The best snorkeling tour! We saw a lot of different fish and huge turtles! The team did everything for our pleasure! Captain Krash and his team took a lot of photos and videos, told a lot of information, this team does their job from the heart, thanks them! Carlos swam with us in the ocean and showed the most interesting moments. Thank you so much for the incredible emotions, I will remember this tour for the rest of my life! read more

Rainbow Scuba Hawaii - Boating Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

Rainbow Scuba Diving Wow Wow Wow Now, I'm not sure if I can write anymore.... We booked Rainbow Scuba for our holiday and I have to say that Ken and the team are sensational. I would recommend to ANYONE, being an experienced diver to the first timer that Ken is the man to see. We took my wife, son (15 years), daughter (18 years), my daughters BF (19 years) and myself. Ken and the team were thorough, patient and simply excellent! His briefing into scuba for the first timers was sensational.... Spoke in terminology that the kids understood and demonstrated the important things. Made sure everyone was able to perform the skills before committing to the dive. My daughter who gets really bad motion sickness struggled and Ken was so patient. Gave good advice on how to fix it and was genuinely concerned. The dive itself was superb.... a vast array of sealife from a variety of fish, turtles, sharks, moray eels and octopuses. I couldn't recommend Ken anymore highly.... If you visit Hawaii and want to go for a dive, albeit a first timer or an experienced driver... Contact Rainbow Scuba and Ken will look after you! read more

Rainbow Scuba Hawaii - My 15 year old son with an octopus - Boating Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Diving with Ken and the captain is an absolute pleasure. Ken was brilliant in helping me refresh the basics before going in for an advance dive to a wreck site. He is also very thorough with safety checks. All along he made sure the group was entertained and well informed about the dive/site. If you get a spot, don't think twice. Highly recommend. read more

I went to Hawaii to scatter my parents' ashes in the ocean, so I can not speak to any of their other services. I wanted a simple no fuss way to do this, and they came through. Staff was very helpful. I was concerned about finding flowers, and they told me to go to Walmart, which was perfect, and in budget. All the other services I researched for ash scattering cost three times as much, and offered way more than I wanted or needed. Great communication with the staff, clear directions, and I was able to do what I came to do. Ken took photos for me, and texted them to me. Overall very satisfied with the respectful way my needs were handled. read more

So first off let me just begin me and my family of three decided to take a trip to Hawaii on a whim, my 14 year old daughter included we were unsure if we were able to do this because we had no prior experience, So to begin our family vacation we decided to book scuba diving lessons with ken at Rainbow scuba . This was the absolute best experience ever. Ken was very upfront and open with us and the risks that come along with the experience good and bad I'm not gonna lie I started to get scaredLol ... Ken was a amazing instructor and made us feel safe he was extremely very patient. I am so glad we booked with Rainbow scuba . Kens instruction even helped us through the trip when we went snorkeling because we learned how to clear are mask from water please book with ken I promise you this is a must do !!! Hands down you will not get this experience anywhere else... mahalo and thank you from California read more

See all

We chartered a boat for snorkeling with three kids. It was a great experience. The guys picked an awesome spot, were super helpful, excellent with kids, and ensured we saw lots of fish and turtles. Highly recommend!!! read more

See all

Jeff and Ken were great! They're experienced divers, fun people, and you can tell they place a huge emphasis on safety and proper procedures. Never been diving before, my friend and I booked an intro/beginner diving tour. The group has a max of 6 people and is for beginners only, which means Ken/Jeff can really focus and help each member out. We spent the first hour in the boat going through proper procedures. That may sound long for some, but this was super helpful in allowing us to know what to expect, especially since communication is limited while underwater. The tour has 2 dives: one dive is training and getting used to scuba diving, and the 2nd dive you get to explore the reefs. I personally went through the training, but wasn't confident with being able to perform the procedures underwater after practicing a few times near the surface. Ken was super encouraging and catered to me the whole time: he encouraged me to practice again, but allowed me to go back to the boat when I just wasn't comfortable. On the 2nd dive, he even encouraged me to practice a 2nd time near the surface while the others went diving. I didn't feel like going in at the time, and he respected that. We had a really good conversation on the boat. My friend who went through the whole thing had a blast and loved it! It made him really excited about scuba diving, and they were able to see reef sharks, eels, and tons of stuff around the coral reefs on the 2nd dive. Loved this group, and would book them again once I get more confident w/ practicing the techniques with snorkeling gear first! read more

