Skydiving
 

I found out that there is no skydiving in Maui, but it seems that there are 3 or 4 places to do this in Oahu. (we will be there for 1 1/2 days. Has anyone had any experience with any of the skydiving companies in Honolulu and which one did you pick? My 22 year old has his heart set on this for our upcoming trip and I am very apprehensive. (then he sees an 80 year old George Bush do it!) Yikes.

I did my first dive at his age. But as with all else in Hawaii, I'm sure the prices are greatly inflated, and he'll be too excited and will have to be paying attention to his dive details to get anything out of his first dive that he wouldn't at home. Why not consider giving him a certificate from a local dive school in your own home area and use more of your time on the islands for "touristy" things? (My days of skydiving were short - too expensive - but it *really* is pretty safe -- why don't you get a certificate for yourself too?)

Thanks for your response, but his 'take' on it is that he would rather skydive over Hawaii than the cornfields of central Illinois! Prices in HI vary from $150-$200. As for me, I think I will pass; however, my husband wants to do it too(mid 50's) I have always wanted to surf, so I am taking a surf lesson! And plan on lots of snorkeling!

Well - at that age they're really trying to be independent. Is he really interested in skydiving in general? Or just something "cool" to do in HI? I'm sure if it's skydiving itself, he'll find that most people will not consider WHERE you took the first jump all that important. How much time does it take? It seems (so long ago!) like we had class an entire morning before you could finally go out for a jump ... seems like a waste of time for the small amount of time you're going to be there ... and I'm sure you will want to hang around to watch too. Good luck on this for all of you ... but tell the "lad" that those cornfields will seem every bit as exciting as anywhere else he takes his first jump.

You do get a significant amount of time to look around both during freefall and while parachuting down, so I think Hawaii would be a great place for it!

I didn't skydive in Hawaii, so I can't help you with companies. The one time I did it I felt kinda motion sick for about an hour a little bit after I was down. But some people LOVE it! I actually enjoyed bungee-jumping better.

I have not been skydiving, myself, in Hawaii, but had a roommate who did. (I was living on Oahu at the time.) He took lessons, and did it a number of times...until the day when he was almost blown out to sea. And then he never did it again. Too frightening, I guess.