Snorkel & Dive Hawaii — Local services in Honolulu

My 5-year-old daughter and I went on several snorkeling adventures with Snorkel & Dive Hawaii. From first booking our trip with Emile to the actual snorkeling trip, everything went seamlessly and the entire experience was an absolute delight!

Once Emilie found out my daughter was 5, she was quick to inquire of her swim level, comfort level swimming in the open ocean etc. To maximize my daughters' snorkeling experience, Emilie encouraged me to have my daughter practice swimming with a snorkel several times before our trip. This was excellent advice! Emilie was incredibly patient, thoroughly providing all instructions related to safety at the appropriate level so that my daughter understood them. When my daughter decided to just snorkel with a mask and no snorkel (you know how 5-yr-olds are . . . ) Emilie calmly explained the disadvantages of this type of snorkeling, and then Emilie switched gears and was certain to provide my daughter all the support she extra support she needed. So if you have children, Snorkel & Dive Hawaii is the perfect company for you!

And even if your group only has adults, Emilie is still the perfect guide for all snorkel and scuba trips. Seriously. She has lived on Oahu for years and knows all the best spots on the island to dive and snorkel. I told Emilie that we really wanted to see dolphins, so she took us to a spot where we ended up swimming with spinner dolphins for several hours. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience! After that experience, Emilie was kind enough to let us squeeze in a 2nd snorkeling trip with her. The second time we went snorkeling with Emilie, she took us to a different location where we were able to swim with a mama monk seal and her pup. Both the mama and pup eventually swam to the shore and sun bathed all afternoon, which provided both me and my daughter with endless hours of entertainment. Of course, Emilie both made it clear that our safety was her number one priority and made sure that we complied with Hawaii's laws requiring us to stay how many ever feet away from the dolphins and monk seals at all times.

Emilie was careful to make it super clear that she could not guarantee that we would be able to spot the specific types of sea life we were hoping to see. However, based on our experience snorkeling, I'd call Emilie a "sea life whisperer"! In sum, our experience with Snorkel & Dive Hawaii made snorkeling the highlight of our trip to Oahu. I plan on booking tours with her in the future. So don't procrastinate making a reservation. I hear she gets booked up pretty quickly. And, if you don't book with her, you will be missing out. ...

My husband and I had an amazing experience with Emilie! I was extremely nervous as I had a previous experience years ago that did not go well. After doing a great deal of research, I came across reviews for Emilie, Snorkel & Dive Hawaii in a Facebook group. I reached out to Emilie and she called me back quickly, while she was on vacation! We spoke at great length about my previous experience years ago, my fears and concerns. Emilie was absolutely fantastic. She talked through every concern I had and I made the decision to just do it! During the time leading up to our trip, communication with Emilie was great. She was extremely responsive and always answered every question I had, and there were many. I knew I was in great hands.

Finally the day arrived and it was time for our dive. Emilie communicated all pertinent location information the day before, what to bring, etc.. I was extremely nervous and Emilie definitely picked up on that. She asked me what my fears were and we talked through them, making me feel at ease. She walked us through every single step, making sure we understood all the skills and signals. Emilie worked with me to be "in the moment" to take things one step at a time to help with calming my nerves. We started to slowly enter the water and went through all the skills again in waist deep water. I never felt rushed in any way.

The last time I tried Scuba diving, my lesson was in a swimming pool with a group of people, and I never was able to even make it into the ocean due to my fear. Not this time! Before I knew it, I was in the water and we were diving! Once we were submerged in the water, Emilie continuosly checked our equipment and our status, making sure we were ok. It was the most amazing experience. Emilie took care of everything to make sure we both felt at ease. To say that she is patient is an understatement! We both felt extremely comfortable with Emilie and her professionalism and care for our well being. This was truly a life changing experience! The feeling of being able to go through this experience, with my husband and Emilie by my side working with me to conquer my fear is indescribable. We can't thank you enough for this amazing experience. We will...

Short version: This was the highlight of my entire vacation. Book it, you won't regret it!

Emilie went above and beyond to make my excursion extremely personal. First, she worked around my tight schedule to find a good time to dive that would have favorable ocean conditions. Second, she rented a pair of prescription goggles for me to use, so I could actually see everything underwater. Neither of these would have happened with one of the generic dive boat trips.

When at the beach, we went over all the equipment and dos & donts at a comfortable pace. Nothing felt rushed, and I could ask all the questions I wanted. Once ready, we walked into the water from the beach and practiced everything in shallow water. Again, these parts felt unique and something a different company wouldn't offer.

Once underwater, Emilie did a great job finding a variety of sea life and making sure I saw as much as I could. I opted to get photos, and they turned out great! This was the best part of my trip to Hawaii and having the pictures and videos afterwards is invaluable.

Overall, not only was everything very professional, but extremely friendly and personable. The whole experience felt like diving with a buddy and not someone I just met. If I had longer to stay, I definitely would have pursued the certification...