Handi-Divers received the following question-  "I will be traveling to Oahu for my honeymoon in two weeks. I am a quadriplegic, and I would really like to snorkel while I'm there. I read about the diving you did in Oahu. Do you know of any companies or diving instructors who may be able to take me?"

In response, Handi-Divers offers the following reply-

First of all, congratulations on your wedding. I wish you the very best. For travel, I think you are making a great choice. Oahu is my favorite island because it is very accessible and has lots of stuff to do. Other people like Maui better, and that is also an accessible choice, but I like Oahu best.

Oahu has a great public bus system. Now that I understand the buses, I won't consider renting a car. All public busses can take wheelchairs, including electric wheelchairs. Even with most activities, they pick you up at your hotel in their own bus, so transportation is never an issue. With an electric chair, the experience will be different. There is a cab company there with an accessible minivan. I can look it up for you if you like.

In general, everything on this island is accessible. They may not advertise as being accessible but most places will make every effort to include and serve all tourists

With snorkeling, you have four options:

The first option is something I have done and definitely recommend. **Actually snorkeling from the beach.** Hanunuma Bay is really the best place to start because it is totally controlled- no surf to speak of, especially on the inner bay. Snorkeling Haunuma Bay is lots of fun. I definitely will do that again. You won't need a guide. There are people and lifeguards everywhere. It is best to go in the morning, if you can, before too many other people have the chance to kick up a lot of sand. Visibility in the water should be better if you go early, but even if you go late, it is still a great place to go. You should buy a book about it before you go and study all the sea creatures you expect to encounter. You are sure to run across several different, really interesting things there. I like the Lonely Planet book for Diving & Snorkeling Hawaii.

You can also snorkel with ease at Waikiki beaches, I have done that several times. The State of Hawaii provides beach wheelchairs at most all beaches. These wheelchairs have balloon style tires and with these chairs, you can more easily move over the sand. Go to a lifegaurd station and ask for one. They will give you one and will probably also help you out over the sand, depending on who is there and how busy they are. The surf at Waikiki usually isn't too rough but there are tons of other people there, so conditions vary.

Your next option is something I have never done, because I already dive. **It is called SNUBA.** Snuba is a cross between snorkeling and scuba. You don't wear any of the scuba equipment, so you can't dive very deep. Instead of a snorkel, you have a regulator (mouthpiece with an air hose) that is attached to something called a Hooka. A hooka is an air tank that floats on the surface. Your regulator is attached to the hooka (air tank) and so you can breath the same as in scuba. The regulator hose is pretty long, like maybe 30 feet or so. Maybe they have a guide you can hire to be with you, I don't know. It is probably less expensive than the last option. I think they dive off of platforms, just slightly off shore. It actually looks pretty fun and I want to try that. It is made for snorklers, so the conditions should be good (not a lot of surf). Probably they take people out to the platform on either a jet ski or a boat. Different companies will have different ways of doing it.

The third option is also something I have not done, but my wife and son have and they loved it. **It is snorkeling with dolphins.** You go out on the dive boat but this time it is with all snorkelers and the goal is to follow dolphins. Since dolphins are so much faster than people, when they leave one area, everyone gets back in the boat and the boat goes to where the dolphins are. Then everyone gets back in the water and snorkels until the dolphins leave again. I'm not sure how long these trips are but probably there are morning and afternoon trips.

The fourth option is not something I have ever tried, because I already dive. Sometimes, when we go out on the dive boat, not everyone is a scuba diver. **Some people go out on the dive boat just to snorkel.** That is to say, the dive boat holds ten divers, for example. Maybe there are six scuba divers and two snorklers and two empty spots. If you want to do it that way, you would hire a dive operator who you like. On Oahu I always dive with Aaron's Dive shop. Their staff is always excellent. No matter who you have with you leading the trip, it will always be someone really knowledgeable, safe and fun. So say you decide to call Aaron's Dive shop. You tell them you want to go out on the dive boat as a snorkler. Probably the price is less than what they charge for divers. You can buy a seat on the boat, or buy two seats, one for you and one for your bride.  In this case, you would be able to hire a guide who would be with you at all times. The guide would totally help you with anything you need. This is probably the most expensive way to go. It also may be the LEAST fun because you'd be with scuba divers and they like to go out to spots where the diving is great but the snorkeling may not be. If they go diving on the South side of the island, no problem for snorklers. If they decide to go on the North Shore to dive- that is definitely no fun to snorkel in because that is the Windward side- that means it the wind always creates more surf. Scuba divers won't really worry about it because they are below the surface, but for anyone bobbing around up top, seasickness is a potential risk. (Remember, eating Ginger Root is great to prevent seasickness.) Sometimes they don't decide what side of the island they will dive until the last minute because conditions change. The side by Waianae (West) may be good snorkeling, I don't know. We usually take the dive boat when we go to that side of the island, and the diving is great. Maybe the snorkeling is good too, I can't say.

