3 Islands, 3 operators, 5 dives - November 2007
In Kaui I dove with Sea Sport Divers in Poi Pu. I dove solo because my wife won't go near the water. We were in Hawaii for a business trip of hers anyway. I was late getting to the shop for my morning dives, but they were not in the least bit upset. I went out with a guide named Mike to Koala Landing. He led me along the reef and allowed me my own pace and direction. He checked my air consumption regularly and pointed out interesting life along the reef. I had him all to myself which was cool. In this one instance it was a benefit to be diving solo.
In Oahu I dove with Honolulu Dive Company and Captain Mac, (the owner of the boat). The Dive Company provided the guides. I made 2 morning dives off Waikiki. We dove on the wreck of the Sea Tiger first to max of 102 feet. I dove with 2 guides and a woman taking a photo class. The four of us stayed pretty much together except for when one of the guides and I swam through the ship's hold. The guide pointed out to me a Scorpionfish well camouflaged on the corals of the ship's deck. We also saw a spotted sea ray which the guide later told me was the largest he had ever seen. Must have been 6-8 feet across. Quite beautiful. Second dive was on Horseshoe Reef and the guide pointed out two small white tip sharks hiding under a ledge. It pays to stick with the guides, they know the sites and where the wildlife can be found. In the forum a member tells of having a bad experience with this company. He ran out of air and so did one of the guides he was with. The lesson here is keep your wits about you and frequently check your air consumption, ascend at 1000 psi. I had no problems and we did our safety stop on the mooring line.
In Kona Hawaii I dove with Neptune Charlies on the Manta Ray night dive. We were exceptionally lucky in that there were 13-14 rays that night. It was as amazing of an experience as you can have. They swam so gracefully right up to you. Their huge wings made such a wake it practically knocked me over several times. But it was sooo incredible to see that many rays at one time. Only drawback was that we had only a 45 minute dive. Everyone in our party had plenty of air, we could have stayed down longer. We were only at 30 feet. Another member in the forum had a poor experience with this operator, but on the evening I dove with them the personnel were top notch, friendly, helpful, and gave us a good topside briefing before we went in the water.
Hawaii has many sites to dive and I only saw a few of them. All were good dives and the people running the operations were quite friendly. I would dive with all these operators again.
In Kaui I dove with Sea Sport Divers in Poi Pu. I dove solo because my wife won't go near the water. We were in Hawaii for a business trip of hers anyway. I was late getting to the shop for my morning dives, but they were not in the least bit upset. I went out with a guide named Mike to Koala Landing. He led me along the reef and allowed me my own pace and direction. He checked my air consumption regularly and pointed out interesting life along the reef. I had him all to myself which was cool. In this one instance it was a benefit to be diving solo.
In Oahu I dove with Honolulu Dive Company and Captain Mac, (the owner of the boat). The Dive Company provided the guides. I made 2 morning dives off Waikiki. We dove on the wreck of the Sea Tiger first to max of 102 feet. I dove with 2 guides and a woman taking a photo class. The four of us stayed pretty much together except for when one of the guides and I swam through the ship's hold. The guide pointed out to me a Scorpionfish well camouflaged on the corals of the ship's deck. We also saw a spotted sea ray which the guide later told me was the largest he had ever seen. Must have been 6-8 feet across. Quite beautiful. Second dive was on Horseshoe Reef and the guide pointed out two small white tip sharks hiding under a ledge. It pays to stick with the guides, they know the sites and where the wildlife can be found. In the forum a member tells of having a bad experience with this company. He ran out of air and so did one of the guides he was with. The lesson here is keep your wits about you and frequently check your air consumption, ascend at 1000 psi. I had no problems and we did our safety stop on the mooring line.
In Kona Hawaii I dove with Neptune Charlies on the Manta Ray night dive. We were exceptionally lucky in that there were 13-14 rays that night. It was as amazing of an experience as you can have. They swam so gracefully right up to you. Their huge wings made such a wake it practically knocked me over several times. But it was sooo incredible to see that many rays at one time. Only drawback was that we had only a 45 minute dive. Everyone in our party had plenty of air, we could have stayed down longer. We were only at 30 feet. Another member in the forum had a poor experience with this operator, but on the evening I dove with them the personnel were top notch, friendly, helpful, and gave us a good topside briefing before we went in the water.
Hawaii has many sites to dive and I only saw a few of them. All were good dives and the people running the operations were quite friendly. I would dive with all these operators again.
