Any good diving around Oahu?

I'll be attending a conference in a few weeks at a resort on the SW corner of Oahu, and since my wife can't go, I'll have some spare time on one or two of the days (so maybe enough to do 2-4 dives total). Is it worth taking my camera and scuba gear, i.e., is there any diving around Oahu that is really outstanding?

TIA,

Hey Bruce, if it is really soon (next 2-3 weeks) I wouldn't plan on diving. I don't know if you are aware of this, but we just had 45 days of non-stop rain, really amazing. As a result there were tons of sediment runoff, including sewage spills. Many beaches on the SW side (where Honolulu is at) are poluted and closed. Visibility is not very good.

Now, if you are coming in only 4-6 weeks, there are some good sites and some wrecks that can clear up if the rain stops.

Luiz

Hey Bruce, if it is really soon (next 2-3 weeks) I wouldn't plan on diving...

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Thanks, Luiz - that's just what I needed to know. I'll be there in less than 2 weeks, so I just won't plan on diving this trip. There will always be other opportunities!

You might want to consider the following:

Ocean Concepts - they have a number of dive operations on Oahu - I dove with them out of Ko Olina on the west shore (Mahi mine sweeper wreck). If you contact them they would be pretty up front about conditions.

North Shore Shark Adventures - they are in Hale Iwa and take people offshore in a cage (no tanks) - the vis would be pretty good offshore.

...North Shore Shark Adventures - they are in Hale Iwa and take people offshore in a cage (no tanks) - the vis would be pretty good offshore.

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Good suggestions, and I actually heard about this shark outfit on the north shore. Apparently, you don't even need scuba gear - you can just use a snorkel. But after just returning from a week on the Wetpixel Bahamas shark trip...

Diving with Sharks Without a Cage

... I just can't get all that excited about watching "itty bitty" sharks from inside a cage with a bunch of snorkel-breathing tourists.

Here's a photo of me and one of the friends I made on that trip (taken by Jim Abernethy):

You might want to consider the following:

 

Ocean Concepts - they have a number of dive operations on Oahu - I dove with them out of Ko Olina on the west shore (Mahi mine sweeper wreck). If you contact them they would be pretty up front about conditions.

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Just as a follow-up to this thread, I arrived on Oahu a couple of days ago, and I decided not to bring any of my scuba gear or uw photography gear on this trip. However, once here, 5 other people attending the conference convinced me to go diving with them, so -- for the first time in many years -- I dove using ALL rental gear (from mask to fins!). We dove with Ocean Concepts just NW of Honolulu, and I have to say it was quite simply the best run land-based dive operation I've EVER seen -- and I've seen dozens!

Not only did they have the dive operation down to a science, with a preliminary briefing in the dive shop, complete with 42" plasma screen showing (by name!) our seating/tank assignments on the boat, and top-notch briefings on the boat itself, but the lunch/snack provided between dives was actually good (chips and hoagie sandwiches with plenty for extra helpings).

Most surprising and impressive was the rental gear. When making the reservation, they took our weight, height, and shoe size, and had already selected (and put on the boat) wetsuits for each of us (and ALL of them fit, even mine with my 13EEE feet!), and their BCDs and regs were top-of-the-line (Scubapro as I recall) models that I would be proud to own myself! Most rental gear in my experience is hammered, cheap crap, so I was VERY impressed at the obvious extra expense they had gone to to provide high-quality gear! I'd have totally wasted my time if I'd brought any of my own dive gear!

Unlike most local day boat operations, they also had two huge rubber fresh water rinse tanks, one reserved for cameras, and the other for masks, etc. Although they didn't have a camera table, the excellent rinse tank was more than sufficient for a two-tank excursion (even if I'd had my full DSLR rig with me). They even had a fresh-water shower on deck so you could rinse off after dives, something rare on day boats (I only expect that on liveaboards). I kept looking for something they could have done better, and I simply could not find ANYTHING.

It was truly inspiring to see a dive operation this well thought out and executed, FAR above and beyond what most of us have come to expect (or even hope for) from local land-based dive shops. They clearly want more than just their customer's one-time tourist dollars; they want repeat business! If I lived (or spent much time) on Oahu, these would be the guys I'd dive with ALL the time!

That's great to know Bruce, I never dove with them, will certainly give it a try. How was the dive? And the vis?

Luiz

That's great to know Bruce, I never dove with them, will certainly give it a try. How was the dive? And the vis?

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Luiz,

Sorry! I guess I was just so impressed with the dive operation that I neglected discussing the dives!

The dives were at "Black Rock" and "Five Inch" -- vis was actually pretty good (80 ft or so I'd guess) and the dives were "nice" (not spectacular, but pleasant). I liked the cave/overhangs at Black Rock - if I'd had my camera and wide angle lens, I think I could have gotten some interesting shots. We also saw three turtles, a couple of scrawled filefish, and assorted little stuff. I enjoyed the dives, but frankly felt naked without a camera!

If you go on a dive, but don't have a camera to record what you saw, was it really there?