Caribbean or Hawaii ????

[robint]

ditto everything Ron said. Been diving in both, would return to both.

 

[Tuckster]

All good advice & I think I understand. Its somewhat like Bonaire & Freeport. Bonaire has lots of small stuff & colorful coral where the Bahamas have more of the larger stuff.
I would like to try Hawaii as I'm really into the bigger stuff like rays & turtles & sharks + I'm using FF miles. But I'm traveling solo & as far as a dive resort or hanging with other divers, Hawaii doesn't look as appealing. May check out the liveaboard.

 

[zahner]

Hawaii is certainly a dive destination for me and my wife. We just returned from Maui (our third time there). Logged a bit over 14 hours of bottom time on this trip. I am more interested in seeing hard corals and macro photography so it is a perfect place for me. Plus there are many endemic species that you will see nowhere else. The only drawback for us is the flight time from NYC

 

[Scubagolf]

We dive the Hawaiian Islands frequently. It's a convenient and relatively short trip non-stop from the Left Coast. Good diving -- turtles, sharks, rays, dolphins, although not much in the way of reefs.

If you want shark diving central, French Polynesia is a great place to dive. 8 hours non-stop out of LA. Been there twice, can't wait to go again.

 

[downdeep]

I like diving Hawaii, but many of the best sites are deep IMHO. Sometimes cold, too. I was in Kona last August and by the end of the week I was yearning for my 5mm semi dry.

If you want warm, clear water and easy diving with big animals I recommend Nassau. Sharks by the dozens, stingray, eels, goliath grouper. Little Cayman is also a good bet for pelagics coming up the wall from the trench.

 

[Mantasscareme]

If you're a fan of big stuff, the biggest stuff I've ever seen were to 7, yes, 7 mantas on a night dive off Kona. I did the dive two night in a row and was disappointed when I only got 6 mantas the second night. Those were my two favorite dives EVER. I loved my trip to the Big Island, but truthfully the daytime dives seemed to lack the lush sponge growth and vertical walls that permeated diving on the East End of Grand Cayman. Both Hawaii and the Caribbean have their pros and cons. Hawaii doesn't have any native large angelfish, tarpon, or 300 pound groupers. The Caribbean lacks Hawaii's jaw dropping diversity of butterflyfish. There is more coral growth in Caribbean. In Kona, Hawaii friendly spinner dolphins followed the boat out to the dive site every day (although they never stuck around for the dive). I honestly thought that the average daytime dive on the East End of Grand Cayman was better than the average daytime dive in Kona, Hawaii, but the manta ray night dive in Kona is something every diver should experience at least once.

 

[caymaniac]

I think you can't loose on your choice, either is great for diving. I've been to Oahu, the Big Island (Hawaii), and Maui. I would say if you are diving for a week there is almost a sure-ity that you will see something big - shark, whale, or manta, dolphin. The coral is alot lower growing so there are no spurs and grooves like the Caribbean. The fish and coral are mostly different in species. In the Caribbean there seems to be more small stuff, and the coral can grow to a larger size.

The Caribbean...Little Cayman

The Pacific

 

[Debay777]

Im going to make a post here and start a new thread. Mods, I understand if you delete one or move posts from one to another.

I may be going to Oahu in late May for my anniversary. Can anyone suggest a good dive operation in that area? We plan on being there for a week. Due to travel issues, I would rather just do the diving on Oahu rather than have to rush the ferries and driving rental cars around unkown islands. I also plan to let my wife try a discover scuba class, so ease of diving and quality of training is important.

 

[ltlmi]

I agree with ronrosa. I recommend Kona on the Big island and Sandwich Island Dive Shop. Nice folks, no crowded boats. Be sure to book the Manta Ray night dive. It's spectacular!

 

[redrover]

An oft asked question, and you got the straight scoop above.

Do some math.

Hawaii: One of the Fifty United States, same currency, nice and safe, Bennigans, relatively cheap, parasols in your drinks, flowers at the airport...

But rarely a mention in the dive rags. True, they largely do not advertise, so that's why you don't see Hawaii mentioned- but why don't they advertise?

You do not got to Hawaii to dive. If ypu find yourself in Hawaii and have grown tired of the bounty of natures wonders, you might go diving once in an occasi0onal great while.

Take a morning off- Ski Mauna Kea first.

The Kona Aggressor is a Saturday boat.

I don’t follow, what are you saying, meaning? I’m expecting (from what I frequently see you pushing) this is a tongue in cheek put down but parts don’t seem to be.