Bucket List / Experience Goals
Savour A Submarine Tour
Still to do
Sink thirty metres beneath the Pacific in a real submarine as turtles, reef sharks and shipwrecks drift past the porthole.
The adventure
A short boat ride from the beach brings you alongside the submarine, sitting low in the water. You climb down the hatch into a cabin lined with big round portholes, take your seat, and the surface light fades from turquoise to deep blue as you descend. Because the cabin stays at surface pressure, your ears don't even pop.
Off Waikiki, the pilot steers you towards sunken ships and an artificial reef that has become home to the island's sea life. Schools of yellow tang and butterflyfish flash past the glass, green sea turtles glide by, and sometimes a whitetip reef shark patrols the wreck. It's the deep-sea world divers see, with no scuba, no swimming and no getting wet, which makes it perfect for non-swimmers and children.
Why it’s epic
- Dives to around 30 metres, deeper than most recreational snorkellers and many divers go.
- Shipwrecks and artificial reefs teeming with tropical fish and green sea turtles.
- A cabin kept at surface pressure, so there's no ear pain or decompression.
- Atlantis Submarines operates in Hawaii and the Caribbean, including Barbados and Aruba.
What it is
Tourist submarines dive to reefs and shipwrecks.
How to do it
Atlantis Submarines operate in Hawaii and elsewhere.
Top tip
Choose a calm day.
Need to know
- No swimming ability is needed, but people with strong claustrophobia may find the cabin cramped.
- Visibility is best on calm, sunny days, so book early in your trip in case of cancellations.
- Most dives last under an hour underwater, with a short boat ride out to the submarine.
Plan this trip
- Rough cost
- £750 to £2,000 per person, including flights from the UK
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Best time to go
- All year
- Fly into
- HNL airport
A submarine dive costs more than a snorkelling trip, but far less than learning to scuba dive.
Make it happen
Some of these are affiliate links: if you book through them I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. More about this.
Why it’s on my list
The idea of taking a submarine tour really appeals to me, as a non swimmer (at time of writing) I want to see more of what lies beneath the oceans. When the submarine goes down you can see corals, sunken ships, treasures, and fish through large viewports without even getting wet.
Comments