Slinkie_dawg

We have done tons of snorkelling in the Carribean and are making our first Hawaii trip in two months. Is there really a significant difference?

We are going to be at Honolulu, Maui, Kauai, and Big Island. What would be your rankings for snorkelling/SNUBA preferences?

Thanks in advance.

rungirl2002

I SNUBA'd a while back while on the Big Island and thought it was very fun and very different from snorkeling. We went out from Kona but I forget the name of the boat tour co.

I'd try it if I were you! Have fun!

alliegator

Yes I would try it. We did it both in Maui and Kauai and loved it. Just a different expereince as you can get to reefs that are a little deeper and see more fish, coral and other sea creatures that you can't see from the surface. The hubby and I really enjoy it much more then Snorkeling, since neither of us are certified divers.

It is really easy and the operators we chose in Hawaii always had an instructor nearby, so we didn't feel in any danger.

cm318

I reluctantly tried snuba some years back in Belize -- I loved it so much that I decided to get my scuba divers certification when I returned from vacation. It sounds dramactic -- but for me it was a life changing experience. I spent the next ten years traveling to some pretty exotic destinations for great scuba diving adventures.

It is great to try something new. Enjoy!

Toucan2

I guess I could look it up, but what is SNUBA? I haven't heard of that (obviously we don't do island trips often)

LordBalfor

Yeah, SNUBA is very different (and much better) than snorkeling.

Ken

PS to Toucan2 -

SNUBA is like SCUBA except that you do not have the tank on your back, instead it float of a raft and you have 25 feet or so of house connecting you to it. Thus you are limited in the depth you can dive, but there is no bulky tank to carry around.

Toucan2

Hmm. That sounds a good option. Wonder if they do this on the Great Barrier Reef. I would think so. We are going to Australia in November, so may have to look into this. Thanks Lord Balfour for explaining it to me.

escargot

We loved Snuba ! We did it at St. Thomas -
we also love snorkeling and scuba (both of which we have done in the US and the islands (St. John, Virgin Gorda, Hawaii, etc) as well as having snorkeled and scuba in the Great Barrier Reef -

they are all different experiences, but if you have the chance to Snuba, try it -

in St. thomas you are connected to a tank for air that is above and floats - you do not swim but walk around on the ocean floor - certain places are marked by ropes to stay within- a guide went with us and would point things out , pick things up for us to see closer or hold, you just had to remember if you were going to bend over, to bend straight down (like a deep knee bend) rather than bending over, b/c the helmet w/ the air hose on your head needs to stay clear.

What we did not see was a lot of fish or schools of fish like we have snorkeling - instead we were seeing more of the ocean floor, corals, smaller creatures vs. fish going by - but it was fabulous and very peaceful feeling.

escargot

I would add the biggest difference to me between Snuba and snorkel is I have far more freedom when snorkeling to go where I want, explore, in and out of areas, etc where as the Snuba we did was clearly marked as to where you could walk and a path had been cleared - but I don't know if all Snuba areas are like this, but the one in St. Thomas was.

Also, in that instance, you rec'd the helmet, went down the ladder to the ocean bottom, and were limited in the time you had and had paid for -

when we snorkel, it is free and we can snorkel for as long as we like -

so I would say try it, but I'd also snorkel

Pomme949

escargot-

I was at the Reef a few months back and used Calypso for snorkeling. Cannot say enough good things about the staff - very professional, knowledgable and fun.

They also run an intro scuba thing for those who want to try it, but don't have certification.

Here's the website http://www.calypsocharters.com.au/dive.aspx

Just another tip for anyone thinking of going to the Reef near Cairns - there's at least one tour company that can take up to 300 people out at a time.... too crowded to see fish. Calypso and a few others are slightly more expensive, but it is well worth it.

Toucan2

Slinkie, don't mean to hijack your thread, but ...

