Hi 4Micah,
As a periodic visitor to Oahu, I have a different perspective of Alex's Aquatic Adventures than do the local posters above. My Undercurrent review is attached. Please feel free to personal message me if you have additional questions.
Undercurrent review March 2009:
I have dived with Alex Mason three times now. The first time, in 2006, and the second, in 2008, was while Alex was owner/operator of AAA Scuba and was diving off Elysium. Both of these excellent experiences were detailed in prior Undercurrent reviews. Alex is now the owner of Alex's Aquatic Adventures and he contracts boat seats as many operators on Oahu do.
Due to my previous experiences, I did not hesitate to contact Alex to arrange my diving for a return trip to Oahu. I requested 12 dives over the 3 days I had free, including some sites I had not previously had the opportunity to dive. Alex came through perfectly with a flawless 3 days of diving. The service and convenience were exemplary. Alex picked me up from the designated area at the Hilton on time each of the 3 days. He supplies hot coffee, water and juice, towels, jackets, and, best of all, hot face towels after each dive. Boy, does that feel good after an hour in cool water!
For the first 2 days, we dived off the Enzo and did Sea Tiger, Turtle Canyon, Kewalo Arch & Pipe, YO-257/San Pedro, and Nautilus Reef. The third day was out of Hawaii Kai on the Nori-Z and we did Corsair, Spitting Caves, and Angler's Reef. Alex does a great job of allowing divers to dive their own profile consistent with skill and experience. He successfully advocated for hour dives on all shallower sites despite the fact that all other groups dived shorter profiles, many of them with inexperienced and/or discover divers.
As usual, the sea life was prolific and included Whitetip Reef Sharks, numerous Frogfish, Leaf Scorpions, countless turtles, many Morays (Whitemouth, Tiger, Stout, Zebra…
, Eagle Rays, octopi, nudibranchs, and many, many gorgeous Hawaiian reef fish.
Overall, I got in over 10 hours of fantastic bottom time in my 3 days of diving. The 5mm wetsuit turned out to be a good choice given the average water temperature of 74 degrees, several degrees cooler than previous visits. For the third time in four years, I had a great time diving with Alex Mason. I'm already looking forward to my next visit to Oahu and diving with Alex's Aquatic Adventures.
Good diving, Craig