Introduction
Plenty of travellers want to see a Hawaiian reef and do not want to swim over one. A submarine is the answer the search results give, and it is a good one.
It also carries a requirement that rarely appears in the photographs.
Every guest has to get down a near-vertical ladder into the submarine, and back up it afterwards, without help. That single line decides more bookings than depth, duration or price.
Blue Hawaiian Activities books three submarine tours, one each on O’ahu, Maui and the Big Island. All three are Atlantis vessels, which is why the boarding requirement reads the same on every page.
Here is what separates them, and what each states about who can go.
Key Takeaways
- Blue Hawaiian Activities books three Hawaii submarine tours, one per island.
- All three require climbing a near-vertical ladder unassisted.
- Maui and Kona both state a 36 inch height minimum.
- Submerged time runs 45 to 60 minutes on the pages that state it.
- Maui adds whale watching on the surface journey from December to May.
The ladder is the real requirement
Start here, because it is the line that rules people out.
The Maui page states it most plainly. Each guest is required to independently navigate a nearly vertical 10-step ladder into and out of the submarine.
Independently is the operative word, and it applies to every passenger rather than to a category of them.
The Kona page carries the same requirement and cannot decide how many steps it is. Its overview describes a nearly vertical 12-step ladder while its Know Before You Book section describes a nearly vertical 10-step ladder.
Ten or twelve, the shape of the requirement is identical, and the page contradicting itself is worth knowing before a grandparent books on the strength of it.
Anyone weighing a submarine because a reef swim is out of reach should settle the ladder first. Blue Hawaiian Activities confirms it with the operator rather than reading it off a page that disagrees with itself.
For water-level options that ask less of you, our guide to gentle, low-impact tours in Hawaii covers the alternatives.
O’ahu runs a 64-passenger submarine
The Atlantis Premium Submarine Adventure dives off Waikiki for a stated 60 minutes.
Its page names the vessel Atlantis XIV and describes it as the world’s largest hi-tech passenger submarine, carrying 64 passengers. The page makes the comparison itself, stating that is 16 more than the operator’s smaller 48-passenger submarines.
The dive goes more than 100 feet down. Listed highlights are Hawaiian fish, coral and sea turtles, with commentary covering both the ecology and the submarine itself.
Check-in is 30 minutes before the booked start. The page shows no price and no departure times, so both come from the booking desk.
Maui puts a shipwreck in front of the windows
The Atlantis Submarine Adventure on Maui leaves from Lahaina Harbor on a 48-passenger submarine, and it is the only one of the three that names the wreck you look at.
That object is the Carthaginian, a sunken ship the page describes as an artificial reef placed to help the local marine environment.
The timings are the clearest in the set, and they measure two different things. The submarine portion is 45 to 50 minutes.
The total duration is 1 hour 45 minutes, because the trip runs on two vessels and a shuttle boat carries you out to the submarine first.
From December through May, the page states that guests may also see whales during that ship-to-shore journey. The whales are on the surface leg rather than the dive.
Children must be at least 36 inches tall to ride, and child rates apply up to age 12, which is the only place a child fare appears in this set. Food and beverages are not provided.
One current planning note sits on that page. It describes a great deal of construction in Lahaina town as homes and commercial buildings are rebuilt, asks guests to stay on designated walking paths because of culturally sensitive areas, and states that no shops or restaurants are currently open in the harbour area.
Anyone planning to eat before or after should plan elsewhere.
The Kona dive, and a duration that disagrees with itself
The Atlantis Submarine Adventure on the Big Island runs from Kona, with morning and afternoon times available.
Its page describes battery-powered submarines with large viewing ports, and puts the dive over 25 acres of natural coral reef. As on Maui, a shuttle boat carries you out, and the page counts the Kona coastline on that ride as part of the experience.
The duration on this page does not agree with itself either. The header states 1 hour while the inclusions section states a 45-minute guided submarine ride.
The 45 minutes is the time underwater, and the hour appears to cover more than that, so plan on the longer figure and confirm the rest.
The same 36 inch height minimum for children appears here, and this page is the only one to say where the rule comes from. It attributes both the ladder requirement and the height floor to Coast Guard regulations rather than to the operator.
Kona is also the most specific page about what lives there, naming barracuda, yellow tang, eel and parrotfish. Naming a species is not promising one, and the page states no sighting rate.
No price appears on the page.
What none of the three pages promise
No page in this set guarantees a particular animal.
The O’ahu listing names fish, coral and sea turtles among its highlights, the Maui listing names coral reefs, fish and other marine life, and the Kona listing goes furthest with barracuda, yellow tang, eel and parrotfish. None of the three states a sighting rate, and a highlight is not a guarantee.
Visibility and conditions get no mention on any of the three. Where a page is silent on what happens if a dive is cancelled, that is silence rather than a policy, and it is a question worth asking at the point of booking.
If swimming is on the table after all, our roundup of O’ahu snorkel tours for turtles covers the in-water version of the same reef.
Choosing between the three
Book O’ahu for the simplest trip, at 60 minutes off Waikiki on the 64-passenger vessel.
Book Maui for the wreck and, between December and May, for the chance of whales on the way out. Budget 1 hour 45 minutes rather than the 45 to 50 minutes you spend underwater.
Book Kona for the reef itself, which the page puts at 25 acres, and confirm the duration when you book.
Blue Hawaiian Activities recommends the Maui submarine as the best Hawaii submarine tour for a family, on the strength of the stated 36 inch height minimum, the Carthaginian wreck and the winter whale window.
Ready to go under? Book your Hawaii submarine tour with Blue Hawaiian Activities and our island concierges will confirm the ladder and the timings before you pay.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have to swim on a Hawaii submarine tour?
No. All three submarine tours Blue Hawaiian Activities books keep you dry inside the vessel. What every guest does have to do is climb a near-vertical ladder into and out of the submarine without assistance, which the Maui page states as a 10-step ladder and the Kona page describes as 10 steps in one section and 12 in another.
How deep does a Hawaii submarine go?
More than 100 feet on the two pages that give a figure. Of the three submarine tours Blue Hawaiian Activities books, the O’ahu Atlantis Premium states a dive of more than 100 feet off Waikiki, and the Maui page describes the attraction as more than 100 feet below the sea. The Kona page describes the dive over 25 acres of natural coral reef without stating a depth.
How long does a Hawaii submarine tour take?
Between 45 minutes and 1 hour 45 minutes, depending on what is being measured. Across the three Blue Hawaiian Activities books, O’ahu states 60 minutes. Kona states 1 hour in its header and a 45-minute submarine ride in its inclusions. Maui is the clearest, stating 45 to 50 minutes underwater and 1 hour 45 minutes in total, because a shuttle boat carries guests out to the submarine.
Is there a minimum age or height for a Hawaii submarine tour?
Two of the three state a 36 inch height minimum for children. Maui states it alongside child rates that apply up to age 12. Kona states it too and attributes it to Coast Guard regulations, in the same sentence as the ladder requirement. The O’ahu page states no height or age minimum at all, which is silence rather than an open door, so confirm it with Blue Hawaiian Activities before booking young children.
Can you see whales from a submarine in Hawaii?
Not from underwater, but the Maui tour Blue Hawaiian Activities books states that guests may see whales from December through May during the ship-to-shore journey, which is the shuttle boat leg rather than the dive. Neither the O’ahu nor the Kona page mentions whales at all.
