Atlantis Adventures - Premium Submarine Tour

Atlantis Adventures' Submarine Tour is something I've been wanting to take my kids on for a long time.  My husband and I enjoyed a tour that we went on years and years ago, and I knew my kids would love the tour too.  Since all of my kids now meet the minimum 36" height requirement and would be able to go down the very steep ladder into the submarine, I couldn't wait to take them!

There are two different submarine tours - a Standard Tour aboard a 48-passenger, 65-foot long submarine, and a Premium Tour aboard the 64-passenger, 100-foot long Atlantis XIV, which also happens to be the world's largest passenger submarine.

The Atlantis 64 XIV in the foreground; the Atlantis 48 in the background.

We opted for the Premium Tour, which has larger view ports, as well as individual seating (vs bench-style seating on the standard tour).

The day of our tour was a beautiful day.

After checking-in at the Port Hilton, we boarded the Atlantis Discovery, which took us out to the submarine.

We had great views of the Waikiki shoreline and Diamond Head.

In just 10-15 minutes we arrived at the Atlantis XIV submarine.  My kids had no problems going down the very steep ladder, and the submarine was a lot more spacious than I had expected!  We were even seated close to the Captain, so it was very cool for the kids to see the big view port and all the controls.

As soon as we sat down we could see fish swimming by!

Our tour guide went over a safety briefing, and soon we were on our way.

The battery-operated submarine would take us by several artificial reefs, and one natural reef, and go to a maximum depth of 110-feet (it is actually able to go down to 750-ft deep, but is only certified to 150-feet with passengers).

The man-made reefs consisted of concrete "pyramids," two sunken ships, two sunken airplanes, and structures designed in Japan. The Pali O Pono reef is part of an ancient lava flow. The reefs were quite a sight, and we saw so many fish near the reefs!

I spy a puffer fish!

So many fish!

We saw all kinds of fish, as well as a turtle, stingray, and more!

More fish!

Can you see the turtle?

Stingray

The larger view ports on the Premium Tour were great.   I highly recommend going on the Premium Submarine Tour.  When my husband and I went on a tour years ago, we went on the Standard Tour.  The bigger view ports make a really big difference.  We could more easily see marine life and take better pictures! 

I love that a Dive Log is given, providing more information about the submarines, the ecosystem, as well a checklist of fish and other sea creatures that were possible to see.

Our guide was great - funny and knowledgeable, providing the guests with a lot of information about the submarine, the reefs, and the marine life, and also giving visitors a lot of suggestions in terms of other places to visit while on Oahu.

Everyone in my family enjoyed the tour, and we all agreed it was cool to see the stingray and turtle swim by!

I personally was impressed with the efforts of Atlantis' Submarines' efforts in creating the man-made reefs to help Hawaii's ecosystem and those studying it.  The submarine tour was a lot of fun, and very educational too!

What a way to spend the morning - deep beneath the sea, in the comfort of the world's largest passenger submarine.

For more information on Atlantis Adventures' Submarine Tours, click here.

$10 validated parking for 4 hours at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Self Parking Garage

Thank you to Atlantis Adventures for providing complimentary admission for myself and members of my family.  A media rate was paid for one member of my family.  All opinions are my own.