My husband and daughter are certified Padi divers. I booked them on a private ship wreck dive with Ken and Jeff. Ken & Jeff not only make a living from the ocean they grew up in Hawaii. They understand the delicate balance of man & marine life. They want to give every patron a memorable experience while respecting Hawaii's waters. They offer group beginner dives & if you want something more challenging try a private tour that can be customized to your needs/desires. The ship wreck dive is amazing. Ken & Jeff are professional, fun & put safety 1st. They spent time making sure my husband & daughter knew what to expect upon jumping in, answered any questions & made sure they were both comfortable. They saw a moray eel, giant turtle, octopus, parrot fish & schools of vibrant beautiful fish!!! We highly recommend diving with these guys. Mahalo Jeff and Ken! read more

Rainbow Scuba Hawaii - Magnificent time exploring the ocean with Ken & Jeff! - Boating Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Wow, what an experience! This was my first dive, and I'm so happy I chose Rainbow Scuba! Ken was amazing and incredibly accommodating. We had 2 first timers, 1 certified, and 1 who had gone through the training but did not complete certification, so a rather diverse group. Ken made sure all of us were able to have a fun, safe adventure. It was also reasonably priced. The weather was pretty sketchy, but once we were down beneath, it was great! My husband did a 120' dive down in the Sea Tiger, and the rest of us did the Kewalo pipe. Sea turtle and eel sightings. We will be diving with Ken again should the opportunity to return to Oahu present itself. read more

Rainbow Scuba Hawaii - Crushin' it! - Boating Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Highly recommend Rainbow Scuba!!!! My two friends and I wanted to try out scuba diving for the first time and couldn't possibly ask for a better experience. We felt safe, educated, and definitely we will be returning to dive more in Hawaii with rainbow and dive in other locations with the skills and rules we learned. It felt like a private scuba lesson which was amazing, no big boats full of people which allowed more scuba time (less waiting for other people etc like some other scuba tours) A van picked us up from our hotel and during the ride Ken our instructor explained to us our basic rules and basic skills that we will need to remember and do. When we got to the boat we geared up and he asked us again to repeat our rules and skills. We got into shallow waters and Ken asked each of us to test out our breathing and "mask clearing" he was great at reminding us to equalize once we got into the water and as we were descending, We saw a sea turtle,lots of fish, sea snake, and various eels. All in all this was a great introduction dive that really positively opened the world of diving to us! Thank you Ken and Brian ! read more

Rainbow Scuba Hawaii - Sea turtle sighting! 10.10.13 - Boating Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Incredible! I went as a beginner and learned a lot about myself and scuba diving. Got sea sick a bunch of times but I should have been more prepared by taking Dramamine since I knew I get queezy on boats. It was an experience that I am so glad to have had. Marc was our guide and he was great and took some amazing photos. Swimming with the sea turtles was the best. Wish I could take one home with me! read more

Rainbow Scuba Hawaii - sea turtles!! - Boating Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I completed my classroom and pool portion of the PADI Open Water Diver course in California. I was ready to complete my four ocean dives in Honolulu. I spoke with Ken on the phone. He was welcoming and reasonable, compared to the other local dive schools. Price includes tanks, regulator, BCD, wetsuit, mask and fins. Once I signed up for the dives, I was sent a confirmation email. One day prior to the dive, I was sent a reminder email. For someone who is a bit paranoid (did it go through?) and a bit forgetful (when is that dive again?), these emails were much appreciated. My husband (already certified) and I met with Ken on a Friday and Saturday during high surf advisories. Not your ideal scuba diving conditions. However, I was on a mission to get certified. Ken was honest with us on what to expect during our dives (low visibility, surge, etc.). My husband and I decided to push through. Ken provided us, along with three beginner divers, an hour-long instruction. Everyone's questions were answered. His primary concern is everyone's safety. Ken checks everyone's comfort and commitment to continuing on the day's dives. Once everyone gives the go-ahead, we were off! Ken took us to two dive sites. On the way there, we spotted a turtle swimming. Turtles are my favorite! He made sure that our group knew the basics before descending further (clearing our masks, regulator clearing, and regulator recovery). Friday's dives was a refresher of all of the skills I learned in the pool two weeks prior...except now I was in the ocean surrounded by sea life! On Saturday, it was a different group of people. There were two other students and another diving instructor. Ken gave an one-hour instruction to the students prior to going on our dives. We started the same as the first day, where we went to our first dive site and Ken tested us on the basics. (On the way there, we saw a monk seal swimming. Cool!) Long story short, I passed! :) Overall, I recommend Ken and Rainbow Scuba. Ken is knowledgable and fun. Although the dives were not the ideal scuba diving conditions, we made the most of it. read more

