top 3 dive sites in Oahu

[smellzlikefish]

mk-see above. Most of these sites are within recreational limits. Technical training is not necessary.

 

[nw_diver]

We dove Oahu at Christmas and dealt with low vis because of all the rain and run off. Our best dive that week was on the Mahi. The school of Eagle Rays and eels hiding all over the wreck were fantastic. We dove with Aaron's dive shop and they gave us free Nitrox. Our DM Jeff was great and has a ton of experience. He didn't keep us on a tight leash like some shops do which was nice if you don't need to be babysat. They don't have their own boats and we got put on a boat run by Honolulu Scuba Company on the second day. I was not impressed. We waited an hour at the dock for some Snuba people to show up. Then they didn't get there divers ready while we were waitng and frantically tried to get setup while the boat was moving with a decent swell. Their crew was obnoxious and one DM was yelling out to the other boats. They were having a good time and I probably would have had more fun if things had been run more smoothly. The YO 257 was okay but I liked the Mahi better. We sort of felt like second class on the boat because we hadn't booked directly with them. Since I only dove with them one time I can't say that their boat is always run that way. Their boat was nice.

Both times we dove the westside the boat was the Nacho 1 run by Captain Mike and was run very smooth and laid back at the same time. Aaron's had the whole boat booked which happens most of the time on their westside dives. I would dive with Aaron's again.

 

[ZackSS]

As someone else said, it depends on what you're looking for. My suggestions for "must do" dives for a visitor would be based on seeing stuff they may not see elsewhere.

1) The Mahi wreck on the west side for the frequent schools of eagle rays, porcupinefish, and frogfish.

2) The Corsair airplane wreck off Hawaii Kai for the garden eels and surprisingly intact airplane. (I wouldn't do this one myself very often, but I think it's something you won't see elsewhere.)

3) Shark's Cove shore dive for the underwater terrain (during summer only).

 

[DiveWestOahu]

Both times we dove the westside the boat was the Nacho 1 run by Captain Mike and was run very smooth and laid back at the same time. Aaron's had the whole boat booked which happens most of the time on their westside dives. I would dive with Aaron's again*quote

capt scotty here, if you was on the nacho you was with me,, and i'm glad you had a good time

 

[nw_diver]

Both times we dove the westside the boat was the Nacho 1 run by Captain Mike and was run very smooth and laid back at the same time. Aaron's had the whole boat booked which happens most of the time on their westside dives. I would dive with Aaron's again*quote

capt scotty here, if you was on the nacho you was with me,, and i'm glad you had a good time

Not sure why I thought your name was Mike but we did have a good time. Just to clarify, you were the big Hawaiian dude driving the boat?

 

[DiveWestOahu]

that be me

 

[fdog]

Just curious - is there any dive op left on the island that:

• Doesn't insist you be part of the herd
• Doesn't insist you stick with the guide
• Doesn't freak out if you come back to the boat after an hour
• Doesn't make you get out because someone sucked their tank dry in 15 minutes
• Owns their own boat
• The only patrons on that boat came from the same dive op

...?


All the best, James

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

After you make a goodly number of dives with an operator, proving that you know the sites and dive well, there are boats you can make your own dive from. Most divers who are allowed this privilege are teaching status instructors with independent insurance who have experience guiding tourists from that boat, either as an employee of that boat or as an employee of another Oahu dive shop.

See answer above.

If you are one of the privileged, and you are ready to splash before the boat is tied up (perhaps actually tying the boat up as you descend), the boat would have no issue if you surfaced with a not bent computer just as the last "other divers" are approaching the ladder. On a second dive site that could easily be more than an hour long dive.

I find it hard to believe there are any operators who regularly "make you get out because someone sucked their tank dry in 15 minutes." If a diver who is already coping an attitude over the "guided set profile diving" is the "third" diver of the 3-diver group and one of the "buddy team" sucks a tank dry in 15 minutes, I would not be surprised to hear that "group surfacing" has happened.

Deep Ecology out of Haleiwa runs a 6-pac dive boat (out of South or West ramps in the winter) and pretty much every trip is just Deep Ecology customers.

Last I heard, Ocean Concepts West side trips are just Ocean Concepts customers, although they probably don't own the boat.

There may be less than a handful of boats with similar status to those last two.

AFAICT, that is the way it has been for over a decade; so I'm wondering how long ago you are talking about doing any of the things on your list. :cool2:

 

[kanonfodr]

Just curious - is there any dive op left on the island that:

• Doesn't insist you be part of the herd
• Doesn't insist you stick with the guide
• Doesn't freak out if you come back to the boat after an hour
• Doesn't make you get out because someone sucked their tank dry in 15 minutes
• Owns their own boat
• The only patrons on that boat came from the same dive op

...?


All the best, James

It's pretty much as Halemano described it, it's more about who you know (or are with) rather than what you know. On some dive ops I have done lots of diving with (and they know me by first name :/ ) I can bring someone along and we can go dive our own profiles by ourselves. On others I'd be stuck with the guide because they don't know me that well. So now I spend my boat diving dollars where I can have the freedom I prefer, until I can earn myself freedom with other ops.

Peace,
Greg

 

[fdog]

After you make a goodly number of dives with an operator, proving that you know the sites and dive well, there are boats you can make your own dive from. Most divers who are allowed this privilege are teaching status instructors with independent insurance who have experience guiding tourists from that boat, either as an employee of that boat or as an employee of another Oahu dive shop.

See answer above.

If you are one of the privileged, and you are ready to splash before the boat is tied up (perhaps actually tying the boat up as you descend), the boat would have no issue if you surfaced with a not bent computer just as the last "other divers" are approaching the ladder. On a second dive site that could easily be more than an hour long dive.

I find it hard to believe there are any operators who regularly "make you get out because someone sucked their tank dry in 15 minutes." If a diver who is already coping an attitude over the "guided set profile diving" is the "third" diver of the 3-diver group and one of the "buddy team" sucks a tank dry in 15 minutes, I would not be surprised to hear that "group surfacing" has happened.

Deep Ecology out of Haleiwa runs a 6-pac dive boat (out of South or West ramps in the winter) and pretty much every trip is just Deep Ecology customers.

Last I heard, Ocean Concepts West side trips are just Ocean Concepts customers, although they probably don't own the boat.

There may be less than a handful of boats with similar status to those last two.

AFAICT, that is the way it has been for over a decade; so I'm wondering how long ago you are talking about doing any of the things on your list. :cool2:

Weeelll...Alex had to sell his boat, what, a year ago? Maybe a bit more. So up to a year ago, at least.

Anyway, when we'd dive with him off the Elysium, the diving was exactly as described.

When we tied up to the YO, he even sketched out the YO-Pedro-Airplane-beehives layout and said go have fun doing the whole tour! I think we did two laps on the same dive.

I posed the questions because our experiences with other operators on Oahu have been exactly the opposite. Stay with the herd, rush rush rush. Right down to the incident where a different buddy pair sucked their cylinders down in 15 minutes, and the guide made everyone surface.

Based on your comments, I would have to assume there is no longer any reason for us to include Hawaii as a dive destination.

All the best, James