We are a veteran family of six here on vacation for the first time. When working through the Marine Corps Base travel agency, Aaron's dive shop came to the very top. Now we can see why. The whole team was incredible. We had all levels of divers from Discovery scuba, working on open water certification, and myself, an already certified diver who last dive was some mumbley years ago. Our instructors and divemasters were fantastic. Francesca and Brian are an incredible team. They made everybody feel comfortable with every level of diving that they were at. Both were incredibly knowledgeable, easygoing, and were even able to put up with our family dynamics, as they are. We were all laughing for a good part of the day. That I find incredibly important--giggling and trading stories, being comfortable with the people you're diving with. Once the dive started, they both were 100% professional, easygoing, and incredibly knowledgeable, helping all of us make memories that will last a lifetime. Even our boat skipper was fantastic. Quick ride out. Incredibly knowledgeable, not only about the diving, but told us about local places we could go, things that we need to make sure that we see. Was incredibly helpful getting in and out of the water. Skipper gets five stars as well. Folks, I can't recommend this place enough. If you're going to go scuba diving, snorkeling--beginner or advanced--this is the place to go. Geo aka James Bond. read more

Absolutely loved our experience! My family and I went diving with Brian and Francesca, and they were amazing. I was nervous and inexperienced, but they were so patient and made me feel comfortable the entire time. Brian was especially helpful with my safety skills and guiding me through the dive. Garrett, our boat captain, was also super friendly and personable. Everyone was wonderful and made the experience unforgettable. Highly recommend! read more

Jaylyn was AMAZING! Captain Garrett had a phenomenal personality Larry made the whole dive painful. He was oppressive and domineering, condescending and rude. HE MADE A FEMALE STAFF MEMBER CRY ON THE RIDE BACK. We tried offering to help him with a few things and he was very curt and terse and said he wanted no help. Then immediately would snap at other team members to come over and help him. He could NOT get into or out of his own Dive gear without help. He didn't ask for help. He just sort of demanded it from everyone around him. He had no manners whatsoever. Didn't understand the words, please or thank you. Barked orders as if he were a tyrant. He was uncomfortable to be around. He stared at women's breasts, but tried to make it look like he wasn't. The boat was awesome, in the water was pretty great. But because of Larry, I highly recommend you do not check out this shop. Or specifically ask for a trip that does not include Larry at all. DEFINITELY ASK FOR JAYLYN THOUGH read more

Excellent staff - a dive trip is always a great experience. Even if the weather is less than stellar, the people running the dive and dive boat typically are stellar! read more

As always, fantastic service and two beautiful dives. Great day underwater thanks to dive master Brian and Captain Jack! read more

Aaron's Dive Shop - Dive Shops Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

Had the best time diving with Aaron's Dive Shop! I had the worst sea sickness on my first two dives of the day(water was a bit rough,but you can never tell until you get out there!) and they made sure I made it through the boat ride and took care of me anytime I was above water! The boat captain had every cure ready for me the moment it was appropriate to provide it. The dives were amazing, we did New Barge to start, followed by Pocket Corner. Saw gorgeous nudibranches and a frog fish among all other sorts of life! read more

We went out on a double shallow charter and had so much fun! The captain and crew were all super friendly and knowledgeable. They ensured everyone's safety and made sure we all had a great time. Thanks for an awesome day out on the water. read more

Aaron's Dive Shop - Dive Shops Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

Fabulous customer service! Our skipper, Garrett and all the dive masters were absolutely great! Kai, Brian, Chandler and Francesca to name a few- I forgot to write down the rest of the names, sorry. We did four days of two tank dives, the boat crew went out of their way to be helpful! A fabulous trip! I will definitely dive with them again! read more

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Great day! Great crew! Great fun!! Come for a day and you ll enjoy yourself. Our family went and had an amazing time read more

Aaron's Dive Shop - Dive Shops Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

I went to Aaron's for my open water dive certification. I had Parker as my instructor for my confined water dive and both my ocean dives and he was the best instructor I could have ever hoped for. He was knowledgeable, experienced, and above all, an excellent teacher. I would pay money just to hang out with him. Thanks for the cert, Aaron's! read more