Rainbow Scuba Hawaii - A glimpse of the photos that Ken captured - Boating Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

They were awesome! Lots of fun to be around and still professional. They said they usually take on groups of four but we came with three couples and they had no problem taking us all down at the same time. They just had to take an extra instructor with us so everyone was taken care of. Ken and Jeff were great instructors. Just make sure you pay attention when they show you what the hand signals are because it's quite difficult to communicate under ground level for people who are so used to just using their mouths to communicate. Scuba gear is really heavy and kind of difficult to handle when you first get into the water but once you relax and take your time breathing you get the hang of it. They took us to two locations. The first was a bit more cloudy but we saw so many creatures there. My group saw a whole bunch of schools of fish, a baby shark and a huge turtle that swam away before we had the chance to take any pictures with it, sadly. The second location was a bit less exciting but really clear waters. It was beautiful down there! There wasn't much action but towards the end we saw an eel and an octopus! The best part is that they take pictures of you while you're down there and post it on Flickr by the next day! Free if charge :) Well worth my hundred bucks! read more

See all

We went snorkeling on this boat in April 2021 and it was the BEST experience! We highly recommend this group! Ken and Hector were awesome, showing us exactly where the turtles were. They made sure everyone was having a great time! read more

We did the shipwreck tour with Rainbow Scuba and it was amazing! Ken was a great dive master, going out of his way to show us various sea creatures. He's very friendly, welcoming, and knowledgeable about all things related to scuba diving. He even brought along his own GoPro to film us. After the trip, Ken edited his GoPro footage into an amazing video and sent it to us. The captain was also very helpful when we were getting in and out of the water by holding our heavy tanks for us if we needed support. The dive itself was a great experience. The water was very clear and we saw tons of sealife. We went to two different locations with Ken and each location was filled with fish, turtles, sharks, and octopus. Rainbow Scuba is a great place to dive with and I highly recommend them! read more

Just had an amazing time on a night dive to the sea tiger! Ken and the captain were great! Professional, fun, kind, and caring! They accommodated requests and made sure that everybody was comfortable and enjoyed the experience. Ken doesn't use Venmo / mobile payments, so bring cash for tips (they totally deserve them)! read more

My son and I went scuba diving with Ken and Jeff. The experience was great. This was my second dive, but my sons first. He felt uncomfortable and he had a mishap on the skills test on the first dive, they encouraged him to try again, but did not force it. The dive itself was great and they take free pictures, which is a bonus. They are very safety conscious. And the instruction given was so much better than what I had before at a place in Cozumel. I highly recommend going diving with them. read more

See all

Rainbow Scuba is operated by two OUTSTANDING tour guides, Ken and Jeff. LOOK NO FURTHER and dive with Rainbow Scuba. They are professional, safe, smooth, amiable, and they have a great sense of humor - and they take free pictures and video! We dove with them on 4/06/2018, and it was an absolute blast! We dove the Sea Tiger Wreck and a reef just off the coast of Waikiki. read more

See all

We did a 9:30 am scuba and it was an exceptional experience. The sea is so clean and we see sharks, turtles. The weather was a little bit windy but we still felt safe on the boat. The group was also very small with only 3 people. The whole process was very professional and safe. Highly recommend this dive tour for the new beginners, it is a whole different world under the sea! read more

We did a day out on the waters with Ken. He was great! He took us to a cool shipwreck and made my 2 teenage junior divers feel very comfortable. I would highly recommend going with Rainbow Scuba Hawaii if you are planning a day of scuba in Oahu. read more

Amazing experience. Ken was thorough in his safety talk, explained the dangers but also how to avoid them. We practiced the skills on the boat, and again at the surface before slowly descending. Ken was patient, and there's no pressure to go beyond where you want to. He also gave constructive criticism after the first dive, to make the second one even better. My group went to the ocean floor and saw a lot of cool ocean life like turtles, an octopus, a shark, and an eel! read more

The weather was not great, the seas a bit rough, but rather than call it off our guide checked out the water and gave us a choice- dive or refund. We chose to dive... and had a great time! It was clear Rainbow is professional, customer-focused, safe, and experienced. The dives too, really nice trips to the wreck and reef. Definitely gave me the flavor of what this side of beautiful Oahu has to offer. Not to mention, there were four divers and we got to know each other well. Overall, super fun! I recommend Rainbow to any diver for a great time read more

