Best island for relative newbie diver?

[jephre]

Hi there-
Looks like I'll be heading to HI for the first time for the December holidays. We'll be in Honolulu for a day or two, but want to head off to one of the other islands for a more relaxing getaway.

I'm OWD with 15 dives post-cert, so I'm not advanced by any means, but would love some feedback on where y'all would recommend we go...

thanks!

jephre from los angeles

 

[meesier42]

Both Oahu and Maui have great programs for all levels of divers.

For Oahu I would recommend Ocean Concepts
For Maui - Lahiana Divers

 

[DiveMaven]

Maui has great diving for beginners and advanced divers. B&B is often recommended around here as a great charter for just about anyone. They depart early out of Kihei, which gets you back early (mid-morning) so there's lots of time to do other stuff. Everyone says they are fabulous with newer divers, as well as experienced ones, so you likely can't go wrong booking with B&B. Typical charter out of Kihei seems to be one tank at Molokini and one tank at a S. Maui shore site. Molokini is only a 15 minute boat ride from Kihei, so definitely worth the drive from Kaanapali if you're staying there.

We use Lahaina Divers for our charters to Lanai and feel that they are geared toward newer and/or occasional divers. Although they "babysit" a little too much for our liking, we simply speak with the DMs and captain prior to diving and they pretty much let us do our own thing. We prefer their big, spacious boats for the (often) rough crossing to/from Lanai, and have never had more than 18 divers on a Lanai charter. I wouldn't recommend them for trips to Molokini since it's such a long boat ride (though I've done it and enjoyed it), and I wouldn't recommend them for afternoon charters. That's when they do Discover Scuba and their boats are packed...not fun IMO.

 

[www.scubamazing.com]

I'd think you'd be fine on any of the islands, but I will concur to Oahu & Maui.

 

[kidspot]

Divemaven hit it well I think - Maui is a great place to start ... and continue

If going to Molokini B&B is imho the best bet for new divers - they are used to dealing with students and have lots of DMs in the water ...

In Lahaina, Lahaina Divers has that nice big boat ... though I've not been on it yet, it sounds good.

 

[KrisB]

The nice thing about doing shore dives (something Maui is great for) is that you're not having to meet anyone else's schedule.

If you dive off a boat, you have to be ready to dive when they say "dive" and ready to get out when they say so... shore diving lets you get a bit more comfortable in the water, etc... I would highly recommend shore diving for at least your first couple dives over here to get acclimated to the water.