I had such an amazing time diving and getting my open water certification at Island Diver! All of…read morethe workers at the shop are so kind and helpful as well! Big shout out to Chaya, Nadia, Sydney, and Gem for being so supportive during my process to become certified!

I did 2 separate 2 tank dives and a snorkeling trip with a large group of my non-diver friends. I…read morecan say this is a very professional, organized, safe, and fun team. Dive master Christian was very personable and knowledgeable, and led me on a couple of great dives. Captain Matt exudes skill and professionalism. My divemaster for my second dives was Nadia, who also led our snorkelers the previous day. She is friendly, very knowledgeable, and just a bundle of contagious energy. One of the best dive companies I have ever been with. I cannot recommend them more highly.

This was by far the most amazing experience i have had being on Oahu ...Greg and Allan were…read moreawesome. I had a very bad panic moment trying b to adjust to breathing in the water. Greg helped me through it and I was able to calm down for the rest of the day. .. the sea life was astonishing... The water was the most beautiful blue words cant describe...I cant wait to go back and get my certification with them!!!!

A year late posting this review but I had the most amazing experience diving with Big Kahuna Water…read moreSports! This was only my second time ever diving - first time diving was only a few days before this at a very introductory level at Magic Island Beach. This dive was more advanced as we went out on 2 dives off of a boat. There were two groups on the boat we went out on. There was a more advanced group of divers who were finishing their Advanced Diver certification and my group who had myself and 2 others who had dived before but not in a long time and needed a refresher. Our instructor (it was a year ago so unfortunately forgot his name!) was really friendly and helpful. I was a bit nervous but he calmed my nerves, explained everything thoroughly, and made sure we were all comfortable and taken care of. He showed us a ton of really cool ocean life underwater and we got to see tons of urchins, eels, and even an octopus! He took some amazing photos and videos as well. This discovery dive was so much fun I decided to go for my PADI certification after this!! 1 year later I am PADI Open Water Diver certified and definitely continuing to dive whenever I can!! Super grateful to Big Kahuna and my dive instructor for igniting this new passion!!!

We had the absolute time of our lives on our very first scuba diving adventure with Reef Pirates…read moreDiving! As complete beginners, this family dive turned out to be the absolute highlight of our trip to Hawaii. Marina was simply incredible--professional, warm, incredibly patient, and attentive. Thanks to her guidance, our children had a magical underwater journey. My daughter loved it so much that she even took off her fins and danced at the bottom of the ocean! What touched us most was how Marina cared for my wife. My wife doesn't know how to swim and was initially terrified of going into the ocean. Marina gently eased her fears with immense patience and expertise. Encouraged by Marina, my wife eventually let go of the line and went for a confident "stroll" right through the coral reefs. It was a huge milestone for her. The team's professionalism really showed when I made a beginner's mistake. Forgetting the instructions to equalize slowly while descending, I let go of the line and sank too fast, which caused severe head pain. Marina and Greg acted immediately and guided me safely back to the surface with complete composure and care. To wrap up a perfect day, they even helped us fill out our official certification paperwork after we got back to shore. This was hands-down our family's best memory in Hawaii. Thank you so much, Marina and Greg, for making our first dive so safe, joyful, and unforgettable!

Let me first start by saying the review would be a five star review if it were not for Marina, one…read moreof the dive guides. Let me go through the positive aspects first, then, I will cover the areas for improvement. First, the dive service is great for beginners. I did one previous dive in Moorea and they didn't explain anything. This time, Reef Pirates did a good job of explaining the physics and the safety procedures of diving. Also, there were several practice drills in shallow water before diving deeper, and so I think they did a good job of following proper safety and dive procedures. The guides, Dray and Marina, had over 10 and 20 years of experience, respectively, and definitely knew their stuff. Dray, who was my dive guide, was excellent. In comparison to Marina, the two have polar opposite personalities. Dray is very outgoing and friendly. I felt really safe with him as my guide and he did a good job at showing us creatures underwater. I'd highly recommend Dray if you can get him. Marina, on the other hand, is very stern and serious. I had originally been scheduled to dive with her, but I failed a shallow water test and so she sent me to Dray's group (thank God because Dray was way better). My main issue with Marina came down to the photography / videography that I purchased for $95 beforehand, but moreover, her bad attitude. After the dive was over, Marina told me she needed time to color-correct the video footage before sending it to me. Okay, I thought. Sounds fine to me. But when I received the files, she added a slow-motion effect to all of the videos right in the middle. This effectively made the video footage unusable for my purposes, and since I did not request any special effects added to the videos at the time of purchase, I requested she send the unedited videos without the slow motion effects. Marina told me she immediately deleted the originals without obtaining a final acceptance from the client. This was her first mistake. Never delete your originals until the client accepts them. Then, my real gripe was with her attitude, and she went on to say that she was doing me a "favor out of the kindness of her heart" by giving me the files, and that she had washed her hands of the responsibility of videography, and attempted to transfer the responsibility to Dray, which was pretty poor character of her throwing her colleague under the bus like that. I told her that it was not a favor she was doing for me and that she owed me videography services, and I showed her my receipt for the $95 photography/videography. She basically told me to ask Dray for any questions about these services. I requested a refund, but she declined it. Rather than making a big deal about it, I chalked it up as a loss and moved on with my life. Still, I thought it was pretty low of Marina to try and blame Dray for her mistake. Besides, some of us have to work in jobs where we get held accountable for our mistakes, so I don't have a lot of sympathy for her. The other issue with the videos and photos, not as big a deal, was they were all in "portrait" orientation (as opposed to landscape orientation). For my purposes, this also made the videos and photos unusable, for me at least. Thankfully I brought my own GoPro and had some usable footage of the turtles. In the end, I'd recommend taking your own GoPro and filming yourself, saving the $95. The diving is great and we saw many turtles. In this regard, I'd give Reef Pirates a five star review but had to take off 2 stars because of Marina.

