Hawaii Cave Divers?

[kidspot]

I am reading more and more often lately about the wreck divers on Oahu, but I don't recall hearing about any serious cave divers in the islands. Anyone know what kind (if any) cave systems are available for diving here in Hawaii? Specifically Oahu and Maui. Any info online about them?

Mahalo, Tim

P.S. no I'm not getting ready for cave training, just curious.

 

[VBlueV]

joakim hjelm (jo).. from idh.. teaches a cavern course on north shore oahu during summer months..

there's a tight cavern system in sharks cove that jo has squeezed thru with doubles for over an hour..

me and a buddy [who would like remain "anonomous" ] have ran my pathfinder into the death cave approx 200 feet in.

nize halo-cline when you get in there.. [as scubadrew suggested] i took my reg out for a moment to taste the fresh-water..

call jo at idh and visit the HaTeD website..
http://www.hawaiitechnicaldivers.com/

 

[DiveWestOahu]

theres also lots of caves off of the west side of O'ahu but they all are over 180fsw and the really good ones are @ 340~360

 

[KrisB]

I've heard of the "turtle graveyard" down near the south end of Maui. It's deep and silts up real nice.

Of course, there's always the Five Caves area (apparently a couple of the caverns connect), some stuff at the south end of Ulua and some just north of Ahihi.

And there's always the Cathedrals.

 

[Tom Winters]

We used to cave dive on Oahu without realizing it. One light, no lines - just memorized the way and out. It was super creepy exiting underground and wandering in the dark and having to keep track of where the exit pool was. Fun stuff!
When I was still there, three Marines from KBay drowned in the Shark's Cover elevator - they were literally 3' from safety but just totally panicked and drained their tanks in 8' of water.
Plus there is some big stuff that lives in those caves sometimes. I had no trouble shoving big greasy 6' blind conger eels out of my way - one night though, I was diving the deep undercut at 90' off Makaha and I was crawling into the back of the pukas. Then the whole back of the pukas started to move. I followed the movement to the head of THE biggest moray eel I have ever seen - and they just are not supposed to get that big. Forget asking the length - no one believes me anyway. Never saw it again.

 

[gkndivebum]

There are several real-live caves, both fresh and salt water, here on the Big Island.
(as opposed to caverns, which there are many, many of as well)

One of the better-known is 3 Room Cave, visited by several local dive charter
operators on their "advanced" dives. I am REALLY uncomfortable with
the notion of taking most recreational divers into that cave (especially the back
room)... but some operators do it. To me there are better (safer) cavern dives
in the same general area, which, from a liability standpoint would seem to make
more sense. But I'm tilting at windmills here.

You'll never find the fresh water cave at South Point without a local guide -
it's 30 miles from anywhere.

[...]. I followed the movement to the head of THE biggest moray eel I have ever seen - and they just are not supposed to get that big. Forget asking the length - no one believes me anyway. Never saw it again.

Good bet that it was Gymnothorax Javanicus, the Javanese Moray. They get
large enough to be your regulation sea monster AKA the BFE

 

[ScubaAndDreams]

theres also lots of caves off of the west side of O'ahu but they all are over 180fsw and the really good ones are @ 340~360

/reviving thread from grave

I seriously need to go out diving with you...you seem to know all the spots.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

There is a very tight connection crack between a couple caverns at 5-Graves; by definition it is a cave, not neccessarily because you are ever blacked out or more than 130' from the surface but because the way is impeded, not direct. I have been through a couple times and maybe the middle is more than 130', but going very very slowly it is less than 15 minutes. That spot is why I bought a 30cft, as I don't have a properly trained buddy

Working as a guide in Sharks Cove is a conundrum; most people on guided dives shouldn't do that much penetration. Certifying OW students there is as grey as it gets for many instructors. There is so much fun cavern stuf there I never felt the need to go past any corners in my 3 years (summers) of full time diving there

I've done half the cave training (intro). Beyond that involves deco and my seriously abused joints say no deco. For those of you without penetration/overhead training, even with a well tied line a spooked eel spooking a school of big eyes can silt you out with no warning and if you've never done a lights out return you better have a lot of air to wait for the silt to settle :no

 

[DiveWestOahu]

not only do i know the spots but i've also dove them all, and with over 500 dives to 200+ feet i dare say only 2 people i know of know the deep side of Waianae as I do

 

[Thalassamania]

Good bet that it was Gymnothorax Javanicus, the Javanese Moray. They get large enough to be your regulation sea monster

the largest Indo-Pacific moray eel, perhaps reaching 3 m in length and 30 kg in weight.