My husband and I had a fantastic time diving with Reef Pirates. I researched and called other dive shops prior to booking and felt the most comfortable talking to Satoshi at Reef Pirates. He patiently answered all my questions and seemed to genuinely care about our dive trip. We booked two diving trips starting with the reef dive. I would recommend doing the shallow reef dive as a "refresher" if it's been a while since your last dive. Even at 45 feet we we saw sea turtles, an eagle ray and a white tip reef shark. Dive Instructor Joe helped us feel comfortable and prepared for our deep dive to the Corsair--our deepest dive to date. Joe is a very experienced diver and we always felt like we were in great hands. He inspected all of our equipment/tanks before our boat went out and gave us a thorough dive briefing before our descent. Captain Dan was a sweet and friendly guy who helped support my tank and guide me going into/out of the water. There were snacks and water on board. The free GoPro photos they gave us at the end was an added bonus! Overall, my husband and I would say this was our favorite diving trip. I highly recommend Reef Pirates Diving especially for people who want a personalized diving experience. read more

I had one of the best diving experiences of my life due to the hard work and preparedness of the dive crew. Because they have everything taken care of up front, all you have to do is show up, suit up and have fun. Joe, Noah and Jake run a tight ship. (and they are all very funny) Everything is clean, the equipment is in perfect working order and these guys know the waters off Oahu like the back of their hand. I came, I saw, I bought the T-Shirt and I shall return. read more

Great, personable, funny crew! Had an afternoon dive shallow reef dive with Jonathan, Stef and Captain Noah. I'm certified but my friend did the discovery scuba program and said Jonathan and Stef were great guides/ instructors and made sure to put her at ease on her first dive ever! Limited to six divers per charter so it was a small group. Unfortunately didn't get to see any larger marine life but saw many different types of fish, urchin, eels and coral. Stef was kind enough to send us some of the photos she took on her GoPro at the end of the day! I would strongly recommend Reef Pirates to any beginner divers or certified divers looking for an easy dive. read more

Reef Pirates Diving - Scuba Diving Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

(This review is only for their customer service.) Horrible customer service. I saw another person posted on here saying they have terrible customer service as well, so I guess this has been an ongoing issue. I called them because I did not receive my refund two weeks after our cancellation. First night a guy picked up, saying he's not next to his computer and would call me back. Never did. Then I called them again next day, and the phone call was simply a disaster. Absolutely showed no respect, just kept arguing and was very condescending. Does not take any feedback well, and blames on the customer for being stupid, even though it's them who didn't implement better business etiquette. One thing the guy on the phone kept repeating was "we are a small business ok?" to use as an excuse for any mistakes, or "we are small business here" to make me feel bad. They think b/c they are small business, everyone owes them some support and help, and if I want a refund (cancelled on time according to their own policy) instead of in store credit, I'm some kind of selfish devil. If they respond to this with more rude comments, I wouldn't be surprised. (but now that I called them out, maybe they wont? what a dilemma) read more

I had a BLAST!!! --I didn't give 5 stars because the boat is too small in my opinion but I like the "no more than 6 divers". I know that's why it's a small boat, but the boat is still a bit too small. Sean and the crew are friendly, highly professional and safety conscious. I did 2 days, the Landing craft wreck and the Corsair! Just great on both accounts, didn't see any sharks but did see dolphins (first time diving), lots of turtles, octopus and a couple squid. I would absolutely not hesitate to go with them again! If your considering it, JUST DO IT! I have been on over 40 dive charters around the world and these guys are at the top of the list. I made a quick 2min video of the Corsair dive if your interested. https://youtu.be/-rM6uUQy-1Q read more

Reef Pirates Diving - Corsair wreck - Scuba Diving Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

STOP your search right NOW! Phenomenal operation by professionals in ever sense of the word. Safe, calm, reassuring, and ready to help with anything. I really enjoyed my three days of diving with reef pirates and would dive with them again in a heartbeat. Jess, Hannah, joey, and captain Noah were rockstars. Joey even took some photos of us and offered to share them for free. Small group size made each dive feel like a one on one. Can't say enough good things about them read more

