Budget diving in Oahu

[bangis]

Hello!

I'm new to SB, and stumbled onto it after researching on diving in Oahu. I'll be moving to Oahu by end of July and will be staying there for a year for a scholarship program with U of H. While a year in Hawaii is probably fantastic, and I'd love to try to do as much as I can (a lot of diving included), I'll also be working on an extremely tight budget/stipend.

With that in mind, hope you guys can shed some light on the weekend dive possibilities without a regular "tourist" budget?

- Since shore dives are possible, how do I get started on this? Where can I find dive buddies who do regular weekend shore dives? (I'm hoping the answer would be, Here on SB of course! )
- I'll probably only be able to take a BCD, wetsuit, mask and snorkel (fins are too bulky so I'll just buy one cheap there, and rent regulators and tanks/weights), how much would it cost to rent the items I lack? Any suggestions where?
- What's a realistic per-dive budget (assuming I have to rent some of the gear above)? I'm planning to get a cheap car there, so would at least be able to go around easily.

I'm from the Philippines, have an AOW PADI license, done a good number of dives all over the country (except Tubbataha), and raring to find out what Hawaii diving is all about. Looking forward to meeting some of you guys as well

Hope to be underwater there in a month!

 

[justleesa]

I went over to the north shore today and talked to some strangers that were diving at 3 tables...I get the feeling if you just show up and ask they'll take you along

Check our insider information thread on some of the sites available and some links to some other listings.

 

[Cacia]

check with fishboy! He has a club with reasonable boat dives. Another idea is to meet some operator's and offer to trade services in exchange for empty boat seats. Sometimes you must be willing to be bumped if the retail seat is sold.

 

[Sharkbaithawaii]

Sea Lancers is Fishboy's club, Pay the membership and rent all the gear and tanks and for really cheap.

 

[Wildcard]

Or just do what I do, post on here "who wants to dive this weekend?" Lots of good folks and something almost always pops up.
Aloha and welcome to the board.

 

[bangis]

thanks for the warm welcome!

i had the feeling that sealancers is a military only club (at least that's what it says on their site)? so non-military people (myself included) wouldn't be able to join? please correct me if i'm wrong though.

any ideas on the average rental costs for gears are? i get the impression shouldn't be a problem finding people to dive with, but just wanted to have an idea of how much tank rentals, etc are.

thanks a bunch!

 

[onfloat]

Sealancers is a military club. Only open to military member and their dependants, you are correct the membership rules are spelled out on their website.

That said there are lots of people here that dive regularly. I usually do a shore dive every weekend.

 

[Wildcard]

A tank rental is around $8 and reg rental should be about $10. Id get here and look for a good used reg to buy. It will save you money in the long run.

 

[Randy8876]

Hello!
- Since shore dives are possible, how do I get started on this? Where can I find dive buddies who do regular weekend shore dives? (I'm hoping the answer would be, Here on SB of course! )

Post on here for buddies or do a boat dive that isn't tourist laden to meet other divers. If you ask around you'll be surprised at the people you meet that are certified, but don't go because they think they don't know anyone to dive with. I just found out one of my roommates is certified, had no clue for the last month he's been living here. The north shore is great in the summer, you shouldn't have any issues getting dive buddies.

- I'll probably only be able to take a BCD, wetsuit, mask and snorkel (fins are too bulky so I'll just buy one cheap there, and rent regulators and tanks/weights), how much would it cost to rent the items I lack? Any suggestions where?

Island Divers Hawaii is pretty cheap, but they are on a military base. Buying gear is your best bet, since the cost per dive will drop to just a few bucks for air, not to mention the pleasure of not having to return rental gear.

- What's a realistic per-dive budget (assuming I have to rent some of the gear above)? I'm planning to get a cheap car there, so would at least be able to go around easily.

Get all your own gear and $5 a dive seems about right. A cheap gear rental will set you back ~$15, but it's so much nicer not having to rent.

'm from the Philippines, have an AOW PADI license, done a good number of dives all over the country (except Tubbataha), and raring to find out what Hawaii diving is all about. Looking forward to meeting some of you guys as well
Hope to be underwater there in a month!

I was in Cebu a few months ago, Hawaii hasn't been quite the same since. The diving here is good, just not as impressive as what I saw over there.

 

[chepar]

A tank rental is around $8 and reg rental should be about $10. Id get here and look for a good used reg to buy. It will save you money in the long run.

What WC said. I would also look for a good used reg to buy.

During the summer and into the fall it should be easy to post here and find someone who'll be doing some shore diving over the weekend. That will just cost you tank rental and perhaps your reg rental, if you haven't bought one.

Later in the fall it may be a bit harder to find people still doing shore dives, as there are some divers (like me) that don't like to do the more strenuous shore dives that are available during late fall/winter/early spring - and only do boat dives during that time.

If you join a dive club, the cost of a 2 tank boat dive will run you around $50.