If you're only interested in a cheap, affordable way to go scuba diving and see a shipwreck and some marine wildlife then this place can't be beat. It was $110 per person for a 2-tank dive. But if you care about your safety and the proper handling of marine wildlife, then this place should be avoided. We stopped here on a Saturday to do our very first open water dive with Jeff from Rainbow Scuba. Our only dive prior to this was in a murky quarry in central Virginia, and we clearly explained this to Rainbow Scuba. From the very start, all the staff seemed rush and in a hurry. Despite this being our first open water dive, they took us down to a shipwreck that was 105 feet! It's recommended that beginning divers should stay at 60 feet or above. Once in the water, Jeff spent two minutes poking into a hole in the shipwreck to drag out a Day Octopus. We learned later that his motto is something like, "if I don't find an octopus then I don't get paid." They simply harass the marine life, bordering on abuse. You'll find PLENTY of pictures of people holding octopus, and NOW you know why. The staff are indeed friendly and they seem to know what they're doing in terms of operations, but if you care about your and the marine life safety and well-being, I would avoid this place. But if you want to get into the water on the cheap, then by all means sign up. Also, keep in mind that this is a cash-only operation, so don't forget to stop by the ATM before heading to the boat!! read more

On a trip to Oahu with girlfriend in July 2012, wanted to try a "Discover Scuba Diving" course that is standard and offered at a dozen places around the island. We went with Rainbow Scuba because their online reviews were by far the best of any outfit. Unfortunately I was much less than satisfied with the experience. I felt overwhelmed with information and not fully prepared for the dive itself. We showed up to the boat and were greeted by our instructor Ken and given wetsuits and fins and masks and met the other two people in our four person group. The boat had about 5 or 6 such small groups of varying degrees of experience, and they were all kept pretty much separate. Ken was in charge of us, although we did get a few minutes of instruction from the other guys when Ken was doing other things. During the 15 minute boat ride out to the first dive site Ken gave us his instruction. He has obviously done this hundreds of times and runs down a list of things to know and skills to have. He made it sound like no big deal, but it was also a lot of information to take in at once. We had about 5 minutes of instruction on how to put on our mask, and how to clear water out of it. He touched on equalizing pressure in our ears, and talked about the importance of remaining calm and breathing slowly and continually. Then we were strapped to a tank and weight belt and given a couple minutes of instruction in breathing through the regulator. At this point I felt fine and excited to try out my newly bestowed skills. We jump in the water, take a minute to practice breathing with our face in the water, and then head down a fixed line that takes you about 10-15 feet below the surface. My problems started when it became clear there hadn't really been any instruction in what to do at this point besides a vague "stay together". I am a very strong swimmer on the surface (triathlete) but have no experience using fins to propel myself downwards. I had trouble following the rest of the group to the bottom, and ended up popping above the surface. Ken followed, said he would help me get down and that we had to get back to the other divers on the bottom, and grabbed my arm to pull me down. This probably was a reasonable solution, but the rapid descent at an unexpected pace caused my right ear to painfully pop. I tried using the technique of holding my nose and exhaling through my sinuses, but this was difficult because one arm was being held by the instructor and the other was holding onto my regulator. Did I mention that my regulator was loose and kept falling out unless I held onto it with one hand? Yeah. So I'm on the bottom, right ear with sharp pain, one hand on my regulator, water getting into my mask and messing up my contacts, I'm trying to follow my group around and learn how to swim with fins for the first time, and the instructor is giving me various hand signals. Some of them mean, "are you ok?" Some meant "breathe more slowly!". Some of them were little kicking motions that were never covered which probably meant "you aren't swimming correctly!" In the meantime a huge headache is starting to build and I just want to get some fresh air. I gamely follow them around the bottom for a few minutes, but after a while I just have to get some normal air so I swim up to the surface and end my dive. Back on the boat (where the headache is now splitting, my ear still hurts, and I'm battling waves of intense nausea) Ken is very eager to take us out for the second dive, but this time he will be our private guide and there will be no other people in the group so we can go as slowly as want. I appreciate the sentiment, but there is no way I am diving a second time when I feel like absolute crap. So for $100 each we got a nice boat ride, and the knowledge that next time we should go to an outfit that will get you acclimated in a pool first so you are comfortable with equipment. read more