See all

My wife and I went to Reef Pirates Diving for our honeymoon and we couldn't have been happier! Would recommend to anyone! Crash (our dive instructor) picked us up at our hotel in Waikiki and drove us 20 minutes to the dive shop. We watched a 15 minute video and then got fitted with wetsuits. After that we headed out for a quick training and 30 minute dive to get us acclimated. After the first dive we surfaced, took a short break, and headed down for another 45 minute dive. We saw SOOO MANY turtles - at least 15!!! The crew (Crash, Min, and Amanda) were very nice and patient. There were 6 clients total on the boat - 3 of us were not certified. Crash took the 3 uncertified divers (including me) and did a good job keeping an eye on us and pointing things out, such as eels poking their heads out of the rocks. Min took the 3 certified divers and kept an eye on them as they had a few more freedoms. They do provide water and small snacks on the boat and we were able to bring a backpack. They did a real nice job and I don't see why I would try another dive shop if I ever came back because everything was perfect. read more

They were awesome. TOTALLY worth the drive out of Waikiiki. Friendly, and helpful. Dive site (cave) had drift diving, beautiful location was amazing. They provided video of the dive too for free! Must recommend. Please go out with them! read more

Crash, Dan, and Randy were awesome. Everyone was extremely courteous and helpful and they put in max effort to make sure everyone was comfortable, taken care of and knew all the important information in addition to all the fun facts of the area. Really enjoyed being able to go out earlier than everyone else and also dive in a small group of 5. Was my first time 110ft deep and loved it. 100% would dive with these guys again. And Happy Birthday to Crash! read more

Reef Pirates Diving - Scuba Diving Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

Such an awesome dive shop! Art was our dive master and he was so freaking cool! With such a small group that they take out it is way more fun and personable! Captain Dan was also cool as hell and all together it felt like we were out on our dive with friends. I 100% recommend this dive shop over others that are more generic! We will definitely be back the next time we visit the island!! read more

Reef Pirates Diving - Scuba Diving Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This was my husbands and mine first dive and Reef Pirates made the experience exceptional. We were walked through every step and answered every question. My husband saw tons of fish and a few turtles. (Note: we're not experienced divers so we didn't go that deep) I became sea sick and the team took very good care of me. They had snacks water for EVERYONE and even some Pepto-Bismol to give me. They are full of energy and ready to get you in the water. The Team Who Took Us Out: Randy, jake, Lauren, and noah read more

I had a great time diving with Reef Pirates Diving in Turtle Canyon and Koko Craters. It was my first time scuba diving in Hawaii and the staff made sure to make it a great experience! read more

Reef Pirates Diving - Logbook stamp - Scuba Diving Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Dan and Joe were very accomadating on this dive I had one non certified adult and 2 newly certified junior divers ages 11 and 12. The crew did a superior job working with my group. I could not say enough good things to properly give these guys credit. Thanks a ton and I recommend reef pirates without reservation. Thanks a ton Mark Compton read more

This was an incredible team to work with. We had Joe, Noah and Andrew and they were all phenomenal. I sometimes get seasick, but the dives they took us on were close and smooth driving. Joe and Andrew were our dive guides and they were so patient and helpful! They definitely knew their stuff and clearly have been doing this a long time. We went on two dives on the same trip, which was awesome. We saw several sea turtles and a reef shark! I highly recommend this team, and if you can, ask for these guys! read more

This was one of my first few dives, since certification 4 months ago. All of the staff were friendly, hard working and patient. The wreck dive was 90ft deep, but Lee was incredibly helpful helping me equalize on the way down. He showed us marine life under rocks and didn't let us miss seeing a shark, turtle or ray gliding by. I was paired up with much more experienced divers and still felt comfortable as a beginner because of the awesome staff. Highly recommended!!! read more

Went for an afternoon, non-certified dive with Joe and captain Dan. This was an amazing experience! My first ever time diving, and I couldn't rate Reef Pirates more highly for the care they put into ensuring that everyone has good training and dives safely. Joe made it very clear on our second dive what the conditions were, and since visibility was poor they gave us the choice of still doing this dive or not. Since we decided not to do it, they were kind enough to refund us half because we didn't get to do the second dive. I would recommend Reef Pirates to anybody who wants to have their first scuba experience in a fun, safe environment with awesome people!!! read more

My sister, good friend and I all three got certified here in summer 2016 and the entire experience was amazing! The crew was friendly, they explained everything really well, and I felt safe with them. The spots that we went to were beautiful and we got to swim with sea turtles while diving, see an octopus, see many different types of fish and eels. I HIGHLY recommend diving with Reef Pirates Diving and am I will be back next time I am in Hawaii!! The entire experience was AMAZING! read more

