Waianae vs Waikiki

[AZdiver1279]

Good day all,

We'll be in Oahu 11/09 to 11/15 and had some questions for anyone that could answer them.

We were in Oahu last November and really enjoyed our dives with Capt. Bruce. We really like diving the Mahi, the eagle rays were great! However, the down side was the ride from Waikiki to Waianae.

So, it prompts the question - How much better is the diving in Waianae (leeward side) than out of Waikiki? Is it really worth the long ride up and back? We're leaning towards Capt. Bruce again since we had a great time. Just checking to see if we could avoid the long tiresome drive. It does appear Capt. Bruce has upgraded their transportation to and from with a new van.

Also, for you locals or anyone that been there very recent, what is the current water temps at depth? Not sure whether I'll need a 3 or 5, if I know the temps I'll know what to bring.

One last question. Any thoughts on the practicality of perhaps a day trip to Maui or Kauai for a dive? (leave for early and come back to HNL on last flight) Anyone done it? Can it be done if you stay shallow? The planes probably fly low altitude, no?

Thanks so much for any useful replies! Any help with any of the questions will be much appreciated!

 

[kanonfodr]

IME, the diving on the west side is very good, but there are other dive sites off of Waikiki that also make for exceptional dives. The YO-257/ San Pedro and the Sea Tiger are two very popular sites. Both have excellent aquatic life viewing, last weekend we descended on the YO-257 to find a Hawaiian Stingray chilling on the bottom. There are many dive boats running out of Waikiki, and many good operators as well. I tend to recommend Gabe Scotti (scottitheduck here on SB) because I always have good experiences with him.

Not as far of a drive, but a nice change of pace is Island Divers in Hawaii Kai. They visit some sites others don't: The Corsair, The LCU, Fantasy Reef, and others. Once again, I've had very good experiences with them and don't hesitate to recommend them.

If you would like to compare and contrast the dives, feel free to click the link below and check out some of my videos. Most of my diving is from shore but I do the occasional boat dive and always bring the camera along. You can be the judge .

Peace,
Greg

 

[scottitheduck]

Mahalo Greg....

I can also get you folks out to the Hawaii Kai sites.

G

 

[scottitheduck]

Mahalo Greg....

I can also get you folks out to the Hawaii Kai sites.

If you ask me, the townside wrecks (YO 257 and Sea Tiger) are more impressive and generally have more marine life. Don't get me wrong.... I love the Mahi but I did spend 3 hours in traffic the other day to get there (1.5 hours there and 1.5 back). YIKES!

G

 

[AZdiver1279]

IME, the diving on the west side is very good, but there are other dive sites off of Waikiki that also make for exceptional dives. The YO-257/ San Pedro and the Sea Tiger are two very popular sites. Both have excellent aquatic life viewing, last weekend we descended on the YO-257 to find a Hawaiian Stingray chilling on the bottom. There are many dive boats running out of Waikiki, and many good operators as well. I tend to recommend Gabe Scotti (scottitheduck here on SB) because I always have good experiences with him.

Not as far of a drive, but a nice change of pace is Island Divers in Hawaii Kai. They visit some sites others don't: The Corsair, The LCU, Fantasy Reef, and others. Once again, I've had very good experiences with them and don't hesitate to recommend them.

If you would like to compare and contrast the dives, feel free to click the link below and check out some of my videos. Most of my diving is from shore but I do the occasional boat dive and always bring the camera along. You can be the judge .

Peace,
Greg

Thanks for the reply Greg - Nice videos!

 

[AZdiver1279]

Mahalo Greg....

I can also get you folks out to the Hawaii Kai sites.

If you ask me, the townside wrecks (YO 257 and Sea Tiger) are more impressive and generally have more marine life. Don't get me wrong.... I love the Mahi but I did spend 3 hours in traffic the other day to get there (1.5 hours there and 1.5 back). YIKES!

G

Thanks Gabe - I'll probably go up there 1 or 2 days but I don't want to go up there everyday. Like you said....the diving up there is great and I want to do the Mahi at least once while there but 3 hrs a day on vacation in traffic is too much.

I'll check out your links!

Thanks again,

Jim

 

[AZdiver1279]

Mahalo Greg....

I can also get you folks out to the Hawaii Kai sites.

G

Thanks!

What was your last bottom temp.........seventy..........???

 

[justleesa]

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Moved to main Ohana forum

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[vinegarbiscuit]

I was diving off of Waianae last week, and I think the water temperature was ~80 degrees at about 50-feet.

If you're peeved by the ride out to Waianae - and it can indeed be a royal pain the proverbial, given the traffic - then seek an operator/guide that takes you out of Hawaii Kai. For what it's worth, the dives on both sides of the island are lovely - I don't know if you can say one is 'better' than the other. For example, Fantasy Reef on the south side and Airplane Canyon on the leeward side are among my favorite sites off Oahu, but it's hard to rank one as 'better' than the other. They're both awesome in different ways. That said, the south side has some stellar dives like Sea Cave and China Wall that you'd be hard-pressed to find comparisons with on the leeward side of the island. About the only thing one can definitively say is that the leeward side of the island has more reliably excellent diving conditions, although the south side's pretty darn decent in the winter time.

As for a day trip to another island in order to dive...I wouldn't, if previous posters' information holds true about interisland flights http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ha...-flight-kauai-next-morning-will-i-okay-2.html . There used to be a superferry that sailed between Oahu and Maui that would have probably served your purposes better, but it stopped operating some time ago.

 

[scottitheduck]

Agreed with previous poster on all points. Why not set up one day in town, one in Hawaii Kai and one on the westside?

G