Ania "plchick" L.'s Profile

Oahu Diving is one experience you do NOT want to miss when you're in Hawaii. Whether you're a seasoned diver or just wanting to do it for the first time, there is no better place!

Erik (the instructor) is just one of those guys that make you feel comfortable and relaxed even though, I guarantee you, you will have some jitters if you're going for the first time. He gives you all the basics; how to breathe, what to do, how to communicate underwater; describes the equipment, why you need it - & then lets you get familiarized with it, etc. He describes the marine life, what you can touch and what can bite your fingers off; assures you that sharks are not going to harm you, and that you will see some very cool things! So you need to relax, breathe, and just enjoy it!

After all the briefings, we start going and it takes about 10-15 minutes to get to the first location... (all along, you are surrounded by the beauty of Waikiki, its beachfront, as well as Diamond Head). We get all of our gear on, buckle up, and are ready for the first plunge! Believe me, the first few minutes will not be the most pleasant minutes of your life... breathing is definitely different, it will take a few minutes to adjust... you will float just a few feet underwater for 5-10 minutes to get the hang of it and get (more) comfortable. Once you're good there, you'll start using the line to descend; do it slowly, the pressure is more than I expected and your ears might be affected, but you can control that the same way you can control change in altitude on a plane.
Once you're down... I promise you, you will be amazed! You can swim freely and take in all the incredible sea life. Most likely, you will see turtles, a shark or two, tons of colorful fish, sea urchins, maybe some rays or octopuses. It's nothing like you'd think it would be, it's a thousand times better! to have those animals swim right next to you, almost touching you :).

Every so often, Erik will check up on you to make sure you have enough air left. And since it was just the five of us (including Erik), everyone got plenty of attention. We were under for maybe 25-30 minutes, and had a good supply of air left when we came up.

We change our tanks, and head out to another location. Yes, two dives!!! In two different spots! Can it get any better than this? YES, it can! Erik takes pictures & video of the whole adventure!

We get to the other location. All of us are a lot more comfortable and relaxed. The second dive is really about exploring and really enjoying all the surroundings, because by that time, you're more accustomed to breathing.

After we're done with the second dive, we start heading back... & sharing all of our experiences. That same evening, we get to see our pictures! A few days later, we got the video!

It is so amazing to be able to do such a thing... words can't explain how awesome the feeling of diving is! I am definitely getting certified now. Oahu Diving might just be the place I'll do it with!

I booked a lesson (first time for me) for the morning surf last Sunday. I'm pretty active and I snowboard (not well, but I do), so I thought that will help me... which it did. I have weak arms and upper body, but I was able to stand up on the surf board a few times that morning... had tons of fun & met some great people.

Anyway, so it started up with the morning pick up. They were very professional and on time. Van was clearly marked and came at the time they said it would. Staff is super friendly, as you'd notice right away. We made a few more stops and picked up a couple more people, and we were on our way. It took about 30-40 minutes to get to the beach. Don't worry about the commute back and forth... it really is worth going a little bit off the beaten track, because as you will see, the place we got to was great. Not too many people. In fact, it was our group... and maybe another 4-5 people. The weather was perfect and it was not crowded. The waves were only couple feet high, so it was just right for me!

We put on our reef shoes and rash guards and were ready for the instructions. Sean gave us all the pointers when we were still on the beach, the basics, instructions, movements, warnings... etc. They will even tell you how to fall properly so you don't injure yourself. And will also inform you about wild life (like sharks - which were my big concern). Then we got on the boards (still on the sand) and practiced getting up. It seemed like everyone was getting the hang of it, so next step was to get into the water... so, off we went! Great 80 degree water! Felt awesome!

Noah was helping me out in the water! Explained the basics of when you should start paddling and that it should be a little harder and faster when you trying to catch the wave (we came up with PPM's - paddles per minute). They picked the waves for us and gave us a push when it was time to go. After a while, I didn't need pushing anymore... I was paddling by myself and catching most of the waves. Don't get me wrong, I fell quite a few times too, but that's what it's all about: having fun even when you're doing belly flops :)

After some time, you will notice it's much harder to paddle back out; you get to hang out and wait for that "perfect wave" a little longer than at the beginning. You will get tired, because the lesson is long enough that you can get back out there many times... at least 12-15 times (if not more) - it all depends how hard you want to "work" at it.

It seems that Hawaiian Fire is a bit more pricey than other surfing places. Please do not let that stop you from choosing them, I promise you will NOT be disappointed. Great equipment, super friendly instructors, and just ton of fun!

Mahalo nui loa to Noah for a fantastic morning on the water!

P.S. Don't forget to PUT ON SOME SUNBLOCK, especially on the back of your knees!!! & bring some water!

Fantastic job on my car! No bubbles anywhere and lifetime warranty! My car looks like it's been manufactured with tinted windows! Can this get any better?

Scott is a great guy that will explain everything to you before you put the tints on: what's legal, how it's done, warranty, how dark you can go, what windows you can tint, and that.. yes, you can actually get it done in the middle of winter, and will also give you a great price!
Only done by appointment. Bring something to read or watch if you want to wait because it will take a good few hours (depending on your car). I have an Altima Coupe, tinted windows all around (besides windshield, of course) & it took 3 hours, give or take a couple minutes.