Reef Pirates Diving - Scuba Diving Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Reef Pirates No Ka Oi! The crew at Reef Pirates (Noah and Lauren) really do a great job. They are knowledgeable about the sites they dive and very helpful when preparing for the dives. Their location is convenient and easy to get to if you're not using their pick-up service. I will dive with Reef Pirates next time I'm in Hawaii for sure! read more

Reef Pirates Diving - First time diving on the Corsair... And it was amazing!!! - Scuba Diving Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Recommend by a patient. Small shop small boat. Have been on AM dives twice now and it has been great! Only thing is you should bring your own snacks and/or food for in between dives. Thanks captain Noah! read more

Reef Pirates Diving - Going out for an AM two tank dive!!! - Scuba Diving Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

Captain Jo and Crash made our diving incredible. They took us on a private charter that accommodated our divers and snorkelers. I felt very confident in the dive master and the rental equipment was excellent. I highly recommend them. read more

See all

Top class Scuba outfit. I did the 3 tank dive so we got to dive the corsair a ww2 plane wreck, the cavern and the third and final dive was just a shallow turtle hunting dive. Crew was super friendly and helpful and I love they have their own boats so you're not sharing with other outfits. Highly recommend. read more

Went out on a morning dive with Dan and Art and had an amazing time. The small group environment was perfect and Art helped me brush up my skills since it had been a few years and the dive was fun and informative. We dove an airplane wreck and swam with sea turtles around a reef near Koko Crater. Highly recommend this company - they get you out to the water before the other boats and treat you like family! read more

It was such a great experience! First time diving and we had the help from the diving directors from start to ending. We were a bit nervous about diving for the first time but we felt comfortable with the Reef Pirates Crew. Definitely coming back and bringing more family. Went on two dives, saw starfish, schools of fish, statues, and had snacks. read more

See all

Diving with Reef Pirates was great! We saw multiple octopus', sea turtles, and beautiful fish varieties local to Hawaii waters. I'm an experienced and long time diver however in new waters it is good to have someone who will acclimate you to the site and dive gear. Jake helped me to feel comfortable in new surroundings and was patient with me when I had trouble equalizing. There is less visibility in the waters in Hawaii than I'm used to so it was good to have a safety focused guide. The guys at Reef Pirates were friendly and demonstrated that Aloha spirit in full! Thanks to Satoshi for being a cool captain yesterday! I highly recommend them. read more

Reef Pirates Diving - Jake, our dive guide and octopus playmate setting up before a dive. - Scuba Diving Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Very helpful guide and boat driver. A relaxing and fun scuba dive to see turtles and eels. A great afternoon dive.

We did two days of dives with Reef Pirates this week. This is our second time diving with them and we will dive with them again. The Stephanie and Noah crew were great. They were our crew for a three tank dive trip. They made sure we were safe and well looked after. We had a different crew the second day, which we did with a group or certified and non-certified divers. They were a decent crew too. We would highly recommend this dive company if you are diving in O'ahu! read more

Joined reef pirates for 4 dives over a few days in Oahu and had a great time. Everyone was safe and relaxed and it was basically the only small boat outfit I could find on the island. Will definitely dive with them again. read more

Fun trip. The instructors were helpful and professional. I was concerned about the handling of an octopus but it may have been an exuberant moment. Overall a good experience and I would go again. The coral seemed to be in critical condition, but that isn't the company's fault. I appreciated their sustainability efforts such as reusing the same anchor line instead of making another one. read more

This was my third trip with Reef Pirates and second dive with Jake and Lauren. As a less experienced diver I appreciate that Jake assessed my comfort and were. There were only six divers on the trip and among our group a wide variety of experiences levels. I loved that we did a wreck dive and a drift dive near Spitting Cave. Lauren took lots of pictures during the dive and shared via Dropbox. Love that they are not really touristy but they do pick people up from hotels if needed. Military get a discount too! read more

