Beginner Scuba in Hawaii--Please help!

[garden bfly]

Hello! I am a first time cruiser going to Hawaii in June with a group of people. None of us has done scuba before, but we'd love to try in Hawaii. Has anyone done the discover scuba dives in Hawaii, particularly in Kona or Kauai? We would like to know what to expect. Are you given enough time to really enjoy it? Is it possible to learn and feel comfortable in that short of a lesson? Any advice or experience that anyone has to share would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Middleager]

We cruised in Hawaii in Aug./05. I'm a diver and my wife and friends got "dragged" into snorkeling, and they loved it since.

 

There are so much to do and see in Hawaii ports, I kind of feel doing Discovery scuba may not be the best use of time there. If you can fly into Honolulu a few days before, you could try to do discovery scuba there. There are many ops that will pick up from your hotel. It'll be cheaper than through cruise excursion.

 

Among the ports, Hilo is good for touring the valcano, not for diving. Kauai is beautiful. A helicopter trip over Napali Coast gives you memory of a life time. There is not as much time to dive in Kauai, and depending on time of the year, waves are large in north shore.

 

Maui have some good dives, but there's also lots to see. A drive on road to Hana, or others might come on top of the list.

 

Kona is one port really good for diving and snorkeling. The coral growth in Kona coast there is probably the best among all the Hawaii islands. There are also lots more (and good) dive ops there.

 

 

Better yet, if you can take some class room and pool training beforehand, then do the referral dives in Hawaii, they'll be good diving.

[Cap'n Jack]

I have done a discover scuba course twice on the Big Island in the general Kona area. I highly recommend Kaleakekua (sp?) Bay a/k/a Capt. Cook Monument. It is a marine sanctuary and the water is very clear. I have done a handful of discover scuba dives (never found the time to get certified) and this is the best location yet. There are a lot of tours there, but it is still great diving.

 

Sorry, I can't recommend any particular company; the one I used doesn't do it anymore.

[garden bfly]

I'm not sure what you mean by there is not much time to dive in Kauai. The cruise I'm on will be there all of one day and half of the next. We'll be there in early summer (June), so I'd read that the waves then were not so bad. Are there not a lot of good dive sites around Kauai?