Trip to Hawaii

[LeonGJF]

Hi all,

I am planning a trip to Hawaii to do some diving during the second half of February.
Options are either Oahu or Maui. Which of these two would you recommend for this time of year? Do you have some suggestions for hotels or Bed & Breakfast?

Cheers,

Leon

 

[Wildcard]

Oahu sucks, Maui is realy good. Lived on both. Big Isle is even better...

 

[KrisB]

I'd agree with Wildcard on Oahu & Maui. Dunno about Big Island -- haven't been there, but Wildcard's opinion seems the norm.

If you do, for whatever reason, end up going to Oahu for diving, it's best to think of it in a way that re-uses one of my college professor's comparisons of the prairies vs. the Rocky Mountains:

"Diving Maui is like reading Underwater Beauty for Dummies -- it's everywhere you look, and it smacks you in the face. Diving Oahu, on the other hand, is like reading a description of the Mona Lisa. Something best done by connoisseurs, and would only be appreciated by them. Not to mention, you have to have a very good imagination to truly see any beauty in it."

 

[scottitheduck]

OK,

Now I gotta back up Oahu here. Great Wrecks, Great Wall Dives, Great Shore Diving..... Anyone else?

 

[jdubdiver]

Oahu, Wrecks are excellent, Shark's Cove/North Shore excellent.

 

[sea nmf]

Yes, I think Oahu gets short changed alot. The wrecks are quite nice and some wall diving is pretty good (not Molokini good, tho).

Also, I think Oahu has great beauty once out of the city. The mountains take my breath away every time I cross the Pali or H3. The drive to the North Shore is beautiful as well, once you hit the crest and see the Pacific Ocean spread out in front of you. The beach in Kailua is really pretty.

North Shore is good diving but not this time of year. But in the summer, I never get tired of it.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Late Feb is spectacular off Maui! The ocean is whale soup, some divers will hit the jackpot and see them on their dive (very, very, very unlikely but it does happen). Every diver will see them on surface intervals and hear them underwater. There are whales off the other islands but not nearly as many. Big Island has night manta ray dive, but Maui has regular daytime manta encounters all winter. Oahu has really good wreck diving but there is hella traffic to get to most of them unless you stay in the hella traffic areas. Maui is so much better in many peoples eyes it is much more expensive (in general).

 

[Teamcasa]

Hi all,

I am planning a trip to Hawaii to do some diving during the second half of February.
Options are either Oahu or Maui. Which of these two would you recommend for this time of year? Do you have some suggestions for hotels or Bed & Breakfast?

Cheers,

Leon

If diving is your primary activity, go to the Big Island. Kona is great.

 

[gkndivebum]

OK,

Now I gotta back up Oahu here. Great Wrecks, Great Wall Dives, Great Shore Diving..... Anyone else?

I live in Kona and do most of my diving here. That said, I pop over to Oahu about
once or twice a year to do a little wreck diving, and to poke around in the caverns
around Shark's Cove and fall off the cliff at Lanai Lookout.

You won't find great reefs there, but the nudibranch selection is very good on the
ones that are there...

 

[Daiika]

Oahu diver....
I could spent months diving Shark's cove. Always something different. getting lost, loosing a buddy, finding a fin, etc.

Now...you ever dive Magic Island? Something best done by connoisseurs, and would only be appreciated by them. Not to mention, you have to have a very good imagination to truly see any beauty in it."

Rod