Places on Oahu: Atlantis Submarine at Waikiki

Basic Information

• Name: Atlantis Submarines
• Where: Waikiki, Oahu
• Cost: Adult $105, Child $38 (ticket info)
• Hours: 9AM-3PM
• More Information: Atlantis Adventures

Directions

Getting to the dock where the ship departs to access the Atlantis Submarine is very easy.  It is located at one of the biggest resorts in Hawaii, the Hilton Hawaiian Village.  The resort is within walking distance of most hotels in Waikiki.  For those driving the easiest way to get to the Hilton is by taking Highway 92, Ala Moana Boulevard which passes right by the resort:

Parking

Parking is available at the Hilton Hawaiian Village parking garage.  The Atlantis Submarine operators will validate your parking ticket to give you a discounted rate of $10 for 4 hours of parking. There is also free parking over at the marina adjacent to the Hilton for those lucky enough to get a spot.

Narrative

My kids have been hitting me up to take them on the Atlantis Submarine in Waikiki.  I figured it was just some overpriced tourist trap like many of the attractions in Waikiki area.  However, when I researched the Atlantis Submarine operation I found out that yes it is expensive, but they do offer “kamaaina discounts” for locals.  The discount will knock about 50% off of the ticket price which actually makes the submarine an affordable family experience.  After paying for tickets online the next day I headed over to the enormous Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki to find the dock for the Atlantis Submarine operation:

Port Hilton, where Atlantis Submarines operates from, was very easy to find by just walking over to the beach behind the resort:

After showing the attendant my online reservation, we were led over to a holding area to wait for the next boat that would take us out to the submarine:

While we waited at the dock we saw a number of these long, skinny fishes in the water below us:

From the dock we also had nice views of some of the nearby hotels such as the Hale Koa Hotel that sits adjacent to the Hilton Hawaiian Village.  The Hale Koa is a military hotel that offers great room rates for active duty military and veterans:

The next major hotel over from the Hale Koa, is the Trump Intercontinental Hotel.  This hotel sits across the street from the US Army Museum of Hawaii which has had problems in the past keeping anti-Trump protesters off of its property:

The view of Diamond Head Crater from the dock was a post card just waiting to happen if it wasn’t so cloudy out:

After waiting for about 30 minutes the boat that would take us out to the submarine returned to drop off passengers and board the next group going out to the submarine:

The boat that goes out to the submarine is large with seats both within its interior and outside.  For people that get sea sick it is recommended to sit outside:

As the boat pulled away from the dock we had some nice views of Waikiki:

Arguably the most famous hotel in Waikiki, the historic Royal Hawaiian was easily noticeable due to its pink color:

We also had some nice views of Diamond Head Crater:

Here is a closer look at the world famous Diamond Head:

Near Diamond Head we could see the Waikiki Natatorium War Memorial.  The memorial was built back in 1927 to honor World War I veterans, but has been left in a state of disrepair and is closed off to visitors now:

As we got further out to sea we had expansive views of the Ko’olau Range that backdrops Honolulu:

Here is a closer look at the 3,149 foot Pu’u Konahuanui the highest peak in the Ko’olau Range:

Here is a closer look at the 2,486 foot Mt. Olympus that I have previously hiked up and the Honolulu neighborhood that steeply climbs up the side of the Ko’olau Range to the start of the Wa’ahila Ridge Trail:

We were able to take in the views of Oahu for about 15 minutes before the boat reached the submarine:

The boat docked along side of the submarine and everyone walked down a stairway to board the submarine:

To get aboard the submarine a ladder has to be descended which my four year old son had no problems getting down.  The attendants were available to assist those with mobility issues.  Once on board there are seats on each side of the submarine for visitors to sit on:

Each visitor has their own porthole they are able to look out:

The windows were very large and easy to see through:

Each visitor is also given a guidebook to help identify fish seen outside the submarine:

The submarine drops down to a depth of below 109 feet to explore the ocean floor:

There are plenty of fish to see during the submarine ride, but what people may not realize is that Waikiki does not have a scenic coral reef.  This is what most of the ocean floor looks like:

What Atlantis Submarines has done is placed man made objects in the water as substitute reefs to draw in fish:

It may not be pretty, but the structures work in regards to providing a home for fish:

One of the structures is a sunken ship:

The sunken ship was covered in fish:

Another structure is a sunken airplane:

As we traversed the ocean floor we even saw a manta ray passing by:

After about 45 minutes of being below the water the submarine resurfaced and we all reboarded the transport ship.  From the boat we once again enjoyed nice views of Honolulu, the Ko’olau Range, and Diamond Head Crater:

Also while on the ship we had the chance to spot another of the Atlantis Submarines resurfacing:

About 15 minutes later we found ourselves back at Port Hilton:

Conclusion

Overall I highly recommend that all locals take advantage of the “kamaaina discount” and go and take a trip on the Atlantis Submarine.  I really feel like my family and I got our money’s worth with our trip on the submarine.  The operation is well organized and the crew members were great.  They were especially good at interacting with children which made the trip even funner for them.  With that said I would not have booked this trip at the regular rate which to me seems overly expensive for what you get.  It is not surprising that it is expensive considering everything in Waikiki is overpriced.  This makes me that much more appreciate that Atlantis Submarines offers a kamaaina discount so my kids could experience the fun ride on the submarine.