Diving Hawaii
Scuba diving in Hawaii’s choicest locations is an unrivaled experience. Each of Hawaii’s eight main islands has outstanding dive spots with an array of unique marine animals, colorful corals, and bizarre lava formations. Most diving occurs on the calmer, leeward coasts of all the islands. Five types of underwater habitats — coral reefs, lava tubes, caves, and caverns, sandy bottoms, drop-offs, and basalt boulders — create Hawaii’s underwater terrain. Boat diving is one of the easiest ways to experience Hawaii’s underwater wilderness. Diving from the shoreline is dictated by ocean conditions and is not recommended in high surf.
Best time to dive
June through September
Visibility
Visibility averages 50 to 100+ feet.
Water temperatures
Water temperatures range from 73 °F in January and February to 80 °F in August and September.
Weather and climate
Hawaii’s climate is warm throughout the year with temperatures ranging between 68 to 85 °F. The rainy season is between December and March; rain can be heavy in the mountains but elsewhere it is confined to short showers.
Language
English
Passport/Visa requirements
Canadians do not require a visa, only a valid passport or a birth certificate or citizenship certificate if arriving directly from Canada. Valid passports are required for all other nationalities. Visas are required for many nationalities. You should check current requirements before traveling as requirements can change very quickly. Visitors must have return or onward tickets and the necessary documents for further travel.
Currency
U.S. Dollar – Get exchange rates at http://www.xe.com/ucc/
Electrical current
110 volts AC, 50 cycles. Plugs are mainly the two, flat-pin type, though three-pin plugs are also widely used. European appliances without dual-voltage capabilities will require an adapter, which can be purchased in most major departure airports.
Capital
Honolulu
General information
Hawaii is known as the Aloha State. Hawaii lies 1,470 mile north of the equator and 2,500 miles southwest of the nearest continental land mass, North America. The six main islands are part of a 128-island archipelago stretching 1,523 miles from Kure Atoll in the northwest to the Big Island in the southwest. The main islands include Oahu, and the neighbor islands of Maui, Kauai, the Big Island (Hawaii), Molokai, and Lanai. The islands are the tips of massive mountains, created by a crack in the earth’s mantle, which has been spewing molten rock for 25 million years.
Map
Get a map of the Hawaiian Islands from WorldAtlas.com.