures or (maybe?) Extended Horizons to book the charter.

Other than that, there's a Manta Ray Night Dive off the Big Island that you could consider doing as well... but that makes a third island, with no ferry option.

 

[friscuba]

If I were recommending an 8 day trip to Hawaii for combined diving and exploring, I'd probably recommend doing just one island and keeping the choices between Maui and the Big Island.

Oahu sees more visitors than the outer islands, and the north and east shores are gorgeous, but Honolulu is so dominating (and if I wanted to go to a city for a vacation I'd choose several other cities first), Waikiki's so developed these days, and the diving I've tried there just didn't hold up to the diving at either of the other islands.

Kauai's gorgeous topside, haven't dove there yet, bit it feels small to me and after a few days I feel like I've done it. This island and the Big Island have the least development.

Maui has good diving, it seems to be dominated by Molokini and a couple sites on Lanai from my experiences so far, I prefer Lanai personally but it can be a rough trip if my experiences were typical. Plenty of shore access is available if you're into the shore diving. It's got lots of beaches, and a good amount of tourist activities, restaurants and such.

The Big Island has lots of very good diving within a short boat trip, some very good shore dives, the beaches are nice but not as plentiful as on other islands. Development is more limited, can't think of any building on the island over 6-7 stories tall, so there's not as much touristy paid activities as you'll find on Oahu or Maui. It a far bigger island and things are spread out here and you'd definitely need a car.

Water temps? My guess this is going to be a cold year, maybe 74/75 come April, hopefully a bit warmer. Viz will likely be 80-100' plus in Kona except on pretty rough days, not sure about the other islands (fewer beaches, rocky shores mean good viz in general).

My advice to first time divers to Hawaii... every island is different and has it's own strong points... come back and try another island the next time.

Hawaiian reef study

 

[Black_3000psi]

I can only speak on the diving here on Oahu which is great. and you if you come here in april you may get a chance to dive norh shore. but first things first "discover local diving" would be a good Idea. keep checking the forums for more info. for going to other Islands we do have a super ferry not sure which Islands it hits. I wont refer you to any dive ops cause I know just about all of them and dont want to offend any of them so I must leave that to others sorry hope I was a little help. good luck.

 

[KrisB]

I can only speak on the diving here on Oahu which is great. and you if you come here in april you may get a chance to dive norh shore. but first things first "discover local diving" would be a good Idea. keep checking the forums for more info. for going to other Islands we do have a super ferry not sure which Islands it hits. I wont refer you to any dive ops cause I know just about all of them and dont want to offend any of them so I must leave that to others sorry hope I was a little help. good luck.

Having dove Oahu a few times, and Maui a bunch... I'd say spend the time and money diving Maui (unless you really like wrecks), and spend your Oahu time topside doing tourist stuff.

I don't think I'd call Oahu diving "great" unless the only thing I had experienced was 5' viz freshwater on the mainland. It is "ok" -- and yes, it's diving -- but it was pretty disappointing for someone coming from Maui.

 

[Thalassamania]

I flew round trip from the Big Island to Oahu last week for less than $80.00. Jack's Diving Locker (and many others) can setup everything you need for a Manta Dive.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

"Hi,

I'm an Advanced Open Water diver who's never been to Hawaii. I'm planning on going in early April. Here are my questions:

1. With just 8 days in Hawaii, how many islands can I reasonable see & dive?
(I'm guessing Oahu & Maui would be about it)

I'd recommend one island. Remember, you be flying between islands, which will limit your diving days already. And I've found that "travel days" (arrival day, departure day) are "lost" days on a vacation, so you may not want to throw in any additional "lost" days by traveling interisland once you've arrived. My recommendation would be either Hawaii or Maui.

2. Can divers get between the islands without flying? Are there ships?

Yes, the Super Ferry. But I'd recommend flying due to the transit time and schedules of the Ferry, and the fact that with 8 days you want as much flexibility as possible.

3. I'd like to see Manta Rays. Is this possible without going to the big island?

The Night Manta Dive in Kona on the Big Island is your best shot at seeing mantas, and a must-do dive.

4. What's the water temp & visibility in early April?

Probably in the mid-70's for most o the state. You'll want a 3mm or 5mm full wetsuit if doing multiple dives over several days.

5. What advice do you have for a first-time diver to Hawaii?

I grew up on the Big Island, and began diving here 1976. I'm naturally quite biased, but believe Hawaii is an incredible place to dive due the wide variety and sheer volume of aquatic life. Many species are found only in Hawaii.

The best advice I can give is to SLOW DOWN both underwater and topside to enjoy what Hawaii has to offer. While some of the critters are large (mantas, humpback whales), many are quite small, and you'll never see them unless you move slowly and LOOK. If you go speeding along the reef (or highway) you'll miss and awful lot of cool things.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Teamcasa]

Yep, just go to the Big Island, dive to your heartÃÔ content. Why bother with anywhere else (this time of year). The Manta dive is indeed a world class dive and not to be missed. Forget island hopping, wastes too much vacation/dive time.