I can't say enough good things about Aaron's Dive Shop and instructors. I reached out from the mainland while planning a trip to escape the cold in Washington and hoped to complete three certifications while I was there. Francesca helped me put together a great plan ahead of time, working with me over email and phone to map everything out. Once I arrived, we hit the ground running. Ken, Francesca, Brian, and Stefan were all fantastic--making sure I was not only completing the skills but really felt confident and comfortable with them. They were patient, encouraging, and clearly cared about helping me become a better diver. After finishing those three certifications, Stefan and Ken pointed out that I was actually close to qualifying for two more--Rescue and Master Scuba Diver. With their encouragement and guidance, I decided to extend my trip a few days, finished the coursework, and ended up completing those as well. I came out hoping for three certifications and went home with five. I also have to give a huge shoutout to Capt. Garrett. Across more than 20 dives, he provided a true concierge-style experience on the boat and made sure everything ran smoothly for everyone. Long story short, this team went above and beyond for me. I'll absolutely be coming back to do my Divemaster training with them--and next time I plan to bring my adult kids so they can complete their Open Water certifications here too. read more

There are a lot of different dive shops to choose from, but what really sets this company apart is that they go the extra mile to be sure you feel safe in a potentially dangerous sport. The instructors are great: I especially like working with Larry, Brian and Francesca. All excellent and seasoned professionals. You're in great hands with Aarons!!! They are extremely professional, have top-notch integrity and really care about their clientele. Highly recommend!!! read more

Brian and Captain Maddie were amazing! Such a great scuba experience for both beginners and experienced divers. I highly recommend them and will be back in the future! read more

What an extraordinary dive adventure! Captain Steve guided us to the Sea Caves, where our expert dive master, Christian, patiently explaining the dive plan in full detail. He also helped set up my gear! Aarons Dive Shop offers top notch rental equipment (wetsuit, mask, snorkel, fins, bcd, regulator, full tanks) I didn't have to worry about a single thing. Christian skillfully led us beneath the surface, into the cave, where we encountered white tip reef sharks and an abundance of tropical fish! For our second dive, we embarked to a shallower reef where we marveled at the array of marine life. We found a cleverly disguised octopus, nudibranchs, eels, a frogfish, and even another shark peacefully resting under a reefshelf. This experience was nothing short of magical, and I'm already eagerly searching for availability to join Aaron's Dive Shop again! read more

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What an unforgettable experience with Aaron's Dive Shop! I had an absolute blast diving with Francesca and Shannon--these ladies are not only super knowledgeable but also so kind, fun, and welcoming. It was amazing (and inspiring!) to see badass female divers leading the way! Captain Garrett was awesome and took us out to the Corsair Plane Wreck and Koko Craters--both were stunning dive spots. The whole crew made us feel like ohana from the moment we arrived. If you're thinking about booking a dive, stop thinking and just do it! Aaron's Dive Shop is the real deal. Can't wait to dive with them again! read more

Aaron's Dive Shop - Dive Shops Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

Josh did an awesome job on our first open water dive. We saw tons of fish, an eel and turtles. He even pulled double duty as our photographer. Would highly recommend. read more

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Best Dive Boat Expérience Aaron's dive shop provides local Hawaiian care and friendliness with the best dive boat crew in the industry. As a Padi Instructor and a current coast guard licensed dive boat captain, I could not have assembled a better, courteous, caring, attention to detail, fun, compétant and safety first crew. I brought 4 First time scuba divers to try Discover Scuba on their Dive Boat. They were my Son, my Grandchildren of 10 and 12 years, and my sons friend. How well did they do? They said it was the best part of the entire trip and all were wanting to do it again the next day. If you didn't have a great experience on your last dive boat, just tell them to go take a dive with Aaron's Dive Shop to see how an exceptional dive boat experience is supposed to be like. read more

Outstanding Niʻihau Dive Trip!! Aaron's Dive Shop did an incredible job setting up our dive trip to Kauaʻi to explore Niʻihau. Everything was well planned from start to finish. We stayed at a great location on the island that had all the accommodations we needed--comfortable, convenient, and perfect for divers. Aaron's coordinated seamlessly with a local dive shop on Kauaʻi, who handled our Niʻihau day trip with total professionalism. The crew provided clear dive briefings, and created a smooth, enjoyable experience out on the water. We got in three unforgettable dives on Saturday, taking in the stunning underwater landscape and marine life around Niʻihau. The next day, we flew home feeling completely satisfied and already looking forward to the next adventure. Huge thanks to Aaron's Dive Shop for pulling it all together--top-notch service and a truly memorable trip! read more

