Oahu dive sites/ops

[j_spot]

Ill be in Oahu soon with my significant other and don't have the slightest clue where to dive or who to dive with. We are staying West side, would prefer not to drive to Waikiki in the AM to take off everyday, and want the best of what Oahu has to offer. If the best means going to Honolulu or Waikiki, then so be it, Ill make better plans for reservations next time.

Our dive experience isnt anything to boast. OW/AOW with 18/60 dives respectively. Both very comfortable in the water, but I go through tanks too fast

Wrecks arent really our thing, but seeing the Corsair would be cool - I dont know if I could handle it. I read it is for advanced divers, and I would not consider myself advanced yet. Also, after you get by the "Ive seen the corsair" I dont know what this dive has to offer - My step brother just has a painting of it, so I could tell him I've been there.

Ive never seen sharks and would love to, and enjoy well guided dives (loved Mike Severens Diving in Maui, could not imagine a better company. We really enjoyed the way they guided, did the pre dive briefings and they treated us like people, even with our limited experience.


Given all of that, which of the many dive ops do you reccomend? Oahu Revealed didnt really point me in great directions like Maui Revealed did.

Thanks for any help

 

[cwkline]

J-spot,
If you are looking for an op that will pick you up, I'm pretty sure they all will. If you are looking for an op that will take you to the Corsair, you will have to get one that operates out of Hawaii Kai or uses a boat that runs from there. As far as it being an advanced dive, there is a likelihood of current, and it sits in 107 fsw. Once you have seen it and the grass eels, you will likely be out of air / bottom time.
Give these guys a call and see if they can help Welcome to Barefoot Scuba Divers
If you need any more info, I'm sure I won't be the only one responding, or you can PM me. If you want to do some shore dives, I'd be glad to show you some sites if my work schedule allows.
Safe Dives
Charlie

 

[back2deepblue]

I would definitely recommend Randy at www.Barefootscubadivers.com......he will not only guide you and keep you safe, but show you a great time.....he has a great ability to inspire confidence in divers. Randy is also famous for finding creatures underwater, if there is a shark around, he'll find it....or octopus, turtles, frog fish, etc. They can take you pretty much anywhere on the island.
Happy diving,
Helen

 

[hollyonashoestring]

Hi there! I just saw your email and wanted to invite you to come along with us at Deep Ecology Dive Shop. We are located in Haleiwa, on the North Shore. As for the dives that you would get with us, we only dive with small groups (6 tops on our boat) and will try our hardest to tailor the dive location to what you are into and where you might be interrested on going to. We have over 10 years experience because we aim to make it more of a bespoke experience, as that we are more of a family style dive shop.
Right now, the winter waves are beginning to arrive here on the North Shore, so this week we are moving our boat over to the West Side, where we will be doing a variety of boat dives over there. However, we charter trips all over the island. So, if you are interrested give us a call and we can work together to design a cool dive trip for you. Check out our web site at: Dive Deep Ecology Hawaii or give us a call at (808)637-7946.
Mahalo and look forward to hearing from you soon.

 

[MR_Photo]

Not sure how many days of diving you're planning to do while you're here, but if you want to get around to a couple parts of the island then you might choose an independent operator. Kaimana Divers (waikikiscuba.com) does charters out of Hawaii Kai (for the Corsair), Waikiki (both morning for wreck/reef and afternoon for reef/reef) and the west side in Waianae (some of the best diving here, in my opinion). Pickups can sometimes be arranged... just give them a call and you'll get all the information you need.

Search scubaboard for Kaimana Divers for plenty of reviews.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[kanonfodr]

Another good dive op is Ocean Concepts. They have stores all over the island, but their boat is docked in Waianae and thus they dive mostly on that side of the island. But the leeward side has some amazing dive sites and I've dove there a coupla times in absolutely pristine water.

Google them and check them out. They may be a little pricey but it is worth it to me for the quality of diving I get.

Peace,
Greg

 

[BillM777]

I stayed in Ko'olina last month and had three great days of diving with Captain Bruce. I highly recommend them. They picked me and my 14 year old son up at our hotel and took us straight to the dock. Nice, roomy boat that they own and operate (instead of selling seats on someone else's boat). The captain and dive masters were very friendly and helpful. They took us to the types of sites we wanted to see and did their best to make our dives as enjoyable as possible.

Great outfit!