Oahu Dive Shops/Operators recommendation

[Bedouin]

I'm in the Makiki area.

Looks like See and Sea moved to a new location near Kmart / Chinatown area. They are still working on the new place, so for now, the new location is nothing more than a storage warehouse with tanks and compressor. Their Nitrox compressor won't be ready until a couple of days. Parking is an issue here. Not practical to do street parking because you have to come up a long ramp to where all the shops are. They have only 2/3 parking spots. All other parking spots are reserved for adjacent business. Pros is that they are the cheapest rate($8) I have found so far and good tank pressure 3100+ PSI

Breeze seems to have a couple of bad reviews on this board about customer serices. They seems ok to me when I was there. $9.5/tank. They didn't have my wet suit size or model, so I guess I will buy from the internet. Limited Parking also.

The nearest one I have found so far is Dive Oahu near Ala Moana Park with somewhat easy parking and tank rental for $10. No Nitrox. The hunt continue...

I kind of miss Maui with the cheap tank rental (I think $5 with rental card) and easy parking.

 

[sea nmf]

I have had good service with Breeze, for what that's worth. I was a member of their dive club for a couple of years, until it recently disbanded. They know me there, so I guess that accounts for "special" treatment.

Summer North Shore diving season is coming up. You can rent tanks in Haliewa also, if you are shore diving up there. I think a tank of air is something like $6 at Deep Ecology. This weekend looks pretty good for diving the North Shore.

 

[rgbmatt]

Looks like See and Sea moved to a new location near Kmart / Chinatown area. They are still working on the new place, so for now, the new location is nothing more than a storage warehouse with tanks and compressor. Their Nitrox compressor won't be ready until a couple of days. Parking is an issue here. Not practical to do street parking because you have to come up a long ramp to where all the shops are. They have only 2/3 parking spots. All other parking spots are reserved for adjacent business. Pros is that they are the cheapest rate($8) I have found so far and good tank pressure 3100+ PSI

I don't have a problem with parking at See in Sea - although there are few stalls it's nice how you can back your vehicle right up to the shop for loading. Even if the stalls are taken, you can just block someone in and move your car if needed (easy to do since the stalls are right in front of the shop).

Breeze seems to have a couple of bad reviews on this board about customer serices. They seems ok to me when I was there. $9.5/tank. They didn't have my wet suit size or model, so I guess I will buy from the internet. Limited Parking also.

I've never had customer service problems at Breeze. Keep in mind that they're focussed on the Japanese market, so some of the staff's lack of English skills might frustrate some people.

Breeze is an Oneill dealer, although I don't think they keep the suits in stock so you'd have to special order it. When my wife needed a new suit last year, we actually tried ordering one online, but had a hard time because few of the online shops carried her size. Getting one from Breeze was very easy and ended up costing the same as it would have online. Your mileage may vary here, depending what size you are.

The nearest one I have found so far is Dive Oahu near Ala Moana Park with somewhat easy parking and tank rental for $10. No Nitrox. The hunt continue...

After Dive Oahu, Breeze, and See in Sea, you've covered all the shops in the immediate area. Between these three, you should be in good shape; it's not really worth driving farther afield unless you're looking for something really specific.

If you're desperate for Nitrox and See in Sea doesn't have their system up yet, Aaron's in Kailua is really good for Nitrox fills & rentals. Keep in mind, though, that many charter companies can get Nitrox tanks for you when you go on their boats and there are few instances where Nitrox on shore dives is worth the trouble.