I read plenty of reviews which described how the Rainbow Scuba instructors are friendly and about the amazing time they had. But this was the scariest and most traumatizing experience of my vacation. As we were gearing up on land and during the ride to the first site, we received very broad and little instruction. Total instruction time was, honestly, about 10 minutes and even I could have repeated this to someone else after hearing it once (I have no diving experience). Didn't see much once we were under the sea. A lot of small plain fish and one cute turtle that wasn't afraid to get up real close to us. No moray eels, octopi, sharks, and other cast members from Finding Nemo. So pretty disappointing. A LOT of sand whirling around once you hit the bottom that makes it hard to see anything more than 5 feet in front of you. One of the girls in our group got lost and was found by another diving group. My wetsuit had sand in it so I felt like ants were crawling in my pants the whole time, but not a huge deal. And please note that another Yelp reviewer has reported that Ken (the owner) has paid people offshore to fuel the supposedly excellent image Rainbow Scuba has on social networks by creating fake profiles. Not shady at all. read more

I'm a beginner diver and had just gone on a dive with a different company 2 days prior. I have to say that I am glad that I had the two dives to compare because one left me in a state of awe and the other left me feeling indifferent, sadly Rainbow was the latter. I will give 5 stars to the crew being friendly but I think there's room for improvement on many other things. The diving instructions were gone over very quickly and in a very nonchalant manner. Had I not already dived a couple of days before, I may have been confused on what to do. Ken does ask to make sure that you know what to do but he goes over things very quickly, and for a first time diver, I preferred a slower & more thorough method. One thing that they do is check to see if you can clear your mask of water, which is definitely good to know. The first company I dove with performed this check by filling our masks with bottled water while we were on the boat. Rainbow performed this task by pulling my mask off underwater. I wasn't prepared for it and nearly lost my contact lenses in the saltwater. Subsequently, because I didn't get a good dry seal on my mask, it kept filling up with water throughout the dive (which did not happen when I did the above water check with the other dive co.). There were also many hand signals being given underwater that were not explained on the boat, so I had no idea what was being communicated to me sometimes. Probably the one thing that left me feeling a little off with Rainbow is that the marine wildlife were harassed. Sure, octopus may not be protected or endangered, but I don't think that gives one an excuse to throw them around and put them in their mouth, ripping tentacles off their face to demonstrate that they're harmless creatures. I also got turned off when a sea turtle was pushed up just to get a better photo. I'd label my experience with Rainbow as ok. If I return to Oahu to dive though, I would likely go with a different company. read more

We had a great time scuba diving with Rainbow Scuba! We did the novice dive, since only one in our party had ever dived before. It was a great beginner experience. Our guide was knowledgeable and confident and put us all at ease. It was a very smooth operation. Would definitely dive with Rainbow again! read more

Rainbow Scuba Hawaii - Just before our first dive! - Boating Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

A big thank you to Ken and Jeff for a fantastic experience today. The team were great at taking it slow with the kids (10 year olds, first timers) and helping them feel confident in the water. We got to see some great marine life and had an all round great experience with Rainbow Scuba. We look forward to going on more great dives with you next time we're in Oahu. read more

Rainbow Scuba? Douchebag Scuba more like. I'm really shocked at the 5 star reviews for this dive "operation". Its an amateur set-up at best. Probably ideal if you are an experienced diver looking for a cheap, laid-back underwater guide, but I would not go near this dive operation again. I did my PADI open-water cert with Ken. To say Ken is not the most professional of dive-masters/instructors is putting it mildly. As a first time diver, putting your safety in someone else's hands, you are looking for a detail driven operation. This is nowhere near that. On the plus side, Ken is a very experienced diver and I never felt in any danger underwater. My top 5 complaints for this place: 1. Ken chopped and changed my start day as he had sudden personal errands to take care of. This meant I wasted time waiting for him to get his s**t together when I could at least have been reading up on the theory part of the cerfitication had he dropped it off at my hotel as promised. 2. Not straightforward about his operation. He has no premises, he operates out of the local Starbucks. He also only accepts cash, something he 'forgot' to tell me also. He has no pool, or pool access, so you do your pool exercises in a murky lagoon off the Honolulu city front. 3.He likes to pick starfish off the ocean floor and throw them around for fun. I'm pretty sure that's not good for the Starfish. What other marine life is he abusing? 4. Don't bank on getting dry/clean wetsuit with your rental, or even a snorkel (which is very useful when swimming at the surface in scuba gear, as I found out later in my scuba career with another operation). 5. Lastly, Ken, in a careless moment, told me about the operation he has in Vietnam using English speaking employees to create false social networking profiles to drive business to his dive operation. I asked TripAdvisor if they could look in to this, they were less than helpful. This exploitation of the social network might be smart for his business, but is highly unethical. Not such a big deal for, say, a hotel owner, but for a dive master to do this?? In summary, I chose this place over another Oahu operation on price, but I would urge you not to make the same mistake. Contact me over Yelp if you need more info...I rarely feel this strongly about a business, but I feel others need to be warned about this place. read more

