Best island/Best operator? - new divers

[diversteve]

I just wanted to clarify that my opinion about Oahu is mostly centered around experiences we had in Honolulu. There are some really beautiful areas to the North and East of the island that we really enjoyed. Especially this one beach with some sort of lighthouse/tower high up on the hill. Had we had more than a couple days, I certainly would have dove there.

 

[justleesa]

I just wanted to clarify that my opinion about Oahu is mostly centered around Honolulu. There are some really beautiful areas to the North and East? of the island that we really enjoyed. Especially this one beach with some sort of lighthouse/tower high up on the hill. Had we had more than a couple days, I certainly would have dove there.

It must have been Makapu beach, near Sea Life park

Image by justleesa (Copyright) posted at ScubaGallery

Couldn't get the lighthouse in the picture...it would be further off to the right.

It is a beautiful spot and when we go riding on the weekends the road side is full of people taking pictures....

 

[diversteve]

It must have been Makapu beach, near Sea Life park

Couldn't get the lighthouse in the picture...it would be further off to the right.

It is a beautiful spot and when we go riding on the weekends the road side is full of people taking pictures....

That's it, I remember that little domed island out in the middle.

 

[captain cook]

My wife and I are new divers, taking a very last minute trip to Hawaii in a week - from the 7th to the 14th. Recommendations?

This is a good site for a customer ranked, un-biased list of operators on the island(s)...

http://www.scubalinx.com/dive_centers_oahu.html

Enjoy your stay!

Aloha,
C.C.

 

[bluemagoo]

I just wanted to clarify that my opinion about Oahu is mostly centered around experiences we had in Honolulu. There are some really beautiful areas to the North and East of the island that we really enjoyed. Especially this one beach with some sort of lighthouse/tower high up on the hill. Had we had more than a couple days, I certainly would have dove there.

Dive Makapuu Beach? Not unless it's perfectly flat; even then, be sure to check with the lifeguards (a tennis buddy, Thurston Hillen, worked Makapuu for many many years but may have retired recently). I've only snorkeled there, along the cliffs, and it's beautiful. I did once kayak out to Manana Island ("Rabbit" Island) with a local eco-education group. Opihi pickers would go bonkers there; tons of big ones, easily over 3in across. Interestingly too, the island was a practice target for the shore batteries during WWII -- I found lots of spent .50cal bullets in the tidal pools toward the "nose" of the island. The depth of the crossing from the Makai Range pier was about 30-40ft; fairly shallow. The side of the island visible from Makapuu is actually the downwind part of the cinder cone. Of course, do not ever try to land on that island without a fistful of permissions -- besides being unbelieveably illegal, there are thousands of seabird ground nests/burrows that are extremely vulnerable to being stomped.

 

[ghost pipefish]

I had great service and saw a wide variety of unusual fish (no pelagics) diving with Fathom Five out of Poipu Beach, Kauai.

 

[chepar]

I did once kayak out to Manana Island ("Rabbit" Island) with a local eco-education group. Opihi pickers would go bonkers there; tons of big ones, easily over 3in across.

I've been trying to do some dives at Rabbit Island for a couple of years - each time we get it scheduled, the winds kick up and the dives are called. Of course, this is scheduling a boat out of Hawaii Kai - is kayaking out pretty easy? Of course, I don't own one of those dive-yaks, anyway.

Opihi - I LOVE it!!! That's my favorite pupu, hands down. Opihi pickers have to be pretty talented, I think - being able to pop those suckers off before they clamp down tight.

 

[Humuhumunukunukuapua'a]

This is a good site for a customer ranked, un-biased list of operators on the island(s)...

http://www.scubalinx.com/dive_centers_oahu.html

Enjoy your stay!

Aloha,
C.C.

Hey thanks for the link. Very handy!

 

[bluemagoo]

I've been trying to do some dives at Rabbit Island for a couple of years - each time we get it scheduled, the winds kick up and the dives are called. Of course, this is scheduling a boat out of Hawaii Kai - is kayaking out pretty easy? Of course, I don't own one of those dive-yaks, anyway.

Opihi - I LOVE it!!! That's my favorite pupu, hands down. Opihi pickers have to be pretty talented, I think - being able to pop those suckers off before they clamp down tight.

Our excursion was arranged by Moanalua Gardens Foundation and we used plain plastic Ocean Kayaks from Bob Twogood in Kailua. It was very easy, taking maybe 40 minutes to cover the distance; very clear water 'cuz I could see the bottom nearly all the way; estimated 30-40ft deep. I was bouncing up and down to go overboard but was threatened (in a nice way) with death if I did. We did get to snorkel around the little beach on the left side that you can see from Makapuu. There were an awful lot of turtles; needless to say, the corals were perfectly healthy and fish plentiful. As for the crossing area, I think currents will always be a problem -- really, the best people to ask are the Makapuu lifeguards; my friend Thurston used to snorkel and spearfish all the way around the nearby smaller Bird/Black Island; not something I'd do but lifeguards are a different breed. I've heard of surfers paddling all the way out to catch some rides on the left or "tail" end of Rabbit Island.

The oceanside of Rabbit Island is all cliffs and extremely rough seas. The caldera takes up most of the unseen side of the island. It's extremely dry and parched; there were remnants of maybe 5 or 6 coconut trees; otherwise, it was all tinderbox grass. Thousands of birds and their nests; can't tell you how many times we got "bombed". Have a look at the pic in the left bottom row of: http://www.angelfire.com/hi4/shelteredbay/oahuaerial.html

Picking opihi is easy; just a butterknife, bag, tabis, and decisive moves are needed. The real trick is not getting smashed and killed by the surf; some bloodletting is always guaranteed. Besides opihi, you can also pick what's called "pipipi" which are those little black nerite snail-thingys that cluster on surf-washed rocks. It takes some time to gather meaningful amounts and pick them out with a safety pin but they're sort of like opihi.

 

[chepar]

Picking opihi is easy; just a butterknife, bag, tabis, and decisive moves are needed. The real trick is not getting smashed and killed by the surf; some bloodletting is always guaranteed. Besides opihi, you can also pick what's called "pipipi" which are those little black nerite snail-thingys that cluster on surf-washed rocks. It takes some time to gather meaningful amounts and pick them out with a safety pin but they're sort of like opihi.

I think it's the required "decisive moves" that was the problem on my one and only opihi picking venture years ago. Trying not to get hammered by the surf and cut by the rocks, I think I gave those suckers plenty of notice as I gingerly tried to slide the butterknife under them. All that effort for 3 little opihi.

So now I concentrate my efforts on picking up opihi from Bob's Fishmarket. Decent size container for a decent price.