Northwest Dive Club

Hi,
I just got back from Cozumel and stayed at Villa Aldora. I was amazed at how great they were, and I will do a write up about that trip.
One of the things I wished we had taken more advantage of is the free tanks they will let you use if just diving from the back deck of the Villa. You can get to about 30 feet just staying close by. This is an amazing opportunity for new divers such as myself and my son to work on breathing, buoyancy, fin control, etc... I wish we had taken advantage of it more than twice.

Now I'm looking for our next trip and would like to stay somewhere we can do skill work, rather than just jump in with a DM and have to be in a group. I'd like to be shallow enough that we can come to the surface, talk, and then go back down easily. Something like Mikes Beach in Hood Canal.

We are looking at Hawaii for our next trip. Does anyone know of a place in any of the islands that has something like this? A great location where we can just go out for 30 mins and work together on relaxing and bottom control. We want to get better, but once on a dive, it is hard.

Bonaire

Sorry looked back and saw your wanted to go to Hawaii. For ultimate shore diving Bonaire is great though My favorite island in Hawaii. The sites near puako are great. Entries can be a little tricky. But plenty to see close to shore. As bob says, Maui is good too. Kamaole and Makena are good spots.

I'm only familiar with Maui ... and haven't even been there since 2004 ... but there's a butt load of shore diving sites near places to stay. If I'm recalling correctly, the Black Rock dive site is just off the beach behind the Sheraton in Kaanapali. It's shallow, easy, and gorgeous. And there are several nice, easy shore dive sites in Kihei close by rental condos and hotels.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

On the Big Island you can rent tanks/weights and go shore diving. The site that I'd recommend for doing skills etc would be Two Step. It seems to be the local training spot and It's well protected from the waves. It's also a really good divesite with an abundance of coral,fish life and a resident pod of dolphins.

If you're looking for a dive resort type of vacation, a great place to go would be Coco View in Roatan. They have 24/7 diving on their house reef- which has 3 excellent dives. To do skills you could grab a few tanks from the locker and dive in the flat sandy area (5-15 ft deep) or sign up for one of their free buoyancy workshops.

Warning - Unsolicited Suggestion ahead!

Bonaire.

Best shore diving in the hemisphere and one of the best in the world.

Over 80 "named" dive sites. Many / most of them with no current and easy entry.

Tons of life and critters. Most of the time great viz.

Stay at a place on the shore with a house reef.

Unlimited air or nitrox.

Dive at your own pace, when and where you want.

If you want an instructor they have them.

You can get there for $600 to $1000 for airfare depending on your searching skills.

A place to stay, breathing gas, and a rental truck costs from $450 to $1200 depending on how many are in your group and where you stay.

Spend as much or as little as you like on food. Great Dutch grocery stores and a plethora of restaurants.

A small island - 12,000 people, third world feel but all the modern conveniences you want.

PM me if you have any questions.

There are a lot of places on Maui where, if the surf conditions are pleasant, you could easily work on skills. The bay at Makena Landing comes to mind, but you could do the same in the shallows at Ulua Beach. However, I don't know of anywhere that provides free air for doing so.