Oahu diving

[bobp_0002]

My wife an I are planning a trip to Hawaii... One of the concerns - did receint events (tsunami) impacted the reef structure in Hawaii (Oahu especially). There was not much of the reef before from what I understand, but.. Just want to make sure that we don't waste a trip.

On another hand... for those who may wonder where to go - we did diving in Curacao (Apr. 2011) and it was very very nice. Very good vegitation, lots of fish but mostly - juvinile fish...

Thanks

 

[hqduong]

You'll be fine. The tsunami hit on the west side of all the hawaiin islands. but even that, everything was fixed within 30 days. I was in Maui April 16 and there was pier damage, but it was all fixed like new. Only way I could tell there was damage was because the pier on one side looked newer than the other.

BTW... Oahu is really not the best place to scuba. I haven't seen anything worth mentioning in Oahu.

 

[hqduong]

Also most coral is below 20-30 feet, all the damage was on the surface. Coral was all dandy and fine.

 

[odblnt]

Good replies. I'm not sure how much of the house they've cleaned up in Kealakekua Bay on the Big Island, but that would be the big diving spot that got hit.

You might want to come over to this forum, too, for more information: Hawai'i 'Ohana

 

[vinegarbiscuit]

I concur fully that the Ohana section of Scubaboard is a great place for information. However, I can assure you that the tsunami didn't really affect Oahu's reefs - not that I can discern, and I dive pretty regularly. One of the reasons that Hawaii's reefs are structured the way they are is because the the islands must contend with all manner of extreme water action. Soft corals and tall, proud sponges just wouldn't last long here! That's why we have such an abundance of hard corals, which at first glance, make for a very different environment for folk that are used to the lushness that characterizes Caribbean and warmer South Pacific/Indian Ocean reefs. But Hawaii's hard, low-lying and often bunchy corals and endemic critters can withstand an awful lot of funky weather. Proof once again that Mother Nature is very wise, and always right.

The diving here is really very lovely (although I understand that the Big Island reigns supreme - haven't been diving there yet), and very accessible. The North Shore has splendid shore diving, with all the lava tubes and weird topography your heart could desire. There's also reliably accessible diving off the leeward side of Oahu, too. Many operators offer trips off both the leeward and south side of the island on different days. They offer North Shore trips in season, too. I admit that Oahu isn't a dive destination in its own right, but there's great beauty to be experienced here. I'm sure you'll tap into it!

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

BTW... Oahu is really not the best place to scuba. I haven't seen anything worth mentioning in Oahu.

According to the way I define "best" all but one "place" are not the "best" places to scuba.

Since people tend to be different from each other, many people have different definitions of what constitutes "best" so it is possible that at least one diver in this world considers Oahu to be the "best" diving.

There are many divers for whom Oahu diving would be the "best" place to dive, so far. When I take my September diving vacation, from Maui, it is hard for me not to consider Oahu one of the best places to go diving.

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[TartanFrog]

I spent 8 years living on Oahu and did a lot of other things in the water but I never did any diving! Someday I will get back there with my gear and check out the dive spots on all of the islands. Tough to beat being in the water in Hawaii, no matter which island. And the shore activities are pretty awesome too!

 

[Cave Diver]

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[rgbmatt]

Since people tend to be different from each other, many people have different definitions of what constitutes "best" so it is possible that at least one diver in this world considers Oahu to be the "best" diving.

There are many divers for whom Oahu diving would be the "best" place to dive, so far. When I take my September diving vacation, from Maui, it is hard for me not to consider Oahu one of the best places to go diving.

Agreed! I personally do think that Oahu is the best island for diving - although this is by my own standards and others might have different things they look for. The great thing about Oahu is that, because of the island's age, the reef is very large and there is a huge diversity of habitats - much more so than anywhere else. Pretty much anything you'll see on the other islands, from lush coral gardens to deep dropoffs and pinacles to shipwrecks and garden eels, can be found here.

The downside, though, is that this also means that most of the good spots aren't very accessible to the general public - most of it is far from shore and difficult to get to. Oahu is definitely not the best island for shore diving (Big Island is better by far and Maui is probably still better).

 

[Black_3000psi]

You'll be fine. The tsunami hit on the west side of all the hawaiin islands. but even that, everything was fixed within 30 days. I was in Maui April 16 and there was pier damage, but it was all fixed like new. Only way I could tell there was damage was because the pier on one side looked newer than the other.

BTW... Oahu is really not the best place to scuba. I haven't seen anything worth mentioning in Oahu.

BTW... Oahu is a great place to dive if you are diving with the right people theres plenty to be seen.