Such a great experience Ken was the scuba diving guide I had with the rest of the group which was a tight nit small group of 6 in total. Ken was awesome! He clearly explained everything we were in for as first timers the good and the bad then the boat driver who was also very nice and friendly drove us out they geared us up made sure we were comfortable and had us dive in one by one as a first timer I loved it especially with how great the guides were very kind and sincere people in it for the experience like they say we had two dives total and saw some turtles down under! I'd recommend rainbow scuba to anyone wanting to try out scuba diving or even certified divers because they have other dive options. read more

"Thank you Ken!!!" He deserved a big thank you from me for not letting me giving up even after the mild Jellyfish stung my left knee. I wasn't comfortable being in the water to begin with, but he kept me going and going just like the energizer bunny should. I took the express course and yes there are plenty of stuff to swallow and digest within 2 days, but he made sure you understand the material and its purpose before continuing. On the first day being in the water at Magic Island, I was not 100% sure if I want to do this, but Ken and the other 2 guys in the group assured me that everything would be fine. I went panic about 3 times because I couldn't clear the mask when it got flooded, also I couldn't get to breathe correctly because I wasn't calm and plus I kept inhaling thro my nose, when I was supposed to exhale to clear the water. Yes, I made mistakes, but Ken was really personalized on you if you made mistakes and ensure you that it shouldn't happen that way. He would tell the other people to relax and wait a-bit, while he worked with you to make you understand what he's teaching you, it took about 5minutes or so. I may not pay to get personal lesson, but I really got my money worth. Also, remember to read the PADI book instruction that's given, the homework would help you do well on your dive and calm u down before you jump into the water. On second day, the whole group (3 of us) went on a boat diving for second part of the class. This time Ken transferred us to the ocean diving instructor, Jeff and Max, they were fabulous as well. I really felt being personalized as well, not just me, but each one of us, because they knew my problems from the day before and they kept repeating those test to me to make sure I didn't make the same mistake before going on the second dive of the day. I'm glad that I go with them to do certification, it was a total new experience for me and I totally recommend them. We may not get pictures because we're on training, but hey by the time the diving lesson was done, I'm certified, I can always come back for more and I totally would look them up when I hit Oahu the next time there!!! **Just a thought: Next time u fill up your information card, make sure you write your age correctly, I got my card recently and somehow my birth year was mistakenly written, supposed to be 1980, became 1930 LOL read more

Rainbow Scuba Hawaii - Ken-the instructor and moi-the OW certified! - Boating Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

Ok guys, this will be what I hope is a comprehensive (Albeit lengthy) review for the 9:30 to 1:30 discover scuba trip. Quick background. I am certified up to 40ft, but I only get to dive maybe once a year of I'm lucky, so I always look for smaller boats with beginner/shallow dives that specialize in personalized attention. First, booking. Easy peasy. Online, no brainer. Also important to note, these guys are one of the few outfits that run early morning shallow dives. Most operators are doing deep wreck dives in the morning, which is not something I was interested in and my afternoons were booked solid with events and dinners so I had to go in the morning. Next, boat and gear. Quick 10 minute drive from Waikiki to an unassuming little white boat. And the little is important guys, for one very important reason. Small groups. You're not diving with 20 people. You're diving with 6. This can make a WORLD of difference when it comes to personalised attention and feeling secure (especially if you've never dove) Gear. Clean and quality, nice fins and mask options (I think they were kinda heartbroken that none of the women wanted the pink mask! LOL) Also part of their gear was more Go-Pros and cameras than I've ever seen outside of a store. These guys take documenting your dives SERIOUSLY. (I may have squeaked audibly when I saw my Honu pictures!) Third. Safety briefing. One word. Motormouth. LOL He's got A LOT of info to cover in the shortest amount of time possible so we can get to diving, so you gotta pay attention. He drives home the basics and Rule #1 and Rule #2 over and over again. My only critique for the debriefing and it's a big one is, Tank Tap. When an instructor taps his tank underwater, that's your signal to regroup, and pay attention. It's a critical piece of info that was either left out of or glossed over in the briefing and it led to some... confusion on the first dive. (Even for one of the other divers who was supposed to be certified which blows my mind) The dive. The boatride took maybe 10 whole minutes. We dove both times at Horseshoe because honestly, there was NO reason to move. We had the site pretty much to ourselves (again, because most operators don't do the shallow dives in the morning) The first dive was rough for me. Like I said, I do NOT dive often, and the first dive is always a "get your bearings" dive. Plus, the uncertified people will be doing skills on the bottom, so you'll stay pretty close to the line. There was still plenty of fishies to see while I was working out my boancy issues. LOL. Now, the second dive... it was incredible... the variety of fish and coral formations were amazing. These guys know their dives like the back of their hands. They know where the Turtles go to get cleaned and where the sharks nap. They know. Trust and follow. You will see some awesome marine life! All in all, an amazing experience with some super chill guys in Paradise. Highly recommended for newbies and intermittent divers such as myself. Thank you guys. MAHALO! read more

