First dive trip to Hawaii

[AZTinman]

Sorry, I guess my post took folks in the wrong direction. My comment is simply that water temps stay fairly constant in Hawaii. My dive computer didn't record much variation in temps from December and July. Cold is relative, hence, my reference to me being comfy in my 5 mil while others were diving in bikinis.

-AZTinman

 

[Reidkon]

What Kathy said. Coming from Canada I know what cold water diving is. I did my first open water qualification dive in Waterton lakes, and the next two on Vancouver Island in a rented 7 mill wetsuit. Now that's cold water diving! All of the rest of my diving has been in the Caribbean and South Africa so, yes I am a spoiled wimp! I have a 3 mill shorty and a 3 mill full, so I will definitely be picking up a 5 mill if we go to Hawaii. I actually could have used a 5 mill in our last trip to Bonaire. The water temps were consistently around 79 but by the middle of the 3rd dive of the day I was getting cold.

Cold water???? As I recall, water temps typically run in the low to mid-70's year around. My 5 mil was comfy in December and July. I wore tropical weight gloves, and no hood. Of course, there were people on the boats in December and July who just wore their swimsuits.-AZTinman

---------- Post added August 30th, 2015 at 12:34 PM ----------

Good advice. After discussing it with my wife if we go we will be skipping Oahu.

Can you swing a 3rd island? A week on Oahu is about four more days than you really need.

For a two-week trip I'd do three days on Oahu and split the rest between BI and Maui.

 

[KathyV]

Thanks to all for the great advice. We would love to do a liveaboard but unfortunately our vacation budget is not that big at this stage of our lives...

I don't know if this will help you because I don't know the dates, locations, or rates that will be offered; but the Aggressor fleet is offering a 31 hour flash sale to celebrate their anniversary and it starts at 12:31 am tonight, see the link below:

Aggressor Fleet and Dancer Fleet - Luxury LiveAboard Diving

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Can you swing a 3rd island? A week on Oahu is about four more days than you really need.

For a two-week trip I'd do three days on Oahu and split the rest between BI and Maui.

^THIS^

It really depends on your travel "personality" and what types of activities you enjoy, and what you want to see and do; but many folks are fine with 2 full days on Oahu for "tourist" type sightseeing, and the majority of their stay spent on one or more outer islands.

There is no right answer here, but if you are primarily wanting to dive, hike, etc., I would recommend the majority of your stay on the outer islands... and remember that as far as diving goes, you need to consider post-dive limitations both for flying and on some of the hikes / sightseeing that may take you to high-ish altitudes.

Best wishes.

---------- Post added September 8th, 2015 at 11:21 AM ----------

We are thinking of trying something different this year and taking our winter vacation to Hawaii, probably January or February. We are leaning towards 1 week on the Big Island and 1 week on Oahu, the Big Island for the manta rays, shore diving and hiking, Oahu, because my wife has never been. I would appreciate any advice on where the best areas are to stay on the Big Island that are relatively close to dive sites and dive shops for tank rentals. We prefer condos with kitchens as we like to cook our own meals and we don't care if it is beach front, but it's always nice to be able to see the ocean! And of course diver friendly is nice, meaning not a thousand steps to climb to haul gear up, and an equipment drying area would be a bonus.
Any comments on:

• Diving in January-February?
• Dive op recommendations for boat dives?
• Favorite shore dives?
• Favorite hikes?

Any other tips would be greatly appreciated!

In addition to the post I made above:

• January - February should be fine. While it is "winter", diving on the Kona side is generally good that time of year. I would normally recommend summer months, but with our changing climate (or at least El Nino and La Nina events), you do need to pay slightly more attention to hurricane season here. June through November is the "official" season, with the months in the middle of that range the most likely to feel the effects of "near misses" that usually occur with hurricanes. Keep in mind that diving in Kona keeps you on the lee side of the island, protected by some tall mountains. Only a big south swell will cause the Kona side to be un-diveable.
• I'm a shore diver, but Jack's Diving Locker has been awesome on the few times we've done boat dives. There are also other great dive ops in Kona.
• Favorite shore dives on the Kona and Kohala coasts include "Two-step" (Place of Refuge in Honaunau, south Kona) and Puako on the South Kohala coast. I especially like Puako for the enormous reef... I live here and have not seen all of it. There are lots of other great shore dives.... pretty much anyplace you can safely enter/exit the water will be good along the Kona coast.
• Hiking: Volcano National Park for sure. There are a variety of hikes, including back country hikes, that are worthwhile. You do need to consider the elevation of Volcano (about 4,000) when planning diving and hiking.

Best wishes.

 

[pittsy]

I have always had a good experience with Big Island Divers. I spend 2 months a year on the Big Island (Dec-Jan) and I think the water is cold. I usually wear a 5mm with a hood and I get cold.

 

[fisheater]

Hawaiian weather is weird this summer. Water is unusually warm. No trade winds. High humidity. Rain on the Kona side of the Big Island. No change expected until winter.


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