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#592
If you were diving Hawaii.......
lulu222 - 12/21/2009 6:38 PM
Category: Travel
Replies: 5

If you were planning a Hawaii dive trip and could select any island, which would be recommended for the best dive experience and why? 
#8046
Rich-D-Fish - 12/21/2009 10:41 PM
My vote would be Kauai, and specifically between June 26 - July 9, 2010, because I need a divebuddy :-)


But to be fair I’ve heard great things about most of the Islands. I dove in Maui last year and enjoyed both Molokini Crater as well as the Island of Lanai. While I was there on a charter I was partnered with a tourist who had just gotten back from a week in Kona (big Island) and showed me pictures of his Manta Ray night diving experience (amazing - a must do on my list of future dives). But for this summer I’ve settled on the garden Island of Kauai, as much for the land activities as the diving. I’ve heard from many people that the best diving in all of the Hawaiian Islands is reached from Kauai to the "forbidden" Island of Ni-ihau. I’ve actually signed up already for the Ni-ihau trip with Seasportdivers for Tuesday, July 6th. Also planning several charters to dive sites like Sheraton Caverns, plus some shore dives.



Let me know if you decide to do. I don’t think there is a bad choice.



Rich
#3091
divemaiden - 12/22/2009 5:59 AM


I go to Maui any time of year. Between December and April you get the Humpbacks that migrate to calf there and it’s both cool and eerie to listen to their whale song. You’ve can dive Molokini crater, front and back wall, Lanai and Molokai. On the Molokai dive, there’s a good chance of seeing a school of hammerheads. I’ve got friends who live and work there and were just mugged by a pod of dolphins on Sunday, they’ve had encounters with monk seals and whale sharks. You can see mantas on the twilight dives. I’ve seen spotted eagle rays diving the Carthaginian, and turtles on Turtle Reef (well, there’s no actual reef named "Turtle Reef", it’s any spot along 30 miles of shallow coastal reefs).
#7701
Nitediver - 12/22/2009 9:54 AM
I too am looking to go to Hawaii in May of 2010 and I would like to find "the" best places to dive. Hoping to do some shore diving as well as boat. This is a 1st anniversary gift from me to the wife. So it should be a great location in general. I was last in Hawaii in the 70’s so I have no knowledge about any of it any help would be great.
#162
Zig - 12/22/2009 11:01 AM


Having dove Kauai, Maui, Lanai, and the Big Island, my vote is for Lanai via Maui. Lanai has some spectacular lava sites and do not get as much traffic as the main island sites do. Maui itself has some great diving and snorkeling right off the beach as well. My second choice would be to dive Kona on the Big Island. If you do, you MUST do the night dive with the Manta Rays. We dove with Big Island Divers. Good people. Kaui is ok, but the island gets so much rain, that the visibility suffers.


I also suggest Lahaina Divers as the shop to go with in Maui. Fun, professional, and their DMs were great. My wife was a real beginner when we dove with them a few years back, and they were great.


Have fun!


Zig
#13
wyodiver - 12/25/2009 8:45 PM
I’ve dove off Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii. If I were to return, I’d probably go back to the Big Island of Hawaii for several reasons. I enjoyed the diving, especially the night manta dive. I went with Jack’s Diving Locker and really liked them. There’s a great variety of landbased things to do around the entire island.
That said, the only island I have no desire to return to is Oahu. Too many people, and the diving wasn’t that spectacular. If you go to Kauai and it’s have the right weather, check into going over to dive Nihei. It’s as close to virgin diving as you can get in the Hawaiian Islands.