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I know this is a big question, but I'm seeking info on which islands, and outfits people like. Any info on land based vs liveaboard. Any info on the possibilitys of getting in the water with whales( snorkling), and time of year for them thanks vz
Extended Horizons Maui.
Bubbles Below, Kauai. Now through the end of March I believe is the main whale season.
If a whale seems close, they will allow you to get in the water with snorkel gear. Usually done between dives. Up to the Whale if they want to swim by you. I've seen them and photographed while snorkeling from their boat. If you're lucky enough to see one, you will never forget it.
Rand
On Big Island, go for Jack's Diving Locker, the surface interval is spent looking for interesting stuff out in the blue. On one trip with them I had the chance to be in the water with pilot whales... a memorable sight. It was not in the "whale" season but I don't think any operator can get close the humpbacks.
I would recommend going to the Big Island, stay in or near Kona. Since all of the diving on the Big Island is close (like 100 yards) to shore, the only reason for a live-aboard is if you want the live-aboard experience. However in addition to lots of dive charters, there are lots of shore dives in Hawaii as well.
For dive operators I would recommend Kona Coast Divers (I worked for them so I am biased<G>), very professional, but their boats carry a lot of people. For a more personal approach, try Dive Makai - they have a very loyal following of repeat customers. Make sure you do one of the Manta Ray night dives, and Captain Cooks Bay, while you are there.
There is diving on the other islands, but the Big Island also offers a lot fewer people, and a lot of things to do other than diving - Volanoe National Park, Waipio Valley are two must-sees. Also, the visibility on the Big Island is always much better.
We did the Big Island a couple of years ago and it was a treat. we dove on the Aggressor - convenience and max bottom time. With them you get to dive farther south than with land-based operators.
The land portion is awesome. Lots to see but be prepared to drive a bit. Going atop Mauna Kea is a treat - by 4x4 as per the rules.
Enjoy your stay,
Michel
Better late than never...catching up on posts and came across this one.
If you are thinking of going to Maui, Ed Robindson's Diving Adventrues or Mike Severns Diving are the best in my opinion. Both give the experienced diver some room to either follow the guides closely or do your own thing within reasonable limits. You just need to talk to them up front about who you are and what you are after. Another reason for choosing these two operators is their pre-dive breifings. Very thorough and educational. Of the two, Mike Severns is more like a marine biology outing but both have great crews which is a huge part of a fun and sucessful trip.
As far as Maui goes, the best diving is around the South part of the island. Most charters run out of the Kihei boat ramp early in the morning. So if diving is you main reason for visiting Maui, Kihei/Wailea are the places to stay. You can wake up 15minutes before you are supposed to be at the boat ramp whereas if you stay in the North end of the island you have to drive 45min to get to the ramp.
Molokini is a wonderful dive site that you could do over and over, heck there are several underwater books just that cover the creatures underwater at this tiny island.
Since no one's touched on Oahu, I'll put my 2 cents in since I live here. Oahu gets bashed because all the people are here & Honolulu & Waikiki are very urban. However, the island has a lot to offer outside of Waikiki. There are terrific wreck dives, I especially recommend the Mahi. If you dive the Mahi, the second dive is usually Makaha Caverns which has terrific lava tubes, tons of turtle cleaning stations, and I saw the biggest frogfish you can imagine there.
As for outfits, I strongly recommend Oahu Dive Center. Not the biggest outfit, but by far the friendliest, most knowlegeable & easy to work with.
There are good shore dives on the North Shore, but only in the summer, as that's where the BIG waves are at this time of year.
As for the whales, if you get in the water before they leave, you're almost guaranteed to hear their songs. That's a pretty amazing experience.
Oh, and the Big Island, Maui & Kauai are OK too. B)
Aloha
Not experienced in Hawaii, but have talked to, and heard good things about Bubbles Below. Check out Rodales, they may have something on their website.
Joe
Full agreement with that.If you are thinking of going to Maui, Ed Robindson's Diving Adventrues or Mike Severns Diving are the best in my opinion.
~Matt Segal
On Kona we dove with Jack's Dive Locker and had a great time, YOU MUST DO THE MANTA RAY NIGHT DIVE, one of my top 5. Once they got to know you they left us alone to do our own thing. The DMs where great at spotting the small stuff. We recently did the Kona Aggressor here is a link to that report.
I found ERDA very accommodating to my photographic needs when I went with them in Oct 04. Specifically I needed an extra tank so I could suck the air out of cameras for the Dive Alert. You need to have local knowledge about where to drop in each day as the conditions in HI can be quite variable. Currents at Molokini going one way one day and the other the next or no current at all. Photo opps can therefore vary quite a bit from day to day at the same site, all were very good, macro through fisheye. They were superb at picking out the best sites and dive plans. I did a number of dives at Reef’s End on Molokini. No two dives were the same. The night dive (they only do one a week) was spectacular with plenty of manta action! You MUST do the ‘Backwall’ several times (see attachment 
)!
Been diving hawaii for years now.
If your primary interest is diving, the big island rules. Better water conditions, over much larger areas, for much of the year.
On Kona, Dive Makai is the way to go. Highest rated dive crew, year after year. Great critter finders and big animal finders. Whales are there now!
Bubbles Below main claim to fame is their trip to Ni'hau, (sp?). So, they take you to another island, (which cannot be landed on itself). This is a long trip, and only available late summer, early fall, when conditions are perfect. Also, I think the owners of BB divorced a couple years ago. Don't know how that has effected things.
Agreed that for Maui diving, Robinsons and Severns are the way to go.
One can get burned by Kona weather at Kona too. There were a lot of seasick people on the manta dive, which had to be done on the wrong side of the bay with no mantas, when I was there a few years ago. There was a massive storm during Feb 04 that shut down all diving out of Lahaina (where I was staying on that trip). Good thing too as the water was red-brown as far as one could see. It is worth experiencing the various islands over time (several trips) because of differences in fauna. Some fish may be much more common on one island than another. Conditions in the tropics are not always so placid, the trade winds notwithstanding. It is a throw of the dice.
Tom
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