Reefs in Hawaii

[paul b]

For the last two weeks I have been in 3 of the Hawaiian Islands for my 40th anniversary.  I got to say I love Hawaii but the reefs there are in horrible shape and it was by far the worst diving of all my 250+ dives.  The visability is not great and the sea life is vanishing.  Except for very large turtles, they are all over the place and that is because the sharks disappeared.  In 3 dives there I didn't see one shrimp, crab or lobster, just urchins by the thousands.  There are hardly any tangs or even damsels, just predators such as lionfish, morays, trumpetfish, needlefish, frogfish, lizardfish, grunts and Moorish Idols that scrap off the growth of algae that is abundant.  I was very disappointed in the reef there which is almost devoid of corals.                                              

[YHSublime]

That's a shame about the reefs and the fish... but that last picture is beautiful.

[pettyrd]

I lived in Hawaii for 11 years. Most places where the dive crews take you see 100's of divers a week. Coral in Hawaii has never been plentiful, and anything worth looking at is not on a dive crews itinerary.

 

 

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[jimlin]

where did you go diving? i seen crabs everywhere shrimps and seahorses can be seen as well, but mostly at night.

[paul b]

Most places where the dive crews take you see 100's of divers a week. Coral in Hawaii has never been plentiful, and anything worth looking at is not on a dive crews itinerary

 

That is certainly true and on this trip I didn't get to just rent equipment and dive in obscure places like I usually do.  I did go with a dive shop and you are correct, those places see way to many divers.  I dove in Maui and Kauai.  But in those 3 dives there was not one shrimp or crab.  I did not dive there at night but I know night diving is better.  In Tahiti or even the Caribbean on well dived places, inverts are very common.  On a good healthy reef you will find shrimp every few yards, they are very common, but not in Hawaii.  There are also no sharks, but the last time I went there were quite a few.  Seeing no sharks is a bad sign.

I have about 250 dives so I know what a healthy reef is supposed to look like and Hawaii is not a great diving location.  But I do love the place and will go back soon I hope.  It is one of my favorite vacation places for the above water activities as long as you keep away from tourist spots.

[smallreef]

We're any of these islands impacted by the molasses spill from last month?

[paul b]

I don't think so.  There are virtually no sharks which is rare for the south Pacific and an awful lot of large turtles. These 3 or 400 lb turtles are really nice to swim with but the reason they are so common is that there are no large predators to eat them. There is also a lot of algae for them to eat. The presence of urchins completely covering the rocks is a sign that there is little coral growth and plenty of bare, algae covered rocks to feed them. The lack of small inverts signals a lack of tiny food. All of these things point to dying reefs.

 

This is a very common sight there.  Not a very healthy sign.

 
 

Edited October 23, 2013 by paul b

[Huly]

Remember they have had issues due to the molasses spill

[paul b]

I know they did.  But the lack of sharks and the abundance of turtles have nothing to do with molasses. 

[paul b]

This little spotted moray was in a half dead piece of coral.  Many of the corals there are just about hanging on.

This picture of me was taken from about 5' away.  The visability there stinks.  Not the 2' we get in NY, but horrible for the South Pacific.

[bengeeee]

Well this is depressing.  My fiance and I are planning to honeymoon here and were hoping to be certified to go diving by then.  I wonder what the cause is... people mention the molasses but there must be a bigger issue going on.

[sen5241b]

Try diving the power plant on Oahu. The warm water brings in an incredible number of fish. I once saw a sheet of several hundred barracda above me there. Also, this time of year you are almost certainly diving the leeward side. In the summer, when the windward side is flat, it has some great dives.

[paul b]

 

   

Posted Today, 11:18 AM

Well this is depressing.  My fiance and I are planning to honeymoon here and were hoping to be certified to go diving by then.

