top 3 dive sites in Oahu

[MauiScubaSteve]

sorry...it seems we've drifted (no pun intended) off topic a little.

Agreed; a moderator could do us a favor and split the thread starting with fdogs first post.

 

[scubadada]

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

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

Thanks for the pointers about Ocean Concepts & Captain Bruce. It is nice to get unfiltered advice from the locals.

I'd disagree about the liability issue & dive guides & having to put in the time. There are lots of locations with far more difficult & brutal diving conditions where a dive guide is a nonexistent thing.

Like California. Or British Columbia. New Jersey or Scapa Flow. Get on the boat, ride to the dive site, get a quick site briefing. From that point on, you're on your own, even if the Captain has never seen you before.

So it's a local cultural thing I'm sure, driven a lot by the need to run back to the dock and get another load of paying clients. And, the overwhelming majority of divers that show up are folks that have never been diving since their cert class 10 years ago, and those folks do need herding, so it's just plain easier to treat everyone like they have no skillz.

<shrugs> Not hating on the attitude, it is what it is. We will spend our $ someplace without it, though.

Thanks again for the local knowledge - if there was a boat that dove the same way a California boat does, we'd be all over it.


All the best, James

I'm with James. I appreciate the opportunity to dive with my buddy or by myself without being overly controlled by a group. When I pay good money, I want the chance to dive to my limits, or at least a reasonable time such as an hour.

I did 19 dives over 2 trips to Oahu in 2006 and 2008 with Alex Mason when he was AAA Diving and was diving off Elysium. I had a great time diving the Sea Tiger, YO/San Pedro, 100 foot hole, and numerous reef dives. After demonstrating reasonable skill and responsibility, I was cut appropriate slack to really enjoy myself.

I was very dismayed to hear that Alex had lost Elysium but was happy to hear he continued as Alex's Aquatic Adventures (another AAA) |SCUBA DIVING OAHU HAWAII|HAWAII OAHU SCUBA DIVING|PADI|PADI CERTIFICATION|PADI DISCOVER SCUBA DIVING HAWAII|. I reserved 12 dives over 3 days with him on a visit to Honolulu in 2009 and was not disappointed. We dived off the Enzo with Capt Mark the 1st 2 days and then dived off the Nori-Z with Capt Joe out of Hawaii Kai the 3rd day. Again, I had a great time on the Sea Tiger, YO/San Pedro and townside reefs. I really enjoyed my dive on the Corsair and would suggest everyone interested, dive it at least once. All the shallower dives on this trip were 60 minutes plus. Despite the fact that we were always easily the 1st in the water, Alex took a bit of flack for our dive times but successfully defended our right to dives of reasonable duration.

I've had 3 enjoyable visits to Oahu and would certainly dive there again given the opportunity. Unless there were obvious better opportunities, I would continue to dive with Alex. All three of these trips are reported on Undercurrent.

Good diving, Craig

 

[scottitheduck]

No..... I don't own my own boat. I do however check certification cards of every diver who dives with me after I have screened them over the phone or email. We are religious about having divers sign liability forms and the boats we charter are listed on our insurance policies.

Our policy is set up to insure diver safety. AM dives can be challenging with 100' dives and moderate current. Not really the place for the family from the mainland with 6 dives in their logbook from 1992. I insist on an Advanced Rating or above.

That being said, because of our local standard of DM's and Instructor's inwater, I can honestly say that Oahu has some of the most safety savvy guides of anywhere I have dived. It does allow for us to prioritize who may need the most attention underwater and structure our groups accordingly. In my opinion, an adequate briefing, proper fitting gear and the correct amount of weight go a long way..... hope to see everyone out diving soon!

G

 

[santy2506]

Agreed...you are the exception to the rule. I've only had one shop check my certification card. Most don't take the time.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Every charter operator in Hawaii that I have worked for or dove with as a customer has checked cert cards, the first time diving with that operator (unless they already know me as a renewed instructor). That includes; Deep Ecology, Prodiver, Extended Horizons, Big Island Divers and Jack's Diving Locker. When conducting advanced shore dives, such as scootering to the St. Anthony wreck, the same can be said of 5-Star, Ultra Dive and Rainbow Aquatics.

Often the prospective customer without a card in their possession has had to have the cert verified on-line. I have also seen a secondary release used for obvious experienced divers with lost cards from agencies (2?) who had fires in the records rooms.

 

[nw_diver]

I really think it depends on your attitude and demonstration of safety and ability. We dove nitrox so we were first down the line on all three wrecks we dove. Our DM just let us dive our own profile for the most part. He saw we knew what we were doing and knew how to use our computers. On the reefs, I welcomed the guide as they weren't the easiest to navigate especially with the low viz because of all the rain.

I think most good DM's feel out their customers before they get in the water and can assess right away how much assistance a diver might need. However, Hawaii is definately different than other places we have dove, ie the Keys, Pacific Northwest, which almost never have a DM in the water.

 

[scubadada]

I really think it depends on your attitude and demonstration of safety and ability. We dove nitrox so we were first down the line on all three wrecks we dove. Our DM just let us dive our own profile for the most part. He saw we knew what we were doing and knew how to use our computers. On the reefs, I welcomed the guide as they weren't the easiest to navigate especially with the low viz because of all the rain.

I think most good DM's feel out their customers before they get in the water and can assess right away how much assistance a diver might need. However, Hawaii is definately different than other places we have dove, ie the Keys, Pacific Northwest, which almost never have a DM in the water.

Who did you dive with?

Best, Craig

 

[nw_diver]

We dove with Aaron's. Jeff was our DM.

 

[Black_3000psi]

First of all if I went to a dive op and they didnt ask to see my cert card....im walking right back out that door. yes its true, some divers require less supervision than others. for a dive op that can only be determined by time the diver spends diving with that dive op. if supervision is an issue than you might want to bring that issue up when you are booking your dive, simply ask, if their supervision is not what your looking for than, choose someone else. most of the dive ops here have an impeccable safety record, and they have that record because of the guidelines they have choosen.

 

[daz88]

I go to Oahu every year for diving and relaxing. Love it! I dive with the same outfit and they know me and my skill level. Most of the time I get an extra long leash to dive how I please and not stick to the group. It's understandable why they don't just let people "Loose" on the open seas just because they have a C-card. Too many "vacation" divers in Hawaii of ALL skill levels! Until they get to know you and your skill level, they will have you on a short leash. I would if I ran a dive boat.