We just went thru the PADI cert while in Oahu with Aaron's. Great experience throughout! The instructors (Kai, Francesca, Larry and Chandler) were all very good and patient! The Open water dives with them with Captn. Garrett were great! We'll be back for sure! read more

I've been diving with Aaron's for a few months now. Staff (shop, DMs, boat) are all great. Rental gear is fine. Bailey was very knowledgable and helped me narrow down and purchase my own gear. They've been flexible with moving dives around due to extenuating circumstances. Their dive sites are mostly around the Hawaii Kai area and the water tends to be more choppy than Ala Moana/Waikiki - but conditions are usually fine once you descend. They also organize beach cleanups and have a few other speciality dives (abyss) / club dives that are not part of their usual dive sites. DMs are also very knowledgable on the local sea life and always happy to help identify species (shout out to Jan/Kevin). The dive club is a no-brainer if you plan to dive with them a few times a year - you can recoup the cost alone with the free birthday dive, and also get a discount on all other dives - should break even after ~4-5 dives. With my own gear it works out about $105 / dive - great value. The only down side is the snacks :) Everyones gross hands gets on the trail-mix. There's gotta be a better way! Peanut Butter Pretzels ftw. read more

Aaron's Dive Shop - Dive Shops Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

DIVERS BE AWARE !!!!! DEADLY AND NEGLECTFUL!!!! I don't know where to begin, my experience at this dive shop is nothing short of almost d**ing! I go there to complete my Advanced open water courses, at the shop and over the phone I told them I have not dove for over 2 years and need a refresher where they said both times, "we will do shallow diving first and assess your skills". That sounds normal and fine so I pay for the course and get ready for the dive the next morning. I got picked up by an extremely young instructor who claimed has been doing it professionally for 16 years, and I doubt his old enough for that statement to be true, we reach the location to be picked up by the boat. There are two recreational divers with 26+ years of experience on my course somehow. Some random lady who don't even work at the dive shop gets on the boat tips the captain and talks to this kid like she is the dive master. Long story short they decide to do a 70 feet drift dive where I told them I am not comfortable doing. The answer from him was " Oh you'll be fine" ?? Really Ill be fine? You sure about that?! After disregard all of that, we get into water the instructor don't even bother to check my equipment even after I asked him to He just asked me where I put my SPG and that's it. Again, neglectful and dangerous. We get into water I try to descent and can't equalize my ear the first try. Remind you, this is extremely choppy and it's my first time in the water after two years. Then less than a minute goes by, he takes off on me points to the boat to pick me up because " he needs to go with them" WTF I thought this is my course that I paid to get proper training! Anyhow, I get on the boat five divers happen to get lost and washed into the ocean. The boat captain was so mentally checked out. He didn't know what to do and didn't bother to call the Coast Guard hours after they should have been already on the boat. He tells me he called his boss, and there is another boat that's going to help looking for them. He disregard me pointing out that I hear them whistling while they were being washed out into the ocean multiple times. (Very far, all 5 divers) This could be a fatal mistake, where the dive shop staff called me and said it only happens once which is not true reading the reviews seems like this type of practice have happened in the past. I guess you only die once. After 2 to 3 hours of searching for the divers in the ocean and Coast Guard helicopters searching for them, the helicopter finally locate them and I had to help the boat captain do his job and tell him the hovering helicopter is above the divers and he needs to go there now. ( he was so out of place. He just kept saying this is so F***ed) If I was not on that boat, the boat captain could have made up some stories of how they dropped us back off at shore, and nobody probably would've heard from me or anybody else. This is a fatal mistake and very neglectful. I asked for my refund and again they nickel and dime me for the course telling me they can't refund me for the e-learning . Which at this point as a business owner, not only I would refund everything. I would try to make it right to whoever that almost got killed by lack of safety measures. I still never got a call from the owner and it seems like they are trying to brush it off by saying here is your partial refund. Have a nice dive, even though they ruined my entire vacation. It's probably take me a long time to trust, dive shops, or enjoy diving again. The dive shop owner truly cared he or she could contact me since they have my information. read more

