MaryW - 2/02/2012 8:40 PM
I’m a newby too, and you are doing exactly the right thing by asking lot of questions. You can easily get certified in time to go to Hawaii, but one thing that helped me in our first actual ocean experience was to hire a dive master for our first ocean dives in Cozumel. Money well spent in my opinion. Have fun! Report back! I would love to hear about Hawaii!!