Staying on Waikiki beach, need dive operator suggestions

[DiveWestOahu]

ya but you never bring "cattle" Gabe

 

[Cacia]

Aarons dive shop has won the "Ilima Best of the best" award 2 years straight now, being a dive pro for 20 years here i'd like to see these 12 exclusive sites that only AAA are allowed to go to, hmmmm

Well, I helped him set the bouys (AAA)on some sites we found, Aaron's cannot take their divers anywhere another boat does not take them. Aarons gets some decent employees, but nobody stays because Jack is a weasel. Everybody knows this, he does not pay his bills and feeds off of people who are not fed up yet. There is a big enough turnover in the industry, on Oahu, he just keeps rotating through.

Alex has taken his boat all over the Hawaiian islands...Jack Aarron does not even have a boat.

I did 3 days of diving with Alex and AAA DVING - along with my 2 kids - 11 and 13 at the time - and LOVED it.... Total class act (well, meet Alex and decide for yourself) operation and lots of fun!!! He (Alex) is a great Captain and a VERY knowledgeable diver... Will always be a loyal AAA customer and diver!

Brett

he is not perfect--can get crabby, but he would search for you if you were lost, until you were found. He is a good instructor. I have seen him go without electricy to pay for upgrading gear on his boat, etc.

 

[ScubaAndDreams]

Aarons gets some decent employees[/I], but nobody stays because Jack is a weasel. Everybody knows this, he does not pay his bills and feeds off of people who are not fed up yet. There is a big enough turnover in the industry, on Oahu, he just keeps rotating through.

That seems to be the running business model on the island and it's pathetic. Works for the 1-time tourist...doesn't work for the local dive population that your-ever-rotating-untrained-business "employees" are capable of pissing off within 3 seconds.

When they don't even know *** an O-ring is or where to find it. When you have to explain to the new shop monkey that just got there 7 days ago and will likely be gone again in 21 days the same **** you explained to the previous 19 new shop monkeys it just gets old.

I don't know Aarons Dive shop well..but I am seeing this everywhere else I used to frequent.

I see this everywhere....there is a local market but NO LOCAL dive shop...they are all out to get tourist dollars. My little group has almost formed entirely around this phenomenon...they are all locals...and most of them will never set another foot in some of the dive shops around here because they were treated like a 1-time sale instead of a long-term customer.

Yes, this has become a pet-peeve can you tell?

 

[Cacia]

yea, I watched it for nine years.

My little group has almost formed entirely around this phenomenon...they are all locals...and most of them will never set another foot in some of the dive shops around here because they were treated like a 1-time sale instead of a long-term customer.

You are right.


Capt Scotty, ask the Oahu boat captains what they think of Jack and let me know the results you get. And does he do anything to contribute to local environmental causes? Not that I have ever seen. He is out for himself and his own wallet if you ask me.

Like I said, he has some good people from time to time. He uses them.

 

[DiveWestOahu]

if you don't believe that's true of every company here (and there) you must not have been around very long (please don't take that comment as an insult or in any way degrading because that's not the way I ment it) let me ask you, " who's in business to not make money?" as with most dive shops with the current pay for employees less than when I started teaching (1990) you really can't expect many "good" instructors to stick around. Can you live on $45 a charter (about 5 hours work) which o**** ******** pays it's instructors, or $75 a day, most of the good ones either get "real jobs" or buy the "boat" so to speak.
and on another note: i've been around long enough to see many of the so called "ya i got 10000 dives under my belt (but i've only really been diving for 3 years)" professionals and if you wanna know about alex since you brought him up,, ask capt joe about having to clean up his boat because **** crapped his wetsuit cause he was still hung over from the night before (before he got his own boat (after being 86'd off of everyone elses boat))
And finally I'm not sticking up for Jack, he's fully capable of doing so himself, I mearly stated his shop has gotten the Ilima best of the best award last 2 years running so there must be someone out there that likes him

 

[DiveWestOahu]

and on the subject of quality instructors, if I had a dollar for everytime I've heard a Padi guy say, "keep the reg in your mouth on the way up because the air will expand and you'll get another breath!" or how about "hold the DEFLATOR button over your head and let the air out of your bc" unless you have an Apollo or Bridgestone bc (or others sold in Japan) you don't have a DEFLATOR button, only a power inflate/ oral inflate button

 

[Eric Mailander]

I did AquaZone. Not too impressed but chose them since they were one of the few dive outfits that take divers out to the famous Corsair wreck in 100' of water. I booked them just to dive that wreck and the day of the dive they had other ideas for dive sites. The Capt. finally agreed to go to the wreck after I complained (I had asked them before I booked if they were going to that site and they confirmed with me at that time). Some beginner divers, who were uncomfortable diving that deep, wanted other shallow dive sites. Bring your own lunch and drinks and have a good time.

-Eric

 

[KrisB]

"keep the reg in your mouth on the way up because the air will expand and you'll get another breath!"

Well, it's true that you'll probably get another breath. And that would be from a combination of the air expanding in the hoses (small part) and the reduced ambient pressure (larger part). I'm not sure what you're arguing against.

"hold the DEFLATOR button over your head and let the air out of your bc" unless you have an Apollo or Bridgestone bc (or others sold in Japan) you don't have a DEFLATOR button, only a power inflate/ oral inflate button

I dunno -- I think you're just being silly here. I'd say that the standard BC has a power-inflate button and a deflate button. It just happens that the deflate button doubles as the oral inflate button. You've got to remember -- that button will be used more often to deflate than to orally inflate -- making the primary function of it to be a "deflate button"

 

[Hawaii Scuba Divers]

Well I might as well throw my Hat in the Ring visit my website at Hawaii Scuba Divers - Scuba Diving in Hawaii - Maui, Oahu, Kona, Kauai, Big Island
I will provide you with Scuba education as well as fantastic dives done from Shore or Boat call Me and we can talk about it.866-926-DIVE(3483)

 

[Hawaii Scuba Divers]

As for Jack I do not think that WINNING the what ever award by beating out McCULLY BIKE SHOP for 1st place DIVE SHOP?????
THIS AWARD STINKS OF??????? pay me and I will Make You 1st place of SOMETHING???
No other DIVE SHOP was even in the RUNNING with this $%^& dealer..