I just came back from 2 weeks in Waikiki. I did 15 dives with 3 different dive outfits and I thought I'd give you my opinion of them.
I did most of my diving with Honolulu Scuba Company. They are about 1/2 hour from the Waikiki hotels in Keehi bay. They were good, but maybe a little no frills. They have their own boat, which not every company in Oahu has. It was nice and comfortable with a good amount of space and a good platform to enter the water, though the ladder for getting back on could have been better. The ladder rails just ended too soon for me to pull myself onto the deck. It was even harder for the taller diver.
I got the feeling that business might not have been that good for them. On my 1st day it was just me and the DM. One Other day there was only 1 other diver. They did wholesale out seats to Aaron's Dive Shop twice, which was no big deal except the Aaron's DM kept trying to give me his business card.
Several times the owner Captain Mac was reluctant to go to the best sites which were about 10 minutes further away then some of the lesser sites. Once we say several Humpbacks a few hundred yards away and he wouldn't sail toward them so we could get a closer look. I guess gas is expensive. Another little nuisance, was I stored my gear on the boat for a week and Mac or one of the deck hands would rinse off the rental gear after the 2nd dive, but they never rinsed anyone's personal gear. They did usually switch tanks for me.
They did have soda, but it was some generic brand and no bottled water. There was a water cooler, but it was oddly placed and hard to get to. One day they even forgot the ice. He did serve cookies and chips between dives and some kind of mystery meat sandwich after the 2nd dive.
The DM Jamie, was excellent. He is very knowledgeable, patient, and kept a good eye on everyone.
The 2nd shop I used was AAA Diving. They also said from Keehi Bay. I went on the 3 tank Sunday dive with them They had their own boat too which was about the same as the other boat. There did not have as good a platform for entry, but their ladder was much easier to use. They do not wholesale seats ever.
The owner, Alex, is a quirky British fellow. He seemed like a good guy, but he did not go out with us that day. We went out to a totally different dive area then where Honolulu Scuba would go. Alex said since we had done all the usual dives he would send us somewhere unusual. The atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable and not rushed at all, even with the 3 dives.
AAA has soda and bottled water, but no water cooler. They also has a bucket filled with peanut butter crackers. It was a long day with 3 deep dives and there were no sandwiches or other refreshments. I wish I would have been told to bring my own lunch. AAA does use Nitrox regularly. They have computers for everyone to use and an O2 analyzer on board.
Since Alex did not go out with us I can't say how it would have been with him, but the DM that came with us had not dived the sites we went too often and was not very attentive to safety.
AAA does not take credit cards, only cash.
The last dive outfit was Captain Bruce. They sail from the West side of Oahu, about 75 minutes from the hotels. Since the drive was so far I only went out with them once.
Captain Bruce's owner is Randy. He was the nicest of the boat captains. He cheerfully greeting everyone and invited anyone that wanted up to the wheel deck. Their boat was the nicest. It's a jet powered boat with no propellers. It was fast and smooth.
On our way to the 2nd dive site, we again saw Humpbacks a few hundred yards away. Randy said this was an almost daily occurrence. To my surprise, Randy turned the boat and headed toward them. When we got 100 yards away Randy cut the engines and we just floated around. The whales got much closer and we just sat there for about 1/2 hour. Randy was not concerned about the extra time. He was just as excited as all the passengers to see the whales so close.
There was a big water cooler, chips, pineapple, sandwiches, and soda aboard. I certainly felt that they really cared about the comfort of their guests.
The only complaint I have, except for the long drive, was the DMs. There were 2 DMs for about 10 of us. The 1st DM was a real jerk. He was bossy and condescending. The 2nd DM, Cameron I think, was the best and worst I've ever had at the same time. He grabbed a reef shark's tail, stuck his hand into a hole and pulled out an octopus, one caught a puffer fish in his hands. The problem with Cameron was he swam very fast without giving a look to the divers falling behind. He went through some very buoyancy challenging swim throughs and never asked anyone about their air. It was a very shallow dive, so I think a less experienced diver might have gotten nervous.
One other note, I saw Dive Oahu's boats a few times and they were packed like sardine cans.
Overall, all 3 dive shops were good. I definitely recommend going to the West side and diving with Captain Bruce at least once just to see some sites on another part of the island.