Rainbow Scuba Hawaii - Shaka Turtle! - Boating Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I found "Rainbow Scuba" through TripAdvisor. It has the best review + price combination that I found online. In my research for a scuba diving instructor, I used a combination of Google, TripAdvisor, and Yelp, so I guess you could say that I did my homework. I'm writing this review from the perspective of a new diver since I was a total newbie when I went on my diving trip. :D Ken is a great instructor, totally chill. It was my first time scuba diving and I was very lucky to be the only person diving with him that day. He's very knowledgeable about the areas that we dived in, both the types and the location of marine life. Besides colorful tropical fishes and a group of sea turtles, he showed me a fish that's well camouflaged on the sea floor. I would never noticed it if he didn't show it to me. I also went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay and saw tons of fish there, but the types of fish you see when snorkeling and scuba diving are different. So even if you are planning on snorkeling, it's still worth it to go on a scuba diving trip to see the amazing marine life in Hawaii. The great thing about Ken is that he works at your pace, not his. This is really important esp. for new divers. Since it was my first time, I had trouble with equalizing my ears in the beginning, Ken let me descent at my pace, which really helped me to not panicking when water got into my nose or mouth. So if you are a first time diver and you are reading this, yes, it's very possible that you'll swallow some sea water, but it's not a big deal. If you put the regulator in your mouth correctly, you shouldn't be drinking sea water all that much. The important thing is to do your homework beforehand, ask any questions you might have before you go into the water, and listen to your instructor. When I emailed Ken, he got back to me promptly. Oh, he also took pictures and put them online for you to download at no extra charge. How nice is that? My scuba diving experience is definitely one of the highlights of my trip. I would recommend Rainbow Scuba to anyone who's looking into scuba diving companies in Hawaii. If the money for scuba diving isn't in your vacation budget, I'd say instead of going on those guided city tours, do those attractions on your own and save the money for a scuba diving trip. That's what I did and it was worth it! read more

It was an amazing experience! Both guys made me feel comfortable in water even though I was super nervous. I couldn't dive in the second time because I had a headache. Nevertheless, I do not regret booking a diving here!!! First time scuba diving and it was great. (: read more

See all

My husband and i went diving with Ken and Jeff the other day, such great guys! We have a 6 month old baby so haven't dived in 1.5 years and i was pretty anxious but the guys were really patient and made me feel at ease. We did the shipwreck and shallow reef dive and saw sharks and turtles. Their boat and equipment were nice and i liked that they keep their groups smaller and more intimate. Plus free photos!!!?? You can't beat that! We'll definitely go diving with them again when we come back read more

5 friends and I decided to go scuba diving when we visited hawaii and we happened onto Rainbow Scuba. Jeff, our scuba tour guide was amazing. This was by consensus the best part of our trip. This place is cheap ok. Cheaper than the other places. But they don't try and boss you around and act military like underwater. Jeff keeps an eye on you to make sure you are safe but he let's you relax and he also shows you as much as he can about the ocean floor. We saw (and some played with) giant turtles, sea urchins, ball urchins, an octopus, and even a baby shark!! Next time I go to Oahu, I will be setting up another dive with Rainbow Scuba!! read more

It was my first time scuba diving and Ken made everything so easy and relax for me , the photos are amazing ! Love them so much !!! And we went to two different locations too! read more

See all

The whole crew was awesome. Aaron the driver, Brian the captain who btw recommended this great place for garlic shrimp (delish) and of course Ken my dive master. They all made me feel safe and comfortable which exactly what I needed to finish my certification. Honest people who didn't try to rip me off but instead gave me a good deal to finish my certification I started in California. Love the free pictures he took and shared. Thanks guys, my vacation just got a lot better :) read more

