Waikiki on the Hawaiian island of Oahu is a great place to go for a self-guided scuba dive. Hawaii has many types of scuba diving, and Waikiki has almost every type within one hour. Have a diving wreck off Diamond Head, Shore Dives at Electric beach, Portlock with its big drop. Lava tubes at Sharks Cove, tons of fish at Hanama Bay, including some hawks, and if you have your own scuba diving gear, it can be very inexpensive. Even if you rent equipment you can snorkel on the beach at various places near Waikiki such as Hanama Bay which is basically a huge aquarium filled with all kinds of beautiful fish. They have a tram that takes you down and back. There’s a lot of gear hauling to do this dive, but it’s worth it, as it’s one of the best dive spots in Hawaii. Electric beach at the power station on the west side towards Makha has giant turtles that can be found under ledges hiding from sharks, which you will most likely never see. 3 Tables, Shark Bay, a fire station, and Halaiwa Trench make North Shore of Oahu a beach divers mecca, when the waves go low! If the waves are high maybe go to Magic Beach, inside the wall they do lots of diving lessons, and outside are some great coral reefs. On the way you can also do tubing but you will defiantly need someone to show you this site and have a long run to the end and maybe some strong currents.
Buy and rent diving equipment
You can rent scuba gear, at Ocean Concepts in Honolulu at Sport Authority on Ward Av, Deep Ecology on North Shore, and Aarons Dive on the Kaneohe Kailua side. Most of these stores offer gear for sale as well and will help you buy scuba gear. If you are going to buy scuba diving equipment, it makes sense to get the guidance of a professional, to make sure that you are buying the right scuba diving equipment, for the types of diving you will normally do, and to make sure it will fit, and the comfort is right for you.
If you are doing a self-guided dive, make sure you have a surface sign – a safe sausage and a whistle or air horn. I usually keep a dive light as well for signaling at night. I also make sure I have a snorkel, you never do when you’re caught in a storm you’ll be grateful. Always make sure to bring a dive plan with a responsible friend, so someone knows to activate the emergency medical (911) support system if you don’t show up. Get wet in Waikiki.
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