I did my open water certification with Aaron's Dive shop. The connection between the PADI online learning and their team was seamless. The pool and ocean skills sessions were great. The instructors were all very knowledgable and clearly enjoyed diving and enjoyed bringing new people into diving. Francesca and Chandler were on both boat sessions. They made the ocean part of the course very clear and comfortable. Captain Garret was super helpful and definitely made the trip even better. I look forward to going out with Aaron's and with Garret, Francesco, and Chandler again as a PADI certified diver. read more

We have dove with Aaron's over the years and have always had a great time! This week we are doing additional certifications and have done 4 of our 6 dives. All of the staff has been fantastic! read more

This shop was recommended to us by the MCCB and it was well worth the price! Lots of places to choose from but this one didn't disappoint. We did the discovery dive and, having never dove before, I was very impressed with the instructors and their ability to teach in a very clear, calm, and concise manner. We saw everything we wanted to see and I never once felt at risk in any way. Highly recommend. read more

Stefan and Brian were great dive masters! They really went out of their way to make sure we were safe, comfortable and saw the most possible during our dive. Highly recommend! read more

I booked a last-minute night dive with Aaron's, and they delivered! I called just two days before I arrived, and they set up a great night dive with Justin at Electric Beach on 3/21. The conditions were excellent, and Justin was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. I would recommend diving with Aaron's! read more

Great experience! Nice boat and Brian was a knowledgeable teacher and very patient. The girls we took weren't able to go down, I definitely recommend starting in the pool if you have never been. read more

I did my fourth Discover scuba dive with Aaron's Dive Shop. The experience was great. Rachel, my instructor, was knowledgeable, calm and encouraging. I highly recommend using this company! read more

Updated review: The owner has responded to this review and had the nerve to call my mother "rude" for her calling on my behalf nearly two months after I paid for these "custom fins" that I never received because they could never even make them in the first place. He is extremely rude and I will be certain to NEVER give this place any business again, and I will make it a point within the diving community to share my experience with just how disrespectful, arrogant, and overall HORRIBLE their customer service is. The audacity to call a customer rude for checking on an order I should've received-- do not come here unless you want to be treated as less than HUMAN. If I could give this place zero stars, I would. My aunt gave me a $100 gift certificate for Christmas to use here since I'm a freediver, so I went in hoping to buy a pair of fins. One of the employees told me I could order any pair of fins from the Leaderfins website through them, and they would arrive in about 6 to 8 weeks. That was in January. Fast forward 6 to 8 weeks later, I call to check on my order, and they give me the runaround. They repeatedly told me the fins weren't ready yet but assured me the order had been placed. Mind you, I was already paying more to order through them than if I had just bought the fins directly from Leaderfins myself. I kept following up, only to be told the same excuses over and over. Then, in MARCH--nearly three months later--they finally called me and admitted that the order was never placed in the first place. Apparently, the employee had no business telling me I could order custom fins through them because they don't even offer that service! So not only did they lie to me and waste my time for three months, but they only admitted their mistake after I had to keep chasing them down. They refunded what I paid, but they refused to refund the $100 gift certificate my aunt gave me--even though I will never shop here again after this experience. Why would I support a company that lies to customers and wastes their time? They had no problem taking my money, misleading me, and then taking months to finally admit their mistake. This is hands down one of the worst places to buy dive gear. They are dishonest, unorganized, and clearly don't care about their customers. The fact that they won't refund my gift certificate after all of this is absolutely crazy. Save yourself the headache and shop elsewhere. read more

This was a great dive. The Dive Insteuctors did a great job making sure of the safety for all and Jamie (boat captain) as always did a great job. read more

Great experience and felt very safe the whole time. Dive masters were very attentive and knowledgeable.