I would not cancel a trip there as diving is only one aspect of it.  If you go I would stay away from the tourist places and go up country into the mountains as the scenery is some of the best in the world.  You can still dive in Hawaii but if you have ever dove almost anywhere else, you may be disappointed.  If I ever get back there, I won't dive there any more.   Molasses have nothing to do with the diving, sharks probably like molasses.   But I have friends on Maui and we had a ball.  We also went on our Honeymoon but now we know the places to go that are not to tacky.  I really don't need to see any more Hula Girls in plastic "grass" skirts although they are talented and beautiful.  Oh, OK I still want to see that tacky show, but we didn't do any of that this time.  You really should get in a helicopter as most of the Islands you can't get to by car and the mountains and waterfalls are unbelievable.  You can also get on a 62' catamaran and have a great time but I would not book it from a hotel.  Try for a smaller, local one away from the big hotels unless you like to be with real tourists that look like tourists and do tourist things.  Get into the local restaurants where the locals eat, some of them are real dives but you can talk to the Chef and maybe he will make you a great meal as the Hawaiian's eat mostly deep fried garbage.  The tiny local "dump" we visited was up a mountain on Lanai and the guy made us an excellent Italian dinner.  Of course we ate in our hotel often but most meals with one glass of wine will run you about $140.00 with no desert or appetizer so if you eat every meal in the hotel it can cost more than the trip.  On our Honeymoon we didn't care and now, even though we can afford it, I wanted to get to the local places more often.  If Hawaii will be one of your first dives and you have little to compare it to, it will be a great dive.

On Maui we stayed here http://www.hotels.com/ho259695/napili-kai-beach-resort-maui-island-united-states/  Which is about 7 miles from the big tourist hotels but close enough to get there if we wanted to.  It is the only 2 story hotel on Maui and very nice.  One of the nicest hotels I ever stayed at.

Edited October 25, 2013 by paul b

[bengeeee]

I would not cancel a trip there as diving is only one aspect of it.  If you go I would stay away from the tourist places and go up country into the mountains as the scenery is some of the best in the world.  You can still dive in Hawaii but if you have ever dove almost anywhere else, you may be disappointed.  If I ever get back there, I won't dive there any more.   Molasses have nothing to do with the diving, sharks probably like molasses.   But I have friends on Maui and we had a ball.  We also went on our Honeymoon but now we know the places to go that are not to tacky.  I really don't need to see any more Hula Girls in plastic "grass" skirts although they are talented and beautiful.  Oh, OK I still want to see that tacky show, but we didn't do any of that this time.  You really should get in a helicopter as most of the Islands you can't get to by car and the mountains and waterfalls are unbelievable.  You can also get on a 62' catamaran and have a great time but I would not book it from a hotel.  Try for a smaller, local one away from the big hotels unless you like to be with real tourists that look like tourists and do tourist things.  Get into the local restaurants where the locals eat, some of them are real dives but you can talk to the Chef and maybe he will make you a great meal as the Hawaiian's eat mostly deep fried garbage.  The tiny local "dump" we visited was up a mountain on Lanai and the guy made us an excellent Italian dinner.  Of course we ate in our hotel often but most meals with one glass of wine will run you about $140.00 with no desert or appetizer so if you eat every meal in the hotel it can cost more than the trip.  On our Honeymoon we didn't care and now, even though we can afford it, I wanted to get to the local places more often.  If Hawaii will be one of your first dives and you have little to compare it to, it will be a great dive.

 

Oh we wouldn't cancel just based on that.  Most of our time will be above water after all  .  I like the idea of going out on a helo.  Hadn't even considered that.  We did some snorkeling in grand cayman after a hurricane and it wasn't much to look at but we had a great time, so I'm sure your right that anything scuba in warm water be awesome.  Especially being our first real dive!  I realize sharks on a reef are a good thing, but I think I'm fine with none being around for our first encounter  .

 

Thanks for all the advice you gave us a ton to think about.  Definitely wan't to stay out of the hotel as much as possible.  Any particular lodging/hotels/bars/local dining you recommend?  We haven't settled on an island.  I'm fine with being away from the touristy spots.

 

Ben

 

BTW congrats on your 40th anniversary that means something these days.  I know people that have barely made it 40 days!  

Edited October 25, 2013 by bengeeee

[paul b]

This time we went to 3 Islands and our favorite hotel was the one I linked above on Maui.  But we have been to many places and you may be looking for something different.  This place has a good snorkeling beach, of course the water is about as clear as it is SCUBA diving but they will give you snorkeling equipment for free.  The fins may be $2.00 I don't remember but we loved the place.  SCUBA is about $169.00 or something like that.  The helocopters range from about $350.00 to $450.00 for 2 people.  If you stay on that place on Maui take that drive north west as I noted someplace above.  It is a narrow road that circles a mountain and is a great experience as long as you are a great driver and can back up if someone is coming from the opposite direction.

This is the road I am talking about:  http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g29220-d630900-Reviews-North_Loop_Coastline_Road_Hwy_30-Maui_Hawaii.html

Not the road to Hana which is also beautiful but that is on the opposite end of the Island.

