Oahu "North Coast" dive shop recommendations

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Lawrence - 14 Feb 2004 13:17 GMT

Any suggestions?
Lawrence

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suds - 14 Feb 2004 14:59 GMT

> Any suggestions?
> Lawrence

First off, when are you going? Right now is the height of surfing season on
the North Shore. The two sports are usually mutually exclusive. Anyway, I
have never used this shop so I can't speak for them but it's a place to
start. When I dive on the North Shore it's always been shore diving or from
my kayak. The diving there can be as wonderful as any in Hawaii, (*lots* of
sea turtles) when the ocean is flat.

http://www.deepecology1.com/hires/about_us/index.htm

suds

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Lawrence - 15 Feb 2004 12:38 GMT

suds, I will be diving in July when the surf is at it's calmest.

Where have you been shore diving? Where did you rent your Kayak?

Isn't it difficult to carry all your gear in the kayak and will there be
enough for my video gear(lights and housing)?

Don't you need some kind of anchor and flag?

Lawrence

> First off, when are you going? Right now is the height of surfing season on
> the North Shore. The two sports are usually mutually exclusive. Anyway, I
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>
> suds

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suds - 16 Feb 2004 07:51 GMT

> suds, I will be diving in July when the surf is at it's calmest.
>
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>
> Lawrence

Yes, July should be a fine time to dive the North Shore. There are plenty
of spots to dive there and some good diving especially if you want to see
sea turtles. Check out this link:
http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/Hawaii/Oahu/index.htm And there are plenty
of places to rent kayaks from but have you ever dove from a kayak before?
It's a great way to go diving (I own mine and live on Oahu) but the learning
curve can be pretty steep and dangerous. Yet it seems to be a
"do-it-yourself" kind of sport. The wife and I asked around a lot and got
lots of free advice but no one willing to teach us. Finally we just headed
out ourselves. There have been a more than a few misadventures along the
way. Today was another. LOL

Here is the webpage of the kayak shop I frequent:
http://www.gobananaskayaks.com/ These guys can set you up with anything you
want to do. The guy in the green shirt is named "John." He's lived his
whole life in Hawaii and has done everything you can do with a kayak on the
Islands. He dives and will give you lots of great advice. If this interest
you, you might want to stop by the shop and spend an hour chatting with him.
He'll answer any question you have and then some.

If we can hook up, I'd be happy to dive with you but I'm not a professional
guide and I haven't lived/dove here long enough to find all the great spots
for you. I'd be happy to talk about kayak diving with you and maybe even go
out with you but, again, I'm just an amateur.

suds

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Lawrence - 16 Feb 2004 17:44 GMT

Suds,

Thanks for the information. I would like to contact you once on the island.
You may email me directly with your Telephone # if that is alright.

Where have you dived on the North Coast?

Also where do you rent your tanks etc.?

Lawrence

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suds - 16 Feb 2004 23:24 GMT

> Suds,
>
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>
> Also where do you rent your tanks etc.?

We live in Kane'ohe, on the windward shore. You wouldn't want to drive all
the way over here just to rent tanks. The going rate on the Island is
$10/day. Contact Deep Ecology and see what they're asking. Here is another
shop on the North Shore so you can try them, also. (
http://www.surfnsea.com/ ) Again, I haven't used either of those shops nor
have any information about them.

In as far as what I've dove on the North Shore, I did Shark's Cove, Fire
Station and Three Tables one afternoon as a drift dive. They normally
aren't a drift dive but by hanging onto the anchor line of a Trade Wind
blown kayak it can become one. It was a good, fun dive: lots of turtles,
coral, small reef fish, eels, and interesting lava formations. But it's
also an example of the potential for danger when diving from a kayak in
these waters. After about 40 minutes of bottom time, we ended the dive when
we noticed that we were getting into deeper water. We surfaced to find the
wind had shifted and we were now being blown off shore. Not an ideal place
to be in in an Ocean Kayak on the most remote island chain in the world.

I've also shore dove at Kawailoa Beach, and snorkeled in Waimea Bay and
Waialua Bay. Our next North Shore excursion will probably be Kawela Bay
near Turtle Bay at the eastern end of the North Shore. It'll probably be a
shore dive. We've been checking out Kawela Bay every time we're up there
and it looks like it might be pretty good. First, though, I need to ask
around. Being near the point, the currents might be a factor.

If you're staying on the North Shore, I'll assume you have a car. Don't
forget about the rest of the Island. When I go boat diving, I usually dive
with Island Divers Hawaii. ( http://www.islanddivershawaii.com/ ) We're
members of the club and as such usually dive with other locals on specially
charted boats but they do take tourists to all the regular spots too. Dr.
Matt, the owner, is a good guy and a fountain of information about sea life
and coral if you are lucky enough to have him on your boat. The "YO-257/San
Pedro" is a dive worth doing and so is the "Sea Cave and China Wall Drift."
The "Corsair" is cool but deep and often subject to strong currents. On the
West Side is the "Mahi" which is getting rather dilapidated but "Makaha
Caverns" can be great if you have the right guide and there's no surge.

eeo

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