We had a great time today diving with Aaron's. One of us was doing discover scuba, and one of us had over fifty dives, and we both had a wonderful experience. Chris was an excellent instructor, made us feel secure, and gave us a look at cool wildlife (including turtles!) It's hard to beat Aaron's for quality on island, and I have no doubt that I'll be back the next time I'm on Oahu. read more

Aaron's Dive Shop - An excellent view after two fun dives! - Dive Shops Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

Highly recommend Aarons dive shop and their staff. If you want a more personalized, locals vibe where you don't feel like just any customer that walked in the door, this is your shop. We started our experience with Aarons by enrolling our kids online in PADI open water certification along with a refresher for Mom and Dad. Rachel and Charlotte got us all the info we needed and helped us set all that up and then got us scheduled for pool training and dives when we arrived on Oahu. Britt was our instructor and did a great job with us and our kids (13 and 10 ) finishing up our instruction and pool time. Our kids loved her as an instructor- very patient and thorough. She helped them gain confidence through the whole process- all the way through their open water dives and completion of their certification. On the boat we had great dives with Britt, Franchesca and Paul. Captain Garret deserves a shout out as well. His assistance on the boat elevated the experience. Lots of great expertise with these guys all around. Knowledgeable, safety focused and fun. It was a great experience with a great team that was exactly what we were looking for to get our family certified/refreshed and into the water! read more

Five stars go to Aaron's dive shop. Everyone there is super nice, very helpful and knowledgeable. I managed to complete my master diver course in seven days, thanks to the meticulous scheduling and flexibility by Tony. Also thanks to the superb training by my principal dive instructor Gary. Gary was very informative, patient and fun person to dive with. Aby, Scott and Justin also helped with the instruction and were all excellent. If you're looking for a good dive shop, whether it's just go for a fun Dive or require further certification, I highly recommend Aaron's dive shop. read more

Tim was very knowledgeable and helpful when it came to fitting me with my first gear. I really looking forward to continuing to see them and keep upgrading my stuff as I become more and more experienced. read more

Dive with Aaron's Dive Shop. The people there provide the most enjoyable, safe, and professional diving experience. I've met amazing dive instructors at a variety of shops. But I've never met an entire cast of divers as phenomenal as those at Aaron's. If you visit Oahu and want to dive--whether you have never tried diving or you are an advanced, deep-sea combat diver Ranger-Navy-Seal-Pararescue-Marine, the people at Aaron's will make sure you enjoy a safe, awesome dive. I would like to give Toad a special shout-out on my last dive. She probably should've gotten angry at me for accidentally following the wrong group, but instead she made sure that I got back safely and offered an L O L with her hands when I returned. Infinity + 1 stars for this troop of fun, expert divers! read more

Aaron's Dive Shop - Dive Shops Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

I dove with 5 other friends on 10/22/24. Five of us are newly certified, and three of us had never dove in the ocean before. We met at the shop and having all of this information the staff told us we would be diving at two more shallow spots (30-40ft), sounded great. Once we arrived at the marina, however, there were two very experienced divers demoing some new equipment that said they need at least 60ft so the plan was changed last minute. We were told that one of those people knew the shop owner. We were taken to a deeper location with a high current. When I tried to go down I was unable to due to not having enough weight (one friend was sent into the water without any weight at all) and after trying to go down about three times and the dive master coming to assist me to add more weight we were swept away from the boat and spent about 30 minutes trying to swim back due to the high current. The dive master had to rescue swim me off and on back to the boat. It was terrifying. Meanwhile, the other 4 brand new divers were down without a dive master. My fiance and I also got sea sick for the first time in our lives. I'm very thankful for the dive master who helped me get back to the boat, but it should not have been necessary in the first place. read more

I've dived with many of the shops on the island and Aaron's has been the best by far. If you're looking for a shop that is all about the avid diver, yet accommodates the new divers as well...this is your shop. Skipper Garret doesn't just sit up top, but comes down and helps with gear, is cool & friendly. Instructor Madi awesome and did a great job of leading the dives while also getting in some skills with an AOW student. See you next time guys! read more

I've done quite a few dives with them and they are always great experiences. The staff is excellent. Captain Steve, Bailey and Chandler kept us safe and entertained. I definitely recommend them and will be diving with them again. read more

Aaron's Dive Shop - Above Fantasy Reef - Dive Shops Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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Kitty Christian, and boat driver Steve, made my day on my birthday Diving while in Oahu! I did 2 shallow dives with a refresher in the first dive with Kitty. The boat was full with 6 of us, and it was a great time had by all! Certified or beginner Aaron's Dive Shop is a great place to dive with! I highly recommend them! Mahalo Kitty Christian and Steve! read more

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