Thanks for the Port Douglas tip Pomme. I went out from Cairns last time I was there, on a small boat and it was wondeful. One of our stays this time will be in Daintree, much more convenient to Port Douglas, so I'll save your info to my Australia file!

escargot

Pomme: That is who we used for scuba when we were there - Calypso ! Agree, an excellent time was had by all -

alliegator

We did the Introductory dive at the GBR with Poseidon. It was awesome...even more so then with SNUBA. Great for the person who doesn't want to get full on dive certified.

Slinkie_Dawg...Not sure if they have the introductory dives in Hawaii, if so, i would choose that instead of SNUBA.

What the Intro Dive was, we had a Dive Instructor go down with 2-3 people. They gave us instructions as we went out to the reef. When we got to the reef, we put the full on SCUBA gear and went down but the Dive Instructor kept checking all our gauges etc to make sure we were ok. We just got to dive around, uninihibited by the breathing line. If we didn't want to Dive, you could just snorkel.

In any case, we felt safe doing both SNUBA and Intro Dives. I would still try SNUBA if you have never done it before because it is still a different expereince then snorekeling.

chepar

At least in Honolulu, you can find operators that do introductory scuba dives and SNUBA. If you choose to do an introductory dive, I would definitely check out the operator and ask questions about their procedures. I've seen some pretty sketchy introductory dives taking place that are frankly, rather dangerous.

With SNUBA you are limited to a depth of between 20-25 feet because of the hose length. Other than a weight belt, you are not encumbered by any dive gear (other than mask and the regulator, which is connected to the tank floating above). Depending on how many regulators they have hooked up to a tank, you may have minor entanglement issues unless you keep watch.

I would definitely try SNUBA if you want a different experience than snorkelling - doing SNUBA in the Caribbean is what finally pushed me into getting scuba certified.

BTW, you won't find as much color on the reefs in Hawaii as in the Caribbean. Hawaii reefs do not have the soft corals w/lots of color. The variety and colors of the fish are very nice, though.

LordBalfor

Escargot -

We did the Helmet dive (such as you describe) on Bora Bora and it was distinctly different from the SNUBA we did on Kauai. On the Helmet Dive, we did indeed wear a helmet and walked on the bottom (like in "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea"). SNUBA on Kauai involved wearing a mask and a regulator but no tank and you swam through the water. For SNUBA on KAUAI we started from shore. For the Bora Bora Helmet Dive (referred to as an "Aqua Safari") we climbed down the ladder from a boat (10-15 feet of water).

Pictures of Bora Bora Helmet Dive:

http://travel.webshots.com/album/130...UJuSy?start=36

Ken

escargot

Ken thanks for sharing those photos - just wonderful and yes, I am laughing b/c it is perfect to describe it as 20,000 leagues under the sea !!

I enjoyed the experience - as everyone has said, different feeling than snorkeling, different than scuba, but all there are amazing experiences -
I liked the surreal sensation of walking on the ocean bottom - I also enjoyed not having to even think about anything like breathing, my face mask, my tank, - it was just nice for a change to just walk and , well, breathe as if I were on land

Now you are making me long for an island vacation and some diving, swimming, snorkeling, snuba-ing!

excited_confused

Can anyone recommend any Snuba operators in Kauai? Anyone want to share their experience?

sarge56

Stupid question alert... I wear eyeglasses and cannot see 2 feet in front of me without them. Does SNUBA allow for eyeglasses? Do "Helmet" diving places? If only the latter, has anyone found one on the BI? thx

alya

I would just suggest that if this a mixed tour with some people 'snuba'ing and also snorkelers then you need to be aware of your fellow tourists.

We did a snorkel tour in Aruba that was a mixed tour and found the 'snuba' ists were getting wrapped around our flippers and legs.

We were just hanging there enjoying the fish while they walked underneath us - one chap glared at us when the tube pulled him back, I meanwhile, was trying not to be pulled under the water.

I'd do a snuba only tour if I was you.

rm_mn

Sarge56,
Go to a good dive shop. Take your eyeglasses prescription with you. Buy a decent mask and have them put prescription lenses in them. Each time you go snorkeling or snuba diving, bring your own personal mask.