My fiancé and I, along with our friend dove with Reef Pirates on 08/10/21 and 08/12/21. The 4 star rating comes specifically from our dives on 08/12 with Divemaster Joe, Captain Noah and the additional staff member, Hannah that joined our charter. Joe was great at communicating the options of various dive sites and made our group feel comfortable with the dives planned, as we are all new to diving with less than 15 dives each. He communicated the dive plans very well on the boat and made sure that everyone in the group knew what to expect on each dive. We dove the Baby Barge site and Fantasy Reef, both were great sites. We were blessed with fairly calm seas and visibility at about 80 ft which was much better than our first day of diving. We were very happy with Joe and his team and would highly recommend him to charter another dive trip in the future. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same about the crew we had the first day of diving on 08/10/21. Andrew was our dive master, and he seemed relatively new to Reef Pirates. His group was all inexperienced divers with two people around 12 dives, one person with 6 dives and the last group member doing their first dive after OW. The dive plan was not discussed well, signals were not communicated prior to getting in the water and members of our group were not weighted correctly. It was assumed we all just knew what to do like an experienced dive group. On a normal dive these issues wouldn't have been that big of a deal, but visibility was around 8 ft or so under water, which made the dive sites more complicated. First, we had a group member surface more than once on the dive, which shouldn't happen. Secondly, it was admitted after the dives that our dive master lost us and the boat on more than one occasion. Thirdly, the communication wasn't set on the boat that was needed for us to know what was going on during the dive so a few of us came up to about 12 feet on more than one occasion because of improperly weighted group members and no communication as to what was happening above us. Luckily, they were shallow dives around 35 ft, so the risks were very minimal, but it did not make us feel very comfortable in the staff leading up to deeper dives. Thankfully Joe reassured us on our second dive day and we had AMAZING dives. We understand the diving industry suffered through COVID, and many people lost their jobs or their staff, and new staff is to be expected. We just hope in the future the crew knows their dive group a little better so they can work through issues and concerns to make sure everyone is diving with clear communication and is comfortable. Dive sites, visibility and the rough waters are definitely uncontrollable, but making sure things are well communicated and that all divers are safe is to be expected. To be honest if we had showed up with Andrew as our master on 8/12 for our second dive, we probably weren't going to dive based on overall safety because we were being pushed to do the Corsair dive site at over 100ft. Overall, we give Reef Pirates a 4 star because the second day was some of our best diving to date and Joe and his team deserve the higher rating. They were fantastic and made our dive trip memorable! We hope the rest of the crew working can work on safety and communication to meet the same standards we had on day 2. read more

I completed my PADI Open Water Diver Certification with Reef Pirates in mid-June, and I was so impressed with my experience! Joe is a great instructor - knowledgeable, patient, and friendly. And shout out to Satoshi and the rest of the Reef Pirates staff - they are all super awesome! The dive sites we visited in order to complete my certification were absolutely beautiful. So many turtles and all kinds of interesting marine life. If you are looking to get your certification, I highly recommend going through Reef Pirates! I will definitely be diving with them again! read more

We had a fantastic time with Joe, Min, and Chris. My husband and I are both certified but haven't been diving since we had kids. My three kids, who are 10, 13, and 15, have never been. We did the 2 dive Discover SCUBA intro and it was perfect. We decided to do a private charter for our family which was really special, and pretty close in price to going with others. We got to swim with turtles and some fun fish. I could tell Joe and Min were working to make sure we were having fun but also staying together and staying safe. It was a beautiful experience and definitely a highlight of our time in Hawaii! read more

See all

What a great experience I had with Pirate Reef Diving. Easy to book. Comfortable and safe ride and dives. Amazing marine life seen. Thanks Pete, Johnny and Orvil for an amAzing day diving. I will be back again and this time with my husband so he can learn with you guys. Thanks so much. read more

Reef Pirates Diving - Diving with Pirate Reef was amazing. Thanks Pete, Johnny and Orvil. - Scuba Diving Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I brought my kids (young adults) for our first scuba experience and it was excellent. Capt. Dan, Minh and Crash were great teachers. The water was pretty choppy today - but it was peaceful under the surface and incredible clarity. This was easily the best thing I did in Hawaii! Highly recommend! read more

Did two dives with Jennifer ("Supergirl") yesterday. There was only one other diver on the boat, so it was basically a semi private charter for the price of a group dive. They let us pick whatever dive sites we wanted but we went with the two they recommended- and Fantasy. I had only been diving one other time after my certification and was a bit nervous about my skills. read more

We did two certified dives, one wreck and one reef. Our guide, Crash, was incredible. He was energetic, friendly, and had a great personality. Safety was his priority, which I really appreciated. The company makes sure to keep the dive groups really small (max of 6 divers). This was key for such a great experience too. Overall, amazing experience. I highly recommend Reef Pirates Diving. read more

