New certified divers heading to Oahu

[Ann Marie]

I'll second tossing Gabe (scottitheduck) under the bus! I've dove with him and have recommended him to several friends (past dive students) and to future divers that want to get certified in warm water.

As an Instructor and a parent of a diver (though he's much to busy to dive with his ole Mom), I would really suggest hooking up with a local dive pro for at least a couple of dives. Not only will they know the terrain, they will know where to look for any cool creatures, and can make your experience that much more memorable.

 

[ntense]

Gabe, I dove up there on Wed. It was ok at best by my taste (im spoiled with the awesome diving at Lanai Lookout and Kokokai (portlock). We entered at firehouse and went towards sharks cove. lots of floating stuff in the water.

 

[vinegarbiscuit]

This is also a neat resource: Scuba Shore Diving Region: Hawaiian Islands . The book Gabe recommended is a bit of all right, too. I absolutely recommend the entire Pupukea area - and there are plenty of local divers for you to observe getting in and out of the water, so you can see when, where and how they do it. If you were here now, I'd also strongly suggest consulting the surf report to see whether the area was dive-able, but by late June, the area should be accessible pretty reliably.

Everyone tolerates the cold differently. If your daughter insists she's OK with no thermal protection, then there's probably little you can do to change her mind (at first!), but bring a 3 mm for her anyway. If/when she changes her mind, you're prepared, and your diving vacation will be saved. Water conducts heat away from your body 25 times faster than air...our body achieves thermal equilibrium in 88-degree water. At that point, the heat your body generates through metabolism is offset by the heat you lose to water. If the water is any colder than this, you need thermal protection. The water temperature here is currently about 10-degrees colder than that, according to my logbook.

 

[ntense]

I went out with Gabe and Kaimana divers today, top notch!

 

[kanonfodr]

Did Shark's Cove today and my normal set of thermal protection was not quite enough, I was shivering after an hour!! I've normally got an extra 30 minutes before I start the popsicle routine. Don't know what was going on, but everyone else was feeling it as well.

Peace,
Greg

 

[Downing]

Yet another shoutout for Gabe. I dove with him all over Oahu for a week last summer. He's a topnotch professional and will show you some things you're otherwise bound to miss.

Not to mention that it would be a really good idea to hook up with an experienced local diver, especially since you and your daughter are new divers.

 

[scottitheduck]

Mahalo, Thanks and Domo Arigato!

G

 

[ntense]

Went out with Gabe today, saw turtles, Spotted Eagle Rays, A white tip reef shark and an octopus! Great day of diving on the Mahi and at Makaha Cavers!
Aloha!

 

[matt_unique]

My wife and I just returned from Oahu. The local dive shops we contacted were not willing to give much information about shore diving. We got the feeling they were really trying to push charter boat dives.

The power plant would be a good spot but beware of the ripping current coming from the plant cooling outflow.

Hanama Bay would be the best shore diving spot. You could do a complete weeks vacation diving the various portions of the bay. We found tons of fish, a lot of turtles, and a lot of hard coral. It's a nice easy dive in terms of navigation to follow the electrical (or perhaps phone cable) pipe out and back. You need to be aware of the out flowing current during ebb tide (high going to low). It's not a huge deal, but you need to budget more air for your return and you need to take your time as you will be going against the current.

We thought it was a great, great site and would return to Oahu for that site alone.

I definitely recommend a full 3mm suit or even a 5mm suit.

Enjoy the island!

 

[munclematt]

Be careful diving with Gabe! You might enjoy it too much and not want to leave the island. All this talk of diving Sharks Cove, Fire house and three tables makes me think I am do for a return to the island. Too bad I donated all my equipment to the local Fire Department and VFW when I got to land lock Texas... Dont be mad Gabe...

Strong suggests all the divers advice. Great group of people here that really know their stuff about diving Hawaii. And there is one aspect of that I think is being left out. If you go with a dive operator such as Gabe then you are going to get more then just great diving from your experience. A sense of Island culture, fun atmosphere, and great diving enhancement. That goes for just about everyone on the island too. Hope you have fun and Enjoy yourself.

Enjoy the North Shore everyone.