Don't forget to take the Aquarium tour, that is excellent. Be sure to include a Luau. Of course, no first time trip to Oahu is complete without a day to the Polynesian Cultural Center.

If I can be of further assistance, please don't hesitate to ask.

Sincerely

-Pete

I think you will be most happy with Hanuama Bay. They do have beach wheelchairs there, for sure. Being that the wheelchairs have balloon tires, the tires float. So the whole chair floats. Even if you are really heavy, it's not like the 'chair will go very far into the water. The beach chair is mainly used to cross over the sand with much less work. You can't push it yourself, in most cases, but neither do you have to go very far. It is also good to use because it keeps your regular chair from getting any more sand or salt water than necessary. If you tried doing the beach in your regular chair, which I also have done, it gets covered in sand.

Basically, you transfer from your chair to the beach chair. Then someone pushes you across the sand, up into the water just a bit. Then you transfer to the beach, same as transferring to the floor. HAVE AN EXTRA CUSHION READY. Then you crawl to the water. From there it is very fun. BE SURE TO PROTECT YOUR FEET! There are special shoes that divers wear, called Scuba Booties. I always use them, even in the pool, because they protect my feet. In a place like Haunuma Bay, you definitely want to protect your skin from abrasions. Coral can cut skin. I have never got cut while snorkeling anywhere, but it is something to be aware of.

As far as transferring into and out of the beach chair, from the water, it is pretty much the same as transferring to and from the floor from your everyday chair. People are there and they will help you. They have helped me and many others. Yes it is a little embarrassing sometimes but it's not a big deal for most people. In the water, you will see some parrot fish at Hanuama Bay and some other fish as well. Hawaii isn't the Caribbean. The reefs are different and not as spectacular in many respects. There are lots of great reefs in Hawaii but not like the Caribbean. Hawaii has different things to offer and in many respects is better. The bay is divided into two parts: inner and outer. I've only done the inner bay because it is really easy and relaxing. The outer bay requires more skill because the tide can pull a person pretty far out, pretty quickly. Believe it or not, they are really well separated. The way the reef is, you can't accidentally get pulled out from the inner reef. If you are in the inner reef, you are totally safe.

With Aaron's, they are my favorite dive shop in Hawaii for sure, but it sounds like you may not be ready for something like that. You can call them and ask to talk to someone who has worked with wheelchair users before. Ask what days they will be diving the south side of the island, that will be the side with the least surf. Again, that is only if you think you are up for the challenge. For this type of vacation it may be better to go with the more touristy type stuff. It all depends on how you feel and what you are able to do. With Aarons, also, they pick you up at your hotel but it is in a regular van, no lift. If you are not comfortable transferring into and out of that type of vehicle, that is something to consider. Yes, they will help you will all transfers but you have to tell them exactly what they need to do to help you.

As far as getting into and out of the boat- from the parking lot, they will carry you. Usually you and your chair together, depending on what you prefer. You have to tell them what you are most comfortable with.

Getting into and out of the boat from the water- some of the boats they use have swim platforms. That is the easiest and is similar to getting into and out of a pool (without a lift.) Other boats do not have swim platforms. Since they may not know what boat they are using until the day of the dive, this is one reason you may not want to go out on a boat. If you go on a boat that has no swim platform, getting back in can be tricky. Since we can't climb the ladders like all the other divers do, we have to literally crawl back into the boat, usually over the gunnels, which can be dangerous if there is a bit of surf. Remember, in Hawaii, it is not the Caribbean. There is surf.

Diving with able bodied folks has advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes it is better because you see things you wouldn't see when you are with a group of disabled divers. Sometimes it is more difficult because the boat goes to places that are more difficult to dive.

If you are with a group of disabled divers/snorklers, it is always easy, guaranteed. Groups like Handicapped Scuba Association or Dive Pirates are my two favorite groups. Stay Focused is another good group. Each has a slightly different focus but all these groups are on my links page.

If I had to guess, I would say the reason you have not heard back from the companies yet is because they typically don't encounter wheelchair users. Probably the person reading the e-mail has to ask someone else, typically the owner, and wait for a response. I know I have been diving with many of the staff at Aaron's.

It sounds to me like you would be most happy in both Haunuma Bay and the Beaches at Waikiki. Those two you can do without hiring any help because lifeguards are at both locations and both locations have beach wheelchairs. You won't see any fish at Waikiki beaches but it is really fun because it is such a historic thing to do.

As far as anything else you would like to explore, I think once you get someone from Aaron's on the phone, they will be more than willing to help you arrange something. Even if it's not something with them, they can probably figure out how to get you doing what you want to do. Maybe one of the guides there (also called Dive Masters) knows a place and is willing to go there with you, on the side. Probably you can hire one of their dive masters to be your guide on one of the snuba trips.

If you had more time, I would recommend practicing in the pool first. It makes a big difference if you are already comfortable in the water. When all these little bits of stress start to add up, it can subtract from the fun. If you are already comfortable in the water, then it will be easier to enjoy everything.