By far the coolest experience with island water sports!!! Think scuba diving without all the…read morecertifications--you don't even need to know how to swim!!! The crew also takes wonderful photos. You get 20 min on the submarine, which i thought was plenty. We spent the rest of the time snorkeling and it was a great time. Cruising in the ocean surrounded by tropical fish was already unreal, but we got really lucky and saw a bunch of sea turtles too. Such an unforgettable experience from start to finish. The crew was amazing--friendly, knowledgeable, and made us feel safe the entire time. If you're looking for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure in Hawaii, I can't recommend this enough.

This tour offers a variety of your once a lifetime underwater experience!!!…read more Activity tours for booking are: The Turtle Snorkeling and Cruising Maunalua Bay Submarine Scooter & Turtle Snorkeling Submarine Scooter & Seabob (Super Dolphin) Private Boat Charter on Maunalua Bay Private Sport Fishing Charter Seabob (Super Dolphin), Snorkeling and Cruising

I took my 11 year old son to get his OW and my 16 year old daughter to get her AOW. Kaleb is the…read moreowner and was so helpful with coordinating our dive dates as a family. I was able to join the dives as a certified diver. Ed was the kids instructor and we all enjoyed diving with him. He was very patient and clearly communicated the dive lesson skills and goals for each dive. Our boat diver was Captain Demitri (Capt. D) and he was another fantastic person that made my kids have an awesome dive experience. A+ for all of these guys at Hawaiian Diving Adventures for there excellent customer service! You dont need to go anywhere else for any of your diving needs.

Callum is an awesome coach and trainer first time with my husband and daughter scuba diving…read moreadventure!! Since it's been 12-15 years since my last dive, I truly appreciate Callum's simple/clear instruction. He gave us all confidence before even that first dive; a terrific experience, for sure. The whole team was careful and appropriate for planning the best time for a dive, given the recent storms. Captain D is super friendly and drives the boat to areas that we could see dolphins- no one was in a hurry that we had to be back to the port, knowing that we wanted to see dolphins and maybe a whale off in the distance. Shannon M from Ashland, OR

Driver accused us of parking in his "space" at the Koko Marina Shopping Center parking lot near…read moreWalgreens. No parking stalls are reserved in that area. He called my husband an asshole. That's not how you treat kupuna who are residents in the area you own a business. Spend your money elsewhere and find a business who treats everyone with aloha. I wish I could give them zero stars.

We love snorkeling and were planning a trip to Oahu this month. We knew snorkeling on the North…read moreShore was out due to the high surf, so that left Hanauma Bay as our best opportunity. We know the state now has a lottery that requires you to sign up 2 days in advance, and the tickets go quickly. We did not want to risk not getting to go, so we booked an excursion, as they are given spaces for their guests.I checked the reviews and choices and booked with Hanauma Bay Snorkel Adventures several weeks before our trip. We know that mornings are best for water clarity and calmer surf - and we've found the fish tend to be more abundant in the AM, so we booked the morning slot. We received emails and were told the van would pick us up at our Waikiki hotel at 5:40 a.m. We were waiting a few minutes, and then the van came to our hotel. We climbed in, and with 2 other couples and the driver, we were off in the dark. First stop was their dive shop - on the way, on the other side of Diamond Head. Snorkel gear was distributed (we brought our own), and then we climbed into the van and drove a short distance to the Hanauma Bay entrance. We gathered as a small group and went into the park together (you'll bring $25 cash each person for the Hanauma Bay ticket - not included in the excursion payment). There is a mandatory short movie (around 15 minutes) that is primarily a primer to keep the reef and marine life safe. We took the free tram down to the bay (you can also walk - a bit of a steep hill). They have bathrooms with changing stalls at the beach. We were on the beach as the sun's first rays shone across the bay - it was a beautiful morning. We got in 3 separate snorkel sessions going out into zone 2 (through the buoys and past the first reef) where it's deeper, and we saw greater numbers of fish. If this is your first time snorkeling or you are less experienced, I would caution you to check with the lifeguards on the beach before doing this.About 3 hours later, it was time to pack up, and we took the tram to the top, where we waited a few minutes with the group we traveled with in the morning. Our van showed up and drove us straight back to our hotel. We very much enjoyed the day, but honestly would have preferred to be on our own so we could choose when we wanted to leave. But for many who visit Oahu and stay in Waikiki, this is a good way to snorkel at Hanauma Bay. NOTE: I do see a number of reviews that speak of rude staff and substandard transportation. Fortunately for us, we did not experience any of that on our trip.

