The O'ahu Snorkelers and Shore Divers Guide [Paperback]

Francisco B. de Carvalho (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Latitude 20 Book | Publication Date: January 1, 2003

Whether you're a long-time resident or a visitor, a certified diver or a beginning snorkeler, this guide to twenty-six of O'ahu's best snorkeling and diving sites will enrich and enhance your underwater adventures. Detailed driving instructions to each location are included as well as helpful maps showing onshore facilities and many offshore features you'll want to explore. You'll learn where it's safest to enter and exit the water, what to look for (coral, shells, fishes, underwater caverns), and what hazards to avoid. The author provides essential information on safety and seasonal wind and surf conditions and useful tips on diving and snorkeling equipment, night diving and spear fishing. Each site, chosen for its ease of access and the interest of its underwater topography, is rated according to degree of difficulty. The O'ahu Shore Divers and Snorkelers Guide will introduce you to some of the best diving and snorkeling on the island.

"Frank de Carvalho does an excellent job describing O'ahu's diving sites and how to access them. His guide is a valuable addition to the collective body of work on Hawai'i's shores and beaches." --- John R. K. Clark, author of Hawai'i Place Names: Shores, Beaches, and Surf Sites and Hawai'i's Best Beaches

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Francisco B. de Carvalho is an avid snorkeler, free diver, and scuba diver. Stationed in Hawai'i for many years with the U.S. Army, he logged hundreds of hours diving along the coastlines of many of the Hawaiian Islands. He returns regularly to the Islands to continue his underwater education.

Product Details

• Paperback: 172 pages
• Publisher: University of Hawaii Press (January 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824826469
• ISBN-13: 978-0824826468
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #123,467 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #35 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Scuba

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks, Francisco!!, January 12, 2004

By 

zenwabi (Napa, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The O'ahu Snorkelers and Shore Divers Guide (Paperback)

I used this book to plan a memorable snorkeling vacation with my family on Oahu in 2003. Carvalho has written a very useful, easy-to-use book, and I give it my highest recommendation. Based on my experience using the book, I would add these hints for the beach snorkeler: (1) buy a floating key ring and take your car key with you while snorkeling (I snapped the floating key ring into a pocket on my surf shirt), (2) use a locking duffle bag to hold any stuff you leave on the beach while you are in the water, (3) find a good hiding place for your wallet in your locked car, and (4) leave at least one credit card and some cash hidden in your hotel room in case your hiding place for the wallet was not as good as you thought! (:D)

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oahu diving made easy, September 16, 2004

By 

Mark Brosk "Broskie" (Newport, RI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The O'ahu Snorkelers and Shore Divers Guide (Paperback)

One thing I found using Carvalho's book is you can talk informatively to the dive shops when askling about dive sites and rental gear. One shop in particular along my travels wanted to sell me a boat dive out of Wainae Marina to Makaha Caverns. I read the section on diving Makaha and I wanted to try it following the book's instructions, but the shop owner said you couldn't do it from shore. Well, my friends and I did it from shore as the book illustrated and we had a blast. At age 47 I had plenty of bottom time and got a good work out to boot. The north and south reefs were very different, but each provided much to see. One piece of advise in the book on renting gear that was a big help; check all your stuff before leaving the shop. I found a faulty tank valve seal and that would have ruined the dive, especially after driving all the way out on the Leeward Coast.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A review, November 18, 2003

By 

Ricardo J. Monteiro (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The O'ahu Snorkelers and Shore Divers Guide (Paperback)

My family and I spent the last two weeks in Hawaii on the island of O`ahu diving mostly on the South Shore and along the Leeward Coast. We stayed pretty much on these shores because of the changing weather patterns, which were accurately explained and illustrated throughout the book. This time of year, big waves begin to hit along the North Shore and Windward Coast making diving somewhat difficult. I really bought this book hoping to find some basic information on where to dive and what to expect and to my surprise, I got a whole lot more. I read the first chapter (Safety and Precautions) on the plane and got a good feeling for what each shoreline would be like. I didn't really pay attention to the other chapters until arriving and was blown away by the detail and usefullness of the site descriptions and accompanying maps. Although there are driving directions in the book for each site, I found it helpful referring to a larger foldout tourist map in which to compare against the maps in the book. This really helped me select the sites we frequented and to get a good estimation on how far the sites were from our hotel. In hind sight this wasn't really necessary, but proved to be helpful nonetheless. We ended up diving at Kahe Beach Park, Electric Beach, Ko `Olina Resort and Makaha on the Windward Coast and Portlock Point and Magic island on the South Shore. Each site was explained in detail, making our experiences just wonderful. Unfortunately for us, the North Shore had some choppy water and four foot waves, so we didn't have a chance to do any diving up there, but according to the book there are some fantastic sites along this coast, so we're planning another trip this coming summer. I'd recommend this book to any diver interested in Hawaii.