If you're thinking about tinting, go see Scott! I'm from the NW suburbs and it was totally worth the drive! 5 stars!

Such a cute little place... will definitely need a reservation when it becomes more popular.
Went to dinner with my boyfriend on Friday night.. place was half full and filling up quickly (it's a very small, but cozy place). BYOB is a plus since you can bring what you want to drink. The sushi was THE BEST-est in town.. so fresh, so delicious, just amazing! i cannot say enough good things. Specialty rolls were different from other places, many delicious choices.
But don't just take my word for it, go support this newly opened hidden gem!

So, it seems most of my reviews are of meat places... well, I love a good steak! And, oh boy... G&G's raised the bar!!!

The only reason why this place received 4 stars instead of 5, is because it is VERY expensive. Dinner for two (with one appetizer, one drink for each, one side, and split dessert) was approximately $175.... and that's a little steep for me. Oh, another thing is: the meals are served in a very simple manner.. no artsy stuff on the plate, no decorations.. here is what you ordered, enjoy! And OMG, did we enjoy!!! We both got the fillet mignon... very BIG cut (about 16 oz.), it was made to perfection. A little crispy on the outside, perfectly medium done on the inside...oh, I'm salivating just thinking about it ;)

The place has got a kind of a weird setup up - no hostess to direct you (we asked some guy at the bar, he told us to go to he back and then upstairs).

Other than that, everything was delicious!

Hands down... the BEST Brazilian steakhouse in Chicago!!! The meat is amazing; it melts in your mouth. I tried pretty much all the other steakhouses in Chicago, and TdB comes close, but Fogo is the original, and it seems the whole meat thing is just natural for them.
The minute we walked in, we were warmly greeted and seated within a couple minutes. This place gets booked out, so, reserve a spot if you want to go there on any weekend day (especially if you have a bigger group). The salad bar is not as big as the one at TdB in Chicago, but from our conversation with the manager, it seems they are fine with that (they are sticking to the originality). However, all the selections were great! Service was a little slow, but we were expecting that on a Saturday evening. I can't say any more good things about the meat, it is absolutely outstanding!

Papaya cream for dessert is always my favorite pick! Although the strawberry cheesecake looked delicious as well.

Quite honestly... I'd love to give this place 5 stars, but I was REALLY disappointed with their entrees... Chicken - dry, Salmon - bland... no flavor whatsoever... However, the appetizers are fabulous!!!

If you decide to go there for dinner, instead of the main dish, get a few appetizers, your taste buds will appreciate the many flavors. Oh, and don't forget about the mojitos!!! Try the raspberry one, you will not be disappointed!!! The flavor is phenomenal!

For desert, I would go with the cheesecake! Yummy!

Eehhh... the salon itself looks great! The November special was the best thing ever! 50% off any service... heck yeah!!! and then another 3 of the same service at half off as well.. even better!

My triple moisture massage was awesome! Inga (5 stars for you!!!) was great, and my body was truly moisturized and felt nice and smooth for quite some time.

BUT!!! when I called to make an appointment (sometime at the end of October), I made an appointment for a triple moisture massage, hydrating manicure, and hydrating pedicure... well.. they did have my massage scheduled for that Saturday morning, BUT somehow my manicure & pedicure were scheduled for the day before. And of course, Saturday morning is probably one of their busiest times, they could not "squeeze" me in for any of my hydrating treatments... i did get a pedicure that was mediocre... I can do that myself! and changed my nail polish on my hands. the polish started chipping off after a few days...

The only reason I will go back there is to see Inga...

The checkout took forever, they never apologized for the mess-up with scheduling... sucky customer service! I was expecting a nice relaxing day, and I left pissed off :(

MEAT!!! meat, meeeeat, meaat, more meet? yes, please. i want some meat. bacon wrapped fillet? sirloin? lamb? pork? parmesan chicken? meat! Meat. Meat... did somebody say meat?!?!?! ;)

This place is amazing! (although it is pretty pricey). I would recommend signing up for their email newsletter and you will get half off dinner coupons every few months. The meat is unbelievable! I find it one of the best in town. It is pretty salty, but I guess that's normal. I live in Schaumburg and the TdB at Woodfield is really nice too! However, here, they have fresh made sushi, and quite a large selection too! All the selections are fantastic!

The salad bar is very filling in itself... but don't make a mistake of satisfying your hunger by just eating salads and cheese, and sushi, and potatoes, and lobster bisque, and cold meats, and nuts, and bacon, and bread... yes! They do have a huge selection by the salad bar, but you do not want to stuff yourself because you will miss out on some great meats!

As for the drinks! Delicious!!! Strong, but very well mixed, stirred, and shaken! Bellini Brazilian martini is a dessert in itself!

YUM!!!!

We just spent a very lazy weekend in Estes Park. We ate well, and drank even better ;)

The wine menu isn't as long as I thought it would be, but what's on it, is some great choices! The wine flights are definitely the best option here... you get to try different wines (2 oz. each!) for only $11. They also have a short list of beers.
As for the food/cheese and meat plates... they were great! Much bigger than I expected them to be, and stuffed with olives, bread, apples, craisins and walnuts. We only had the 1 cheese & 1 meat plate, but it was perfect for an evening snack!