First Scuba Dive trip to Hawaii - Oahu? Big Island? Maui? - from June 26 to July 1st
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scubajudy
Registered
Hubby and I had a great first Hawaii trip to the Big Island so it's the only one I can comment on. Our trip was in August and we dove with Kona Dive Company... they are a very competent and fun crew. Kerry, the owner, is super friendly and her brownies and sandwiches are great. The manta night dive is a must do; we also saw spinner dolphins, shark, manta at a cleaning station, plus all the colorful reef fish. The hubby didn't care for the slow catamaran that KDC uses but I thought it was great.
DiveMaven
Contributor
We had a great shore dive at Makena Landing! Great viz, good diving, excellent people!
How come none of the places I called have guided shore dives? Or even if there is one, it's almost as expensive as boat dive? I thought shore diving was gonna save me few bucks... ?
DiveMaven
Contributor
You can save a lot of money by shore diving on your own without a guide. Unfortunately, unless you're familiar with Hawaii's marine life, your experience won't be as good as if you had a guide. On Maui, it's as simple as going to Maui Dive Shop and getting one of their free magazines that has information about the shore diving sites, including graphics. Then you rent a tank, weights, and a flag (about $15) from any of the dive shops on the island, and head out to one of the sites.
Remember that Hawaii has a lot of endemic species that you cannot see anywhere else in the world. Without a knowledgeable guide, an inexperienced Hawaii diver is going to miss a LOT. Actually, I'd venture to say you'll miss most of what there is to see. Of course an experience Hawaii diver or local may be just as good as a professional for guiding, so you can always post the dates you're on island (in a separate thread when you get closer) and see if anyone is available to dive with you.
I believe Shaka Doug is $89 for a 2-tank guided shore dive, which is a good $40 (or more) cheaper than a boat dive. The nice thing about Doug is that he has his scuba bus with everything a diver needs for a fun dive. That means you simply meet him at the dive site and he has everything ready for you instead of you having to pick up tanks, etc.
Remember that Hawaii has a lot of endemic species that you cannot see anywhere else in the world. Without a knowledgeable guide, an inexperienced Hawaii diver is going to miss a LOT. Actually, I'd venture to say you'll miss most of what there is to see. Of course an experience Hawaii diver or local may be just as good as a professional for guiding, so you can always post the dates you're on island (in a separate thread when you get closer) and see if anyone is available to dive with you.
I believe Shaka Doug is $89 for a 2-tank guided shore dive, which is a good $40 (or more) cheaper than a boat dive. The nice thing about Doug is that he has his scuba bus with everything a diver needs for a fun dive. That means you simply meet him at the dive site and he has everything ready for you instead of you having to pick up tanks, etc.
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