Amazing start to our vacation! Although our day was a little windy, they have us the best…read moreopportunity to get some nice sets in! Looking to do it again before we leave the island! Thanks so much for the time and teaching us the basics despite the conditions. Still had an amazing time!

We got a GROUPON Deal for this excursion - and it is TOTALLY AMAZING. The description cannot do it…read morejustice, you just have to go! The Guide/Teacher and leader of the Canoe trip built the canoe and the paddles you will use. Other's CLAIM to be an expert, this guy is - additionally, one of the best Hawaiian Cultural -Geographical-Geological History lessons I have ever heard ANYWHERE on the island. Fun, interactive, mild to medium exercise - sea turtles came out, group was fun - because the instructor is GIFTED in story telling. Any "Walking Kiosk" can rattle off stats, figures, dates and trivia. You want to be engaged to the point of you lose track of time? GO HERE NOW!

This tour was a good time! The crew was very helpful and the views were amazing! It's a shoeless…read morecruise but I was happy I chose to wear a bathing suit and sarong. I was able to sit in the spot where you could see well without worrying about the waves splashing on a dressy outfit.

We went on the Ke Kia snorkeling with the turtles. Capt. Justin and his team were great!!! Very…read morehelpful and on top of our safety, yet laid back and fun. They made sure we saw turtles and taught us some interesting things about the turtles and Hawaii. Highly recommended!!!! Such a fun way to spend our morning in paradise.

We just wanted to wakeboard, but the combo packages enticed us to also book banana boating and…read morebumper tubing, and it was damn fun. Banana boating is sort of what it sounds like - you sit on a separate inflatable banana boat attached to the real boat, and then the real boat zooms through the mini lake and you hang onto the boat (or other people because you're a clown). Bumper tubing -- fantastic!! Your same group of clowns hang onto a big inflatable coin. Sounds dumb, but it's fantastic, and we liked it the most of the 3. Something about hanging onto your friends for dear life at the cost of their grip strength until someone falls into the warm water is hilarious! Wakeboarding -- super exhausting, but still worth it. Our fingers and lungs were already tired from screaming our clown lungs off and hanging onto the bumper tube, but wakeboarding truly requires some stamina. The weaker folks may have a hard time standing, especially if they run out of stamina. Tough guys: you're gonna really feel the post workout burn, unless you're a pro AND you can ride switch. We chose this place that's further away from Honolulu where we were staying because of the price and reviews, and it was great! There's also a nice gyro place next door that had terrible service but great food.

Staff are extremely welcoming and friendly! Went out on the tube with Sam. Guy is a class act and…read morefunny as hell. Will come back again no question.

This is our second time using South Pacific Water Sports. When you get their ask for the Special!…read moreIt is also featured in their brochure where you get 3 activities for $99 + tax If you book online at https://www.southpacifichawaii.com it's only $89 + tax. This is a best deal in town. My son is 17 so we spent the entire day on the water. The skipper for bumper tubing was awesome and my son had an amazing time bumper boating and tubing. I was up next for Jet Skiing and I was able to hit maximum speed on the jet skis. I love to jet ski! I stay in Hawaii Kai when I visit Oahu so there are no issues with transportation getting to and from the Marina. If you are visiting, I recommended a car rental. There is plenty of free parking at the Marina. If you have to wait there are plenty of shops, Coconuts Shave Ice and Leonard's Malasadas at Koko marina. I highly recommend this place and plan on coming back again next year!

Jet ski rental is only 30 min in a closed course, "about the size of a football field" Its $59 per…read moreperson on a tandem and $84 per person if single person on a jet ski. If you do the 3 activities for $99 that includes a 30 min jet ski ride tandem.