Which island has the best diving?

[KathyV]

I have only dived the Big Island so I cannot compare, but I wanted to mention that the Kona night dive with Mantas was one of the best dives we've ever had. We experienced Kona diving from a liveaboard, the Kona Aggressor, and it was fantastic and we were able to visit more distant and pristine sites areas that are not accessible to the day boats. Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[dnote]

Being that the road to Hana is so sketchy, how fast do people typically drive on the road? I'm seeing tons of places to stop along the way which makes me really want to do it.


@Kathy That's great, I really like the idea of diving the more remote reefs that aren't influenced by tons of tourists. I would completely be interested in diving from a liveaboard like you did. With the beach constraint imposed by the wife, i'm unfortunately forced to compromise.:depressed:

 

[diversteve]

Being that the road to Hana is so sketchy, how fast do people typically drive on the road?

Not very...

Getting to Hana is no simple feat. Boasting a treacherous 52 miles with 617 hair pin curves and 56 narrow one-lane bridges,

I borrowed this from: See The Road to Hana | Maui Tours | Road to Hana Tour which is another option. Takes about 3 hrs. for the drive plus they stop quite a bit. My mom did it one year. There's other options also - here's one more: http://www.robertshawaii.com/maui/tours/heavenly-hana-tour

 

[Dr. Lecter]

Being that the road to Hana is so sketchy, how fast do people typically drive on the road? I'm seeing tons of places to stop along the way which makes me really want to do it.

Assuming you're doing it at night such that oncoming traffic is easier to detect, you can get up to normal highway speeds...for very short distances, at which time you will encounter turns that make coiled intestines look straight. Then you will slow down, turn sharply, and possibly take a couple wheels off the road before gunning it out of the turn. Repeat about a million times. While this is (a) fun and (b) a way to get from OGG to Hana in 50 minutes flat, as mentioned above it is not for everyone.

 

[Lefty17]

If you're visiting Maui, I highly recommend the drive to Hana. Hana is actually pretty boring, but everything on the way is what the drive is about. The end for most is the seven sacred pools, but I would continue on and drive the back side of Haleakala. It turns from a lush rain forest type environment to very dry and finally you end with a drive through the lava fields. It's pretty amazing and you'll see views that can't be matched anywhere. Pick up the book Maui Revealed and it will provide directions to every waterfall, hidden beach, freshwater cave, lava tube, etc. You can plan your trip very well and hit the spots most tourists miss.

You're going to want to get out early (be going through Kahului by 8am) to beat the majority of tourists to the popular spots, i.e Black Sand Beach and Seven Pools.

In regards to how fast people drive on the road ranges from a turtles crawl by most tourists and what seems to be recklessly fast by the locals that drive the road every day. If you see a local coming up behind you, pull over to the side and let them by.

As for the diving I can't comment. My first dives in Maui will be this February, can't wait!

 

[iamrushman]

i voted for Oahu due to the fact that it has everything from great diving and above water activities.....the west and north shores have less people and great diving by boat or shore.

Patrick's Diving Adventures | (808) 589-2177


Hawaii Scuba Diving on the North Shore of Oahu

 

[dnote]

@diversteve - thanks for the Hana itineraries. These seem pretty robust with activities.

When it comes to the state parks, does it cost money to get into these?

@DrLecter - thanks for the insight. Those yokel locals (kidding) love to drive fast! I would hope to be returning in the daylight if possible.

@ChiScuba - thanks for the book recommendation, i found it on amazon for $4, i'm going to order it now

@iamrushman - finally some votes for Oahu! I have a buddy at work who is very pro-Oahu.. primarily due to the reason you mentioned, having fewer people and being more remote. He described the roads of Oahu as being similar to the road to Hana.

It looks like the big island and maui are tied up

 

[Dr. Lecter]

I have a hard time thinking of a road on Oahu that's at all similar to Maui's road to Hana, and I've been stuck on Oahu for over two years now. The winding bit between Hawaii Kai and Waimanalo is similar in that it's sorta twisty and has nice ocean views, and the same could be said of short parts of the Pali highway after the tunnels to the Windward side...but those really aren't that similar. Oahu just isn't big enough to have anything like RtH.

The diving here is pretty great, though my suggestions for dive ops would be Hawaiian Diving Adventures and Kaimana Divers, but as mentioned above the coral isn't very good.

 

[Midge907]

@iamrushman - finally some votes for Oahu! I have a buddy at work who is very pro-Oahu.. primarily due to the reason you mentioned, having fewer people and being more remote. He described the roads of Oahu as being similar to the road to Hana.

Has he ever even been to Maui, I don't remember any road on Oahu that was anywhere close to being like the road to Hana. Yes Oahu has top side activities, but are they the activities you want to do. I have friends that also like Oahu, but they are younger and like the hustle and bustle, and the club party scene. I liked the wreck diving on Oahu myself, however the shallower second dive on the coral each day off the boat was a near waste, and i'm not even that picky, heck after all I dive ponds.

 

[dnote]

I think his parallel to the road to Hana was more so in the nature of the road itself, being rough around the edges in some places.He wasn't quite able to convince me to make the trip to Oahu over Maui. I'm pretty set on Maui for mid-march timeframe.