(14-04-10) The Hawaiian Word used to say hello and welcome visitors can be translated as “beauty, peace, enjoyment…” and defines perfectly both the Hawaiian culture and the heavenly environment where they live.

    What do you think of, when you think of Hawaii, warm tropical sunshine, white sandy beaches, palm trees, crystal clear water, hula dancers, luaus, whatever your idea of paradise is, Hawaii has it all and more.

    The Hawaiian Islands were formed millions of years ago by the Hawaiian hot spot miles below the oceans surface. This hot spot began spewing magma through the earths crust and this eventually built up over time until it breached the oceans surface and formed what we now call Hawaii.

    Hawaii constitutes the most remote string of islands worldwide. It is located in the Pacific Ocean, 3,850 km (2,380 miles) far from California and 6,195 km (3,850 miles) far from Japan. Formerly known as Sandwich Islands, the Hawaiian archipelago covers a distance of 2,451 km (1,523 miles) from the large island of Hawaii in the southeast to the atoll Kure in the Northeast. This makes Hawaii be the longest chain of islands in the world.

    The Hawaiian island chain is made up of 132 islands, though we generally only think of the eight main islands, Ni'ihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Maui, Kahoolawe and Hawaii. Surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and located over 2.400 miles from the nearest continent has created a unique underwater environment, in fact over 25% of marine is endemic to Hawaii.

    The Hawaiian Islands were formed from volcanic activity, which means that they are peaks of huge mountains submerged in the ocean. So, they were born from enormous volcanic eruptions. These volcanoes are active nowadays and the creation of new lands can be seen in the huge Hawaii Island.

    Hawaii has year round warm waters and has been a popular scuba dive location for years offering some of the best dive sites in the world. The islands of Hawaii, each have their own personalities and characteristics and due to Hawaii's geographical isolation they each offer unique and exciting dive sites, and an abundance of endemic marine life.

    The four most visited islands are Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Hawaii, they each have their own unique characteristics and dive locations. Lanai, Molokai and Ni'ihau are dived less frequently and offer some unique dives and marine life, although generally recommended for intermediate to advanced divers. If you are interested in diving off Kahoolawe, you will need to charter a dive boat.

    Oahu offers an excellent blend of dive sites that range from offshore lava formations and grottoes to plane and shipwrecks, many with large schools of colourful fish and green sea turtles.

 

    Most of Maui's dive sites are located off the west coast and offers excellent diving for all levels of divers, including Molokini, Black Rock and Five Caves. Also, most of the diving on the Big Island is off the leeward coast, with some excellent locations stretched all along the coast. As the coast is sheltered from the trade winds by the large mountains conditions tend to glassy with visibility around 100ft plus.

    Kauai, the Garden Island, is known for its rugged and pristine diving. During the winter months large swells make the north shore generally inaccessible for diving, but during summer months and on calm days the north shore has some excellent locations.

    The dive sites in Lanai are best known for their lava formations which not only house a large variety of marine life, but make for some amazing light effects. The lava formations range from archways, ridges, tunnels, pinnacles.

    Along the entire South side of the island of Molokai lies the longest barrier reef in Hawaii. Seldom visited by divers, this natural sanctuary offers some of the best diving in the islands.