Rainbow Scuba Hawaii - Boating Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Wish I could give these guys 10 stars.... The staff were very professional but at the same time down to earth. They established a level of comfort with the new divers first just to break the nervousness.the divers were awesome the Tru included two tanks n two dives. They allow groups of six which gives each diver more time to dive. They took lots of pictures which r included they also offer go pro cams for an additional nominal fee. So if you want to dive with a small contained group who know what they r doing and will get u familiar quick these guys are the best in town not to mention included pics and different sites where group pics r taken ...don't believe me check out there gallery read more

Rainbow Scuba Hawaii - Taking the dip - Boating Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

YOU REALLY REALLY REALLY SHOULD BE ON ONE OF THE OTHER ISLANDS IF DIVING IS YOUR THING - Oahu just doesn't compare. However if you are on Oahu, try Rainbow Scuba. I've been diving for a good few years, mainly Monterey, but occasionally I feel the need to get out of the cold and go to Hawai'i. At the last minute I took advantage of a great flight deal and flew to Oahu for a weekend of solid diving. After booking my flight I started calling around the dive boats looking for last minute reservations for as much diving as they (and Nitrogen) could fit in. Everyone was full and panic started to set in. A few people mentioned Rainbow Scuba to me, and their reviews online looked very good with one exception. When I read reviews I tend to ignore the very best and very worst, and with only one bad review it seemed a safe bet! I called and Ken found a way to fit me in for 6 dives over the weekend. I dived with Ken, and Enrique, both of whom seemed to be extremely experienced divers, and fun, relaxing people. Both days they picked me up at my Waikiki hotel and brought me to the boat, fitted me out with a wetsuit (I had the rest of the gear myself) and off we went. We dove some great wrecks in the Honolulu area, and I had a blast. Ken and Enrique were good leaders, and took great care of the divers, both experienced and learning. On two of the dives had some very new divers and I was very impressed with how they handled some situations. Whilst intervening when necessary they were careful not to let it be interpreted negatively, thus preserving the confidence of new divers whilst teaching them and keeping them safe. One was a new diver who looked like he become an really exceptional diver, they made one mistake, and it was dealt with both effectively and in a manner so as not to wreck the divers confidence. Ken and Enrique seemed to have the touch... keeping people safe, letting them have fun, without seeming overbearing. For day two I really wanted to use my own computer, so they drove me to a dive shop, Breeze, who sorted out the hose issue, then Ken brought me back to my hotel. WHERE can you get that service? Impressed. They also take lots of photos underwater and upload them to flicker where you can get them for free when you get home. Many outfits charge dearly for bad photos if you don't have your own camera. There was never any rush, no sense of the cattle boat trip, and everyone had a blast. They don't operate their own boat and share with other operators, however the boat was very relaxed and they did have the ability to select dive sites. Cash only, not a problem as they tell you in advance. Great prices, and surprisingly good service! My only complaint, I really didn't like one of the dive sites I did twice, an old pipe outlet - however I can see why it's used, near the port, shallow and no hazards. Bad vis by local standards, but I'm not sure how much else is available near port in the 35-55 range for shallow dives. Oahu is not my favorite island, but it's cheap to get to, and when I'm there again I will certainly be talking to Rainbow! next on my list there is a repeat dive on the YO wreck with Nitrox. I just don't get the issues in Tom's review (the only negative one). Many diver operations don't have stores. They instead have relationships with stores. There's a very good case for not providing snorkels to trainee divers - accidents happen, one doesn't work so well underwater. I never saw any damage to the wildlife, though I don't see too much on an issue if they picked up a starfish to show to a student - I've a hard time wondering how someone could get their jollies from flinging starfish around. I think that bad review is a simple case of personality mismatch. It happens. Even if both sides are faultless, they won't necessarily get along or have matching expectations. Rainbow does not run a highly regimented assembly line scuba operation. Some people do need and want that, but most of us visiting Hawai'i want to relax, have fun, and stay safe. I see one 1 star review, lots of 5 star reviews from people who do not look like sockpuppets, multiple reviews etc. Draw your own conclusions. Almost minus a star for the location - not their fault. It's Honolulu, a state capital city. Don't expect Fiji underwater. Reef's teaming with life just won't happen (the wrecks are full of life tho'). Great wrecks tho'! VERY VERY STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. Safe, smart, great prices, no "cattle boat" feeling. Professional. If in Honolulu you really should dive with Rainbow! That said, you really REALLY REALLY should be on one of the other Islands if diving is your thing. Check out Big Island Divers on Hawai'i read more