hawaii diving trip

[stevethepirate]

i tried doing a search, but i have a few questions and figured it would be easier to just make my own thread.

I have about 20 dives, from the red sea and dominica (in the west indies). I dive with my sister, who has the same amount of dives pretty much. she only has the padi "scuba diver" certification, while i have the "open diver". we have been pretty confident with diving at around 85-90 feet. any type of diving, we really like walls though.
so first question: which island would have the best diving, period?

we also need good instructors, because we really have no idea what we are doing .
so which island would have the best facilities and dive shops?

we are also going with our parents, who dont dive. they do however enjoy snorkeling.
do any of the islands have really good visibility/stuff able to be seen from the surface?

and after diving in dominica, we realized that good diving isnt enough, we need places to eat, and beaches and stuff. but at the same time, not OVERLY built up.
any suggestions?


thanks,
steve

 

[KrisB]

Best diving, period: recommendation seems to be the Big Island.

Excellent diving, with awesome topside stuff too: Maui is No Ka Oi (the best).

I have not been to the Big Island, but I can make recommendations for Maui.

As far as best facility and dive shop, I think that award goes to Maui Dreams Dive Co. There are some who will recommend Shaka Divers, but Doug's "facility" is a converted school bus. You may or may not like that.

You will find some great snorkelling off of Maui as well, along with world-famous restaurants and beaches. You will also find that (providing you stay in South Maui or West Maui) the pace of life is certainly low-key, and does not feel overly "built up".

 

[Shaka Doug]

Aloha Steve,

If you're coming over here for the first time, may I suggest trying to visit at least 2 of the four main islands. (See them all if you can) I don't know how long you plan to stay or what your budget is, but each island is unique, they are all each about 100 miles apart and they all offer different types and styles of diving and snorkeling. For many divers, Maui and the Big Island have the best marine life. Oahu has many more wrecks and the Kauai coast has cool lava tubes and other cool things to see.

 

[justleesa]

Aloha Steve!

Good question and I'm sure you'll get lots of answers...all different!

Each island has its own charm and style. Where Oahu is more like the busy metropolitan (but it does have a laid back feel on the North Shore), Kauai and the big Island are more country like. Fun site that shows a bit of each island is www.gohawaii.com

The same applies for the diving. Each island has its own type of diving. The Highlight dives being: The Manta Night Dive of the Big Island - The Molokini Crator on Maui and the wrecks on Oahu...You might get a bit of an idea if you look at our Insider information thread where people explain what the dive sites are like and what they like about them.

I know it doesn't make it easier - but I hope it's helpful!

Aloha,
Lisa

 

[stevethepirate]

wow, quick responses. im a post ***** on some car sites, and its never this fast! kudos to you guys!

i think we are going to try to stay away from resorts. are there condos that would be right on beaches, and near good dive shops? (probably doing maui)

 

[KrisB]

wow, quick responses. im a post ***** on some car sites, and its never this fast! kudos to you guys!

i think we are going to try to stay away from resorts. are there condos that would be right on beaches, and near good dive shops? (probably doing maui)

For sure! There are plenty on Maui.

Of course, a lot of it depends on your budget -- starting at ~$120/night, you can get a condo in the Kihei Surfside, which is right on the ocean, and right next to the Kihei Boat Ramp (where a lot of the dive boats leave from). That will probably be a bit cramped for four people, unless you can get a 2-bedroom, though they're a little more expensive.

Your best bet for this sort of research would be Maui Revealed -- they review *a lot* of the condos on the island.

As a suggestion: you will likely be looking at the Kihei area if you're wanting to stay away from resorts. West Maui (Kaanapali / Lahaina) is mostly resorts, as is Wailea. On the plus side, Kihei also has some of the best dive shops (e.g. Maui Dreams) and is close to the good shore diving off Wailea's beaches, and boat access for Molokini is great as well.

 

[justleesa]

here is a list of condos...

http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/hawaii/maui

 

[stevethepirate]

great, thanks guys!

 

[RJP]

Recently visited Hawaii and I can whole-heartedly recommend:

- Kapalua Dive Company on Maui, at the Ritz Carlton in Kapalua (You don't need to be a guest at the RC to dive with them) I did my PADI AOW with them and they were great. Learned a lot and had a ball!

- Lahaina Divers in Lahaina on Maui, did my boat and deep dives for AOW with these guys and they have a great operation. If you like to do wall diving, you have to go with them to Molokini. Some of the best wall diving in the world.

- Dive Makai on the Big Island, super operators. Didn't do any training with them but they ran great trips when I was with them

Ray

 

[kidspot]

If you want to do a wall dive, Molokini should be on the top of your list - I'd recommend checking with B&B. Let them know you are interested in doing the Backwall when you book, so they can book you on a day with advanced divers, not beginners. However, if conditions don't allow, they will go elsewhere. The only shop which "guarantees" the backwall is Maui Dive Shop. Most of the ops try to do the B/W as often as the conditions permit though. If you want lots of time for topside activities, then check with either B&B or Prodiver as they both hit the water early and get back early (when the water is calmest also) - both get back to the Kihei boat ramp about 9:30 - 10 am, which allows lots of time for land activities or surface intervals before going shore diving.

FWIW - I personally prefer the shore diving up in Lahaina and Napili - for some reason I never find great conditions in Kihei ... but that could just be me. Either way it's a beautiful island and you'll really enjoy your time here. If you decide to do some shore diving in Kihei, check with Shaka Doug ( http://www.shakadivers.com ) as he has a good reputation around here for fun/memorable dives.

also if you happen to be on the island on the first saturday of the month feel free to join us for our monthly SB dive at 8am (just check the link in my sig-line for that months location etc.)

Aloha, Tim