Oahu dive shop recs for chill dives

[lizzzzz]

I'll be in Oahu (Waikiki and Turtle Bay) in late-July/early-August and would love some recommendations for a good dive shop. I'm AOW and will be diving with my 13 year old son, who got his junior OW last summer in Roatan. This is our first time diving in Oahu, but we did some shore dives together in Maui last year and I've gone diving in Kauai (wasn't great, due to viz and currents that day) and Big Island (amazing).

I saw some recommendations for Kaimana Divers and have reached out, but welcome additional suggestions for reliable shops that prioritize safety and don't play fast and loose with depth, etc., since I'm with a teen who's a fairly new diver. Thanks!

 

[lairdb]

Thumb down for Hawaiian Diving Adventures. Multiple answers in advance via email did not match ground truth; DMs who made errors that OWs shouldn’t. (Super-nice DMs, but super-nice isn’t the principal job qualification). (Late 2024, firsthand).

 

[lizzzzz]

Thank you! This is the kind of input I’m looking for - especially when diving with my kid. Appreciate it.

 

[FreqFlier]

We had a very good experience with Island Divers Hawaii out of Hawaii Kai. I think they will pick you up from Waikiki too if needed.
I think their ownership changed recently, take it with a grain of salt.

 

[CCS]

I have over 500 dives out of Oahu, including over 100 with my daughter, who was 10-13 years old when we lived there (2019-2022). I've dove with over a dozen dive shops on the island, and I can recommend a few dive operators above all others.

1. Kaimana Divers: Gabe @scottitheduck runs a great operation. They offer kid-friendly shallow reef dives every day. My daughter has dove with them dozens of times.
2. Island Diver Hawaii: My youngest daughter did her first 10 dives with @IslandDiversHI and loved the staff and crew there. Plus, they have a few boats so they offer more dive site options than any other operator on the island.
3. Waikiki Dive Center: Kevin Davenport is their Course Director and senior PADI representative. I've known and have worked with Kevin for years. He's a great instructor and I would trust him with the lives of anyone in my family.

 

[lizzzzz]

Thanks, everyone! We ended up choosing Kaimana, based on the recommendations here, comments in other forums, and reviews on Google. I’m excited!

If anyone has suggestions for good dive shops that are convenient to Turtle Bay, where we’ll be staying after Waikiki, I’m all ears. I’m hoping to get as much diving in on this non-dive family trip as we can

 

[CCS]

Hey Lizzzzz,
You won't be disappointed with Kaimana. They're great!

If anyone has suggestions for good dive shops that are convenient to Turtle Bay, where we’ll be staying after Waikiki, I’m all ears.

For North Shore diving, I highly recommend Banzai Divers! Hit up Devin and he'll take care of you: devin@banzaidivershawaii.com

I hope this is helpful.

 

[jmargo]

My only complaint about the local Oahu dives are they are pretty short. I was averaging 30-minute dives even the shallow ones. It wasn't based on the lowest air but timing for the afternoon dives.