Seeking recommendations for a dive operation on Oahu for a visitor

[selo]

OP, apologies for the hijack.

But Th Corsair/Turtle Canyon perhaps? Thanks Gabe, I may wear my wetsuit and bp/w on the plane to save time!

 

[scottitheduck]

Hoping to do Corsair and maybe a drift dive on China Walls....... keep fingers crossed for good weather : )

G

 

[tphelps]

Hello Oahu divers, I am visiting your beautiful island in a week's time and staying for two weeks. It is a family trip but amazingly my parents have offered to babysit my little boy for a day or two so I can get some diving in! So I want to pick a great operator who can make my little bit of underwater time really count. I am a Canadian Great Lakes diver with 200-odd dives, Rescue cert, want to do something good on a boat where I will be likely to find a good buddy so an op that caters to experienced divers and/or locals would be a plus. Am looking for one that has well-serviced, reliable rental gear as I won't be bringing my gear over.

Also what temps can I expect this time of year, and is there any risk of encountering jellyfish?

Thanks in advance Katy

I have worked in the dive industry for a while and been to many dive resorts. Words cannot express how highly I recommend Kaimana Divers.
The owner, Gabe, reached out to me before I even thought of coming to Hawaii. I was looking at Hawaii for business-related info and he instantly pointed me in the right direction, giving me some valuable contacts. Even though it did not apply to him, he still reached out because that's just the kind of nice guy he is. Gabe is the embodiment of a perfect dive shop operator and has set the standard for every other place I will now go to. And when I came out to Oahu, he even picked me up from where I was staying and brought me to the dive boat! All of their staff went above and beyond expectations to be helpful and made sure everyone was safe while having the time of their lives. They are extremely professional and create the sort of fun atmosphere that every dive shop should have.

To name a few of their staff that I met:
Jarrod - extremely funny, personable and a great Divemaster.
Drew - on first impression you can tell he is very experienced and knowledgeable. Showed great awareness about the divers he was leading, fun instructor to dive with.
Kyle - Instr/DM super nice and always could find the cool stuff on dives. When you talk to him, you have no choice but to be in a good mood.
Denise - Very professional instructor that always offered to help.
Liv - Extremely sweet, I wish all instructors could give half of the positive reinforcement as she did.
Billy - Fantastic DM, very cool guy to talk to, he also knew where to find the cool critters.
Alex - Very outgoing and social, definitely made you feel welcomed.
Randal, Andrew, Justin - some of the captains I met. All were so funny, I cant remember a time throughout the day when I was NOT laughing.

From a diving perspective, all their staff are extremely knowledgeable about the dive sites. We saw a lot of great aquatic life - loads of turtles, eels, white tip reef sharks, some sting rays, Hawaiian lion fish, frog fish, and a lot more. Safety always came first. The Divemasters were very attentive to the group, correcting buoyancy, checking for air and had through dive briefings. Here is their website to check them out, I know I will be coming back to dive with them!
I am not affiliated with Kaimana, I just had an incredible experience with nothing bad to say. Feel free to PM if you have any questions about them.
Cheers - Tyler
http://www.waikikiscuba.com/

 

[CaptFlyingDutchman]

Two Words

KAIMANA DIVERS

Check them out on facebook "Friends of Kaimana Divers" (FOKD)

 

[scottitheduck]

Mahalo CaptFlyingDutchman........ good seeing you out the other day. I hope for your sake you can equalize better in the next few days.

G

 

[selo]

In addition to the 3-day dive package Gabe is putting together for me, my niece and her husband will do discover scuba tomorrow with Gabe. An extra day of diving for me! Yes.
See you tomorrow Gabe.

 

[eelnoraa]

Gabe, What time is the afternoon charter start, say on a Tuesday? Is it ok if I bring a non diver on the boat?

 

[scottitheduck]

PM boat is 10:30 and riders/snorklers/bubble watchers are more than welcome...... Maybe the whales will put on a show topside!

G

 

[eelnoraa]

nothing really in the afternoon, say from 2pm?

 

[scottitheduck]

We can organize a 3pm boat but need 6 to make it a go...... Let me know,

G