Ever want to know what it's like to do a deep scuba dive, but didn't have the time/money/cojones to take lessons? Then you're going to love Atlantis Submarine Tours! It isn't cheap - but it's much, much cheaper than scuba lessons, gear, tanks, and so on. You don't even have to get wet!
Here's how it works. Atlantis also operates in Kona and on Maui, but in Oahu, you walk out onto a long pier at the Hilton Hawaiian Village beach to a dock, where you are taken by boat to a waiting submarine. These $3.5 million dollar beauties are custom-designed for underwater sightseeing. Everyone gets a window seat. You'll dive to between 100-115 feet and visit two sunken boats, several new but blossoming artificial reefs, a sunken plane, and whatever else the captain finds of interest under the ocean that day. We were delighted with the variety and quantity of sea life that we saw. Not just swarms of colorful fish, but the exotic stuff: manta rays, southern rays, barracudas, sea turtles, and several sharks. The underwater world is a murky blue which doesn't come out particularly well in photographs (as you can see below!) but it was still a fascinating experience - not to mention delightfully dry!
When I dive, I take my own safety into my hands, so I was naturally a little concerned about turning over that responsibility to the folks at Atlantis. Don't get me wrong though - I was impressed with the professionalism of the staff and the excellent condition of the sub, which is in and of itself a pretty cool adventure, even without the underwater dive. There are two submarines, so chances are you'll get to watch one submerge while you are on the boat waiting to get on or go back.
Important Stuff to Know! Tours run about an hour but allow another 30-45 minutes for the boat trip to and from the sub. Like helicopter tours, the Atlantis folks have an irritating habit of doubling up tour groups on transportation to and from the event, so you end up waiting around a lot on the boat. Also, if you are an early riser, be forewarned. Apparently Americans on vacation in Hawaii are not known for getting an early start on their day, so the first two or three tours daily are in Japanese only. We were provided with English-language headsets while we were actually underwater, but a lot more talking went on that we missed altogether. In fact, we almost missed an announcement on the boat back, that for $25 per person, you can buy an annual pass which gives you unlimited rides in any of their Hawaii and other vacation destinations (Aruba, Barbados, all over the Caribbean and Guam). If you enjoyed the ride, and are planning to visit Kona or Maui, it might be a worthwhile investment.