Oahu gear rental

[jchaplain]

Can anyone recommend a place to rent a couple of al80's and a weight belt while in Oahu? I'll be there the week of April 10th.
Thanks,
John C.

 

[justleesa]

Sorry, The shops I know don't...Hope someone answers for ya.

 

[bluemagoo]

If you mean doubles, then I don't know of any; DIN-spec might also be a problem but not impossible. In both cases, I can only think of Hawaii Sea Adventures (google for their website) as a first possibility since they may still cater to IANTD people; there certainly may be others I'm not aware of. But if you mean 80Al singles, then I think you could go to just about any shop -- just scan the yellow pages after you arrive and drop a dime (or is it 25c+ now?) to inquire. Availablity of EAN doesn't seem to be a terrible problem; I don't know about other mixes. Inquire about renting restrictions; e.g. same-day only, overnight allowance, return pressures, etc. Also, before leaving the shop, check the VIP/hydro date, the pressure (being short from a hotfill is common) and the condition of the o-ring and port -- you know the drill.

Can't imagine that renting a weightbelt would be a problem except to reach the dive site and discover that you left behind it at the shop and now have to substitute with rocks in the ole' goodie bag while your buddy is ragging your butt off (thank goodness he can't talk with a regulator in his mouth). Then to top it off, having to repeat the story back at the shop to get a refund which they do 'cuz you've made their day and you can still hear them laughing while you're walking back to your car... Give 'ya one guess how I know about that.

 

[jchaplain]

.... Then to top it off, having to repeat the story back at the shop to get a refund which they do 'cuz you've made their day and you can still hear them laughing while you're walking back to your car... Give 'ya one guess how I know about that.

Too funny! Hey, sounds like stuff I've done.....then there was the time I drove down the highway with the tailgate of my truck open and my (expensive volo) fins sitting on the tailgate...and I got lucky enough that they didn't fall off during the trip!

Anyway, thanks for the heads up. I'm just looking to rent a couple al80's and I don't know where the shops are. I see that a place called Ocean Concepts has a few shops around there ( near the Honolulu airport.) I'm arriving Sunday and diving on Monday, so I'll try to find one of these shops Sunday afternoon I guess!

John C.

 

[bluemagoo]

....and then there was the time on Molokai, at a place called Mile Marker 20-something, that I discovered that the only booties in my gear bag were two split-toe Japanese tabi-style boots....and both were left-footed.... They weren't even the same color! The little toe on my right foot was not my friend for the rest of the trip. The other guys nearly puked laughing (serves them right; after all, they didn't have walk and swim with it). Made for some interesting tracks in the sand.

Anyway, just a heads-up, several Ocean Concepts shops are either on military bases or in off-base exchanges which require active/retired military/contractor id's. They're a.k.a the Dive Authority running the watersports desk inside the two Sports Authority outlets here; one a block up from the Kewalo Basin harbor and the other in the large Waikele outlet mall in Waipahu, just off the freeway. Again, ask about signout/return times; of course, have your c-card ready.

 

[iflylow]

just got back from a Hawaii trip and did two days of diving with Ocean Concepts. I was impressed with their service. DiveOahu was another nice one.

 

[jfoster]

Aarons dive shop is a decent choice http://www.hawaii-scuba.com/
but i do prefer AAA diving http://aaadiving.com/ Alex the owner is a good guy and your safety and satisfaction is paramount