You have lots of choices when it comes to diving on Oahu. You're reading this to figure out who you want to dive with. Here's why I chose to dive with Reef Pirates to dive with and to finish my advance open water and Nitrox certifications. 1) No more than six divers. I went on a 3-tank dive with one other diver, and a 2-tank dive with 5. Small groups mean personal attention. That's a big deal if safety and experience is important to you - and it should be. 2) Safety first. They observe and watch over you as you dive. Direct you to things you might miss and answer all your questions. 3) Own their own boat(s). If you've ever gone out on non-specific dive boat, you know what a pain that can be. And rental equipment is first rate. And their shop is right on the water, ready to go. 4) Get to the sites first. No one likes to wait in line. Here's a tip. There are about 10 sites that all goes to and the first dive of the day is typically a deep wreck dive, like the Corsair or YO-237. After that, they go to shallower reef dive(s). If you get there first, you see the most. Period. We had the first sites of the day totally to ourselves. Just imagine 30 people swimming around a small plane - no thanks. I'm happy with the choice to dive with Reef Pirates and would choose them again over any other dive shop in Oahu. read more

We booked one of the 11:30 dives while we were on Oahu. Originally we were planning to go with some other dive shops closer to us on the North Shore, but one of our friends recommended Reef Pirates because of how accommodating and friendly they were. We have no regrets! My partner and I do not have much dive experience, and Reef Pirates was very accommodating. They took us out to Koko Craters and Turtle Canyons. What we especially liked about going out with them was that they seemed very flexible for dive sites/locations. If we had any particular site in mind, they'd be willing to take us out there. Next summer, we will definitely be going back and booking at least 2-3 trips with them. read more

See all

My wife and I spent two days diving with Reef Pirates and we couldn't be happier that we chose them as our dive operator. Everything that others have said about the benefits of a small boat and an early departure are absolutely true. When we hit the water, there was nobody else around. On one dive we saw so many turtles, I lost count (DM said he spotted 17)....This just doesn't happen when there are 20-30 divers in the water. Towards the end of our second dive each day, the other boats started to arrive, and it began to feel a bit crowded. Definitely glad we got out early. In addition to the great (and detailed) dive briefings and friendly crew, both of our DMs (Michael and Mir) gave us plenty of time and space to explore on our own. We were able to spread out and tour at our own pace, but the DMs were always nearby finding fun critters to point out, and making sure we were diving within our limits. Never rushing us, on our second dive, everyone was doing great on air and time, and as a result we all got to use the whole tank (coming up with about 800psi) during a 65 minute dive. Most other large operators have strict time limits and send you up regardless of how much you've got left in the bottle....not these guys! Finally, and most importantly, this operation is safety first, and really cares about making sure their divers have a great trip. When my wife got seasick during her first dive (which has never happened before....she's the one with the iron stomach), the DM and captain gave her plenty of time and space to settle herself before the second dive. Even though other divers were already in the water, they didn't rush her or push her to decide if she wanted to dive. As a result, she was able to drop in and have an excellent second dive of the day. If you're looking for a dive shop that will give you a quality experience and treats you like family, then this is your place. Wake up early and go diving with them. They're fantastic! read more

Reef Pirates lived up to everything promised on their website. I enjoyed every minute of the two tank morning charter (1 deep, 1 shallow). I was really impressed with the shuttle service provided by Reef Pirates. Elise, our awesome dive instructor, picked me up at the Hale Koa Hotel and the other three divers at nearby Wakiki hotels. The drive to Koko Marina was beautiful, and I really enjoyed getting know Elise and the other divers before we got on the boat. When we arrived at the marina, Pete, our fantastic boat captain, welcomed the crew. Pete and Elise had our gear ready and the boat loaded in no time. Our charter included a small group of only 4 divers, which was why I chose this company. It is safer to scuba dive with a small group, plus you get a more personable experience. Both dive spots were very close to the marina. Our deep dive was the majestic Corsair Plane Wreck, where we observed sand eels, a moray eel, an octopus with eggs, and the famous aircraft that the pilot ditched in 1946. The Corsair is hands down one of my favorite dives of all times. Next, we took a short cruise to our next dive site and munched on some fresh pineapple provided by Captain Pete! The shallow reef dive was really relaxed as we swam with many beautiful tropical fish and the oh so pleasant sea turtles. Pete and Elise took every opportunity to share the history of each location and very interesting facts about the sea life that we observed. I will definitely book my next Oahu dive with Reef Pirates Diving. read more