 

The dinner catamaran cruise is also really nice.  They give you a "lite" dinner which is very lite but enough.  You get unlimited booze and a fantastic sunset.  We sailed past where they shot Fantasy Island, King Kong, Mighty Joe Young and some Indiana Jones movies.  They picked those places for their remoteness and beauty.

 

Lanai is very calm but expensive.  The hotel, and there are only 2 owned by the same place was almost $500.00 a night.  It was beautiful and more set up for honeymooners but we liked the one on Maui better.  We are not exactly Honeymooners any more.  4 Seasons on Lanai:  http://m.fourseasons.com/manelebay/

We also liked the place on Kauai which was Koa Kea.   http://www.koakea.com/

These places may seem touristy, and they are, but no way near the big Sheritons and other high rises that are all over the Islands.

Edited October 25, 2013 by paul b

[bengeeee]

Well definitely take your advice into account when planning. Ironically the most fun we had in Jamaica was on a similar cruise. That catamaran sounds perfect thanks for the tips.

[MisterTang]

Paul, I have an excellent solution for you if you'd like to see more wildlife when diving in Hawaii - vomit in your regulator. I did this in Maui on my honeymoon and was literally punching fish away from me who were trying to scoop up a "hot lunch" of sorts.

[paul b]

Wow, thats a great Idea, especially because it was their regulator and not mine.

What would make you vomit underwater?

[MisterTang]

As it turns out, I can get just as seasick under the water as above it. I now like to think of it as a "aquatic life summoning ritual" - kind of like AquaMan

[paul b]

Ewwwwwee.  I never got seasick which is a good thing being I am a lisenced Captain and own a boat.  That is not a good thing.  I also never got sick underwater, and as far as I can remember, I don't get sick.  Not where I would puke anyway.

I guess I am lucky and so are the people where I rented the regulater from.

 

 

Well definitely take your advice into account when planning. Ironically the most fun we had in Jamaica was on a similar cruise. That catamaran sounds perfect thanks for the tips.          

ok, but don't book it near an airport from a girl wearing a plastic grass skirt.  All over the Islands you see these discount booklets, you can get some good deals through them as many of them are not chained to the big hotel chains for business and have to be competitive.  If you see any people there in weird shorts with knee socks ,a big rimmed hat, a plastic lei around their head, that white stuff on their nose and a camera hanging around their neck, keep going.

Edited October 26, 2013 by paul b

[Enkay]

we had gone to Maui in 2004 and my wife found this condo for us. It was not aon a beach but located in a bay. We were 25 feet from the water. No sand, just rocks but it was awesome. We could see huge sea turtles come almost to the shore and one day we saw dolphins jumping in the distance. This was past Kaanapali, dont quite remember the name of the place but I could look up. We had a one bedroom condo with a kitchen which was great.

 

We went on a katamaran one night for dinner and another on a sail boat when I did get sick after drinking the unlimited mai-tais . Snorkelling was nice but the greatest thing on the trip was when we saw this huuge pod of dolphins swimming in the wake of our snorkel boat and jumping out of the water putting up a great show. I will never forget that. I do have a video of the whole 20 mins or so that they were there. I had never seen so many dolphins together ever and havent witnessed it since.

 

The little touristy office in the condo community was manned by one person who was very nice and went out of the way to give us a lot of tips of where to go and what to do to miss the touristy stuff. We did take a small tour to go to Hana but then we drove aorund the island a lot and it was just beautiful. You can discover these tiny little coves with no one around and small beaches which are so beautiful and peaceful.

 

Would love to go back there and learn to snorkel without a life jacket when I go next :P. When we went I couldnt even float so snorkelling in 50 feet deep water was well, filled with a couple panic attacks and a lot of anxiety of drowning.

[lutz123]

Paul, I have an excellent solution for you if you'd like to see more wildlife when diving in Hawaii - vomit in your regulator. I did this in Maui on my honeymoon and was literally punching fish away from me who were trying to scoop up a "hot lunch" of sorts.

Laughed out loud at this one...and it would be me if I tried diving!  i can't cope on a boat or snorkeling without dramamine (the good bitter pills, not the chewable!)

[paul b]

_{You guys have given me a great money saving idea.  Instead of spending money to feed my fish.  I now feed my Grand daughter Greta, then hold her up side down over my tank and wait for her to puke and feed the fish,}

_Thanks.

 

[bengeeee]

Wonder if you could rig her up as an auto feeder.

[paul b]

That certainly is a thought, but whenever I put her near the tank, she says "No" and turns her head away.  Imagine my Grand Daughter being afraid of fish?