Submarine vs Glass-Bottom Boat vs Scooter in Waikiki 2026

Booking choice: The Atlantis Submarine, from $151 per person. Check dates Compare the options below

The names are confusing: the "submarine scooter" is not a submarine, and the glass-bottom boat never dives. Here is what each actually does, and who each suits.

The quick answer

Choose the Atlantis Submarine to go 100 feet down past wrecks, dry. Choose the glass-bottom boat for an hour on the surface at a third of the price. Choose the submarine scooter to be in the water with turtles and reef fish, even as a non-swimmer, from age 10.

How do they compare side by side?

The submarine is the deepest and driest, the boat the cheapest and easiest, the scooter the most hands-on.

	Atlantis Submarine	Glass-bottom boat	Submarine scooter
From (adult)	$151	$46	$188
How deep	About 100 ft	Surface	Shallow reef
Wet or dry	Dry	Dry	Wet
Length	2 hours (45 min under)	1 hour	2 hours
Leaves from	Hilton Hawaiian Village	Kewalo Basin	Koko Marina, Hawaii Kai
Ages	36 in and taller	Young children welcome	10 and over
Rating	4.4 (1,347)	4.6 (2,371)	4.8 (2,426)

Leaning towards depth? Check the submarine's morning slots.

Check dates for the Atlantis Submarine

What does the submarine give you that the boat cannot?

Depth: the submarine sits among the wrecks at about 100 feet, with fish at eye level outside your window.

From the glass-bottom boat you look down through panels at shallower water. You see more sunlight and colour near the surface, but nothing of the deep wrecks.

A shipwreck seen through a submarine viewport — Only the submarine reaches the wrecks.

What is the glass-bottom boat like?

A one-hour cruise from Kewalo Basin along Waikiki toward Diamond Head, looking down at the reef through panels in the hull.

The crew spots turtles and dolphins, and whales in winter. There is a shaded deck and a restroom on board, you can bring your own drinks, and parking at the harbour is extra.

Passengers on a glass-bottom boat looking over the side at turquoise water — The glass-bottom boat stays on the surface.

Want the ocean on a budget? The glass-bottom boat is an hour on the water for a third of the submarine price.

★ 4.6 2,371 reviews · 1 hour · from $46

Explore the glass-bottom boat

What is a submarine scooter?

A one-person underwater scooter with an air dome over your head: you breathe normally and steer along the reef a few metres down.

It leaves from Koko Marina in Hawaii Kai, east of Diamond Head, with a catamaran ride out into Maunalua Bay, snacks and gear included. Riders must be 10 or older; you do not need to swim.

A row of yellow underwater scooters with clear air domes — The scooters, ready for the next group.

Which is best for non-swimmers?

All three work: the submarine and the boat keep you dry, and the scooter's air dome means you never have to swim.

If getting wet is the worry, choose the submarine or the boat. If the worry is only swimming, the scooter gives the most memorable close-up.

Which is best for young children?

The glass-bottom boat, which welcomes young children; the submarine needs kids at least 36 inches tall, and the scooter is 10 and over.

See the Atlantis Submarine with kids for the height and ladder rules.

Which is best value?

The glass-bottom boat for the price, the submarine for the one-of-a-kind experience, the scooter for the most time close to marine life.

Remember the travel time too: the submarine and the boat leave from Waikiki's edge, while Koko Marina is about a 30-minute drive east.

What about snorkelling or a first scuba dive?

If you can swim, the Turtle Canyon snorkel and the beginner scuba dive get you closer to the fish for less money.

The Turtle Canyon snorkel ($99) offers a free second trip if you see no turtles, and the beginner scuba dive ($85) includes a video of your first breaths underwater.

Happy to swim? Snorkel with green turtles at Turtle Canyon.

Check dates for the Turtle Canyon snorkel