Moving to Oahu -- help!

[Gunrock]

Hi everyone,

I am being relocated to Oahu rather suddenly. I have looked online and through these forums for some info but I haven't found quite what I'm looking for, so I figured I'd try to pick your brains.

1. I will be working at Kaneohe Bay. I don't know much about neighborhoods in Oahu. I want to be close to work if possible, but I also want to ensure that I land in an area that's safe and fairly quiet. Anyone have a short list of areas that meet these criteria?
2. I looked online at rentals and I see lots of furnished places. I just bought a new bed but beyond that I don't have a lot of furniture. No living room stuff at all. Am I better off leaving my furniture in storage and getting a furnished place? I don't know how long I will be in Hawaii. It could be months, or it could be years.
3. I am moving from San Diego and I haven't found a one-stop shopping operation that will come, get my stuff, and ship it to Oahu. Is there such a thing? (I've heard of the option of having a container dropped at my place and filling it, but I live in an apt!)

Many thanks in advance for any light you can shed.

 

[acooper]

Depends on how much stuff you have. I had a houseful and the quotes I got from the regular moving companies were outrageous, $18k and up. I got a 40' container dropped from Matson, at the time is was about $7k, they have an office that services personal moves (Personal Household Goods - Matson). It was just what I needed, a flat rate, a few days to fill it and a few days to empty it, door to door service. They have 20' containers that would occupy a couple parking stalls at an apartment complex.

You have the work of loading the container. No ramp is provided, I made one from 2x6's and plywood, which packed inside after the heavy stuff, then was used again for unloading.

A good point, I put anything in there I wanted and long as it was not explosive or highly flammable. Moving companies will not pack household chemicals... laundry detergent, soaps, etc. Put it all in garbage bags inside a few cheap plastic crates from Home Depot. Save a few hundred bucks right there. No trouble with the sealed lead acid batteries I use for my telescopes, or any other questionable items.

Furniture is fairly easy to obtain, if you have the basics you can accumulate other stuff by watching the moving sales, Craigslist, etc. Everyone is always selling stuff, particularly folks moving back to the mainland. Often nice stuff and cheap.

Hope this helps!

 

[scottitheduck]

Look for places in Kaneohe or Kailua and you'll be stoked!

G

 

[vinegarbiscuit]

Kailua, Lanikai (although pricey), Waimanalo, and of course Kaneohe are decent places to live that are also fairly close to your workplace. Some parts of these places, with the exception of Lanikai, have their dicier parts, so make sure you drive around these neighborhoods at different times of the day and night to get a feel for the vibe.

We brought some of our furniture from the east coast (we stored the rest with my in-laws), and frankly, it was a mistake. In addition to costing a fortune - more than the mover's original estimate by a couple of thousand dollars - some of the items were irreparably damaged en route and the compensation offered by the movers was a complete joke. Also, our more delicate pieces have sustained damage due to the humidity and salt air here. If storing your furniture on the mainland only costs a couple of hundred a month, do it. Get a better idea of how long you're staying, then make a decision about moving all your goods. If you spend $3,000 on storing your furniture for a year and then decide to move back to the mainland shortly thereafter, you'll have saved yourself a lot of money and bother. Furnished apartments are easy to find here. If you want to stay for much longer, then you can always send for your things and find an unfurnished place to rent (or even buy, if you're so inclined). That's the way I wish we'd played it.

Good luck!

 

[Gunrock]

Thanks for the tips. Perhaps it goes without saying that I'll be looking for dive buddies once I arrive. I have over 500 mostly cold water dives. I may even decide to pursue my DM.
One other question as I try to decide what to bring: should I even bother bringing my steel 100 HPs? I imagine I should be able to get more than enough bottom time with my 80s for whatever I might be doing out there.

 

[kanonfodr]

Thanks for the tips. Perhaps it goes without saying that I'll be looking for dive buddies once I arrive. I have over 500 mostly cold water dives. I may even decide to pursue my DM.
One other question as I try to decide what to bring: should I even bother bringing my steel 100 HPs? I imagine I should be able to get more than enough bottom time with my 80s for whatever I might be doing out there.

More gas is always good, and lately I've been able to push my shore dives deeper (40-60 feet). Bring your HP100s, I love using mine here.

Peace,
Greg

 

[Gunrock]

I am busy packing all my stuff up. For the benefit of anyone else searching for information on relocation to Hawaii here is the latest info I have:
-$1074 to ship my vehicle from Long Beach to Oahu. The ship leaves on Saturday, with a cut-off day of the Wednesday prior.
-$5572 for a 20' container. You can save a few hundred dollars by doing a "live load" where they come and place the container and give you two free hours, then charge an hourly rate beyond that. You'd have to be well-organized and have lots of help. The amount of stuff you put in the container does not matter. You could put one shoebox inside or your whole 2-bedroom apartment, the cost is the same.

I am having them drop the container off and then I will have a couple of days to fill it. The container is 4 feet off the ground and they don't provide a ramp. (I'm not handy when it comes to woodwork, anyone have ideas for a ramp?)

 

[kanonfodr]

I am having them drop the container off and then I will have a couple of days to fill it. The container is 4 feet off the ground and they don't provide a ramp. (I'm not handy when it comes to woodwork, anyone have ideas for a ramp?)

How is the container going to be 4 feet off of the ground? Are they leaving it trailered?

If you have helping hands, ropes between the open doors work great for lifting the heavier things. Other than that, I would suggest plywood, 2x4's, a drill, and screws to create your own. It's not that hard, as long as you don't care about pretty.

Peace,
Greg

 

[vinegarbiscuit]

Thanks for the tips. Perhaps it goes without saying that I'll be looking for dive buddies once I arrive. I have over 500 mostly cold water dives. I may even decide to pursue my DM.
One other question as I try to decide what to bring: should I even bother bringing my steel 100 HPs? I imagine I should be able to get more than enough bottom time with my 80s for whatever I might be doing out there.

I wouldn't bother, honestly. There's lots of good shallow shore-diving here, so you can get a lot of mileage on a single Al80. Moreover, some sites involve a bit of a topside scramble to access the water, so a bigger heavier tank is a PITA. Heck, I use an Al63 if and where possible. It's not like you need a big tank to offset your cold water exposure suit, either. My poor steel 100s are gathering dust in the corner of our apartment, and I don't envisage using them again until we move back home to the Northeast.

Even on a comemrcial dive charter, your ability to push NDL limits on a steel 100 might be constrained by other divers (Al 80s are the norm here). It's common in HI to share the boat with divers who don't have the opportunity/inclination to dive frequently, so their dives can be quite short. They get frustrated waiting for divers with bigger tanks/better SAC rates to finish their dives so they can move to the next site or make it back to shore in time for whatever's next on their holiday agenda. especially if the sea's rough and they're chumming!

 

[kanonfodr]

I wouldn't bother, honestly. There's lots of good shallow shore-diving here, so you can get a lot of mileage on a single Al80. Moreover, some sites involve a bit of a topside scramble to access the water, so a bigger heavier tank is a PITA. Heck, I use an Al63 if and where possible. It's not like you need a big tank to offset your cold water exposure suit, either. My poor steel 100s are gathering dust in the corner of our apartment, and I don't envisage using them again until we move back home to the Northeast.

Your steel 100s can have a good home with me, I would love to be able to take two sets with me when I move (and I will dive the crap out of them until then! ). PM me if you're interested .

Peace,
Greg