I did most of my diving with Honolulu Scuba Company. They are about 1/2 hour from the Waikiki hotels in Keehi bay. They were good, but maybe a little no frills. They have their own boat, which not every company in Oahu has. It was nice and comfortable with a good amount of space and a good platform to enter the water, though the ladder for getting back on could have been better. The ladder rails just ended too soon for me to pull myself onto the deck. It was even harder for the taller diver.
I got the feeling that business might not have been that good for them. On my 1st day it was just me and the DM. One Other day there was only 1 other diver. They did wholesale out seats to Aaron's Dive Shop twice, which was no big deal except the Aaron's DM kept trying to give me his business card.
Several times the owner Captain Mac was reluctant to go to the best sites which were about 10 minutes further away then some of the lesser sites. Once we say several Humpbacks a few hundred yards away and he wouldn't sail toward them so we could get a closer look. I guess gas is expensive. Another little nuisance, was I stored my gear on the boat for a week and Mac or one of the deck hands would rinse off the rental gear after the 2nd dive, but they never rinsed anyone's personal gear. They did usually switch tanks for me.
They did have soda, but it was some generic brand and no bottled water. There was a water cooler, but it was oddly placed and hard to get to. One day they even forgot the ice. He did serve cookies and chips between dives and some kind of mystery meat sandwich after the 2nd dive.
The DM Jamie, was excellent. He is very knowledgeable, patient, and kept a good eye on everyone.
The 2nd shop I used was AAA Diving. They also said from Keehi Bay. I went on the 3 tank Sunday dive with them They had their own boat too which was about the same as the other boat. There did not have as good a platform for entry, but their ladder was much easier to use. They do not wholesale seats ever.
The owner, Alex, is a quirky British fellow. He seemed like a good guy, but he did not go out with us that day. We went out to a totally different dive area then where Honolulu Scuba would go. Alex said since we had done all the usual dives he would send us somewhere unusual. The atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable and not rushed at all, even with the 3 dives.
AAA has soda and bottled water, but no water cooler. They also has a bucket filled with peanut butter crackers. It was a long day with 3 deep dives and there were no sandwiches or other refreshments. I wish I would have been told to bring my own lunch. AAA does use Nitrox regularly. They have computers for everyone to use and an O2 analyzer on board.
Since Alex did not go out with us I can't say how it would have been with him, but the DM that came with us had not dived the sites we went too often and was not very attentive to safety.
AAA does not take credit cards, only cash.
The last dive outfit was Captain Bruce. They sail from the West side of Oahu, about 75 minutes from the hotels. Since the drive was so far I only went out with them once.
Captain Bruce's owner is Randy. He was the nicest of the boat captains. He cheerfully greeting everyone and invited anyone that wanted up to the wheel deck. Their boat was the nicest. It's a jet powered boat with no propellers. It was fast and smooth.
On our way to the 2nd dive site, we again saw Humpbacks a few hundred yards away. Randy said this was an almost daily occurrence. To my surprise, Randy turned the boat and headed toward them. When we got 100 yards away Randy cut the engines and we just floated around. The whales got much closer and we just sat there for about 1/2 hour. Randy was not concerned about the extra time. He was just as excited as all the passengers to see the whales so close.
There was a big water cooler, chips, pineapple, sandwiches, and soda aboard. I certainly felt that they really cared about the comfort of their guests.
The only complaint I have, except for the long drive, was the DMs. There were 2 DMs for about 10 of us. The 1st DM was a real jerk. He was bossy and condescending. The 2nd DM, Cameron I think, was the best and worst I've ever had at the same time. He grabbed a reef shark's tail, stuck his hand into a hole and pulled out an octopus, one caught a puffer fish in his hands. The problem with Cameron was he swam very fast without giving a look to the divers falling behind. He went through some very buoyancy challenging swim throughs and never asked anyone about their air. It was a very shallow dive, so I think a less experienced diver might have gotten nervous.
One other note, I saw Dive Oahu's boats a few times and they were packed like sardine cans.
Overall, all 3 dive shops were good. I definitely recommend going to the West side and diving with Captain Bruce at least once just to see some sites on another part of the island.
