I have not been to Hawaii, but I have scubaed in the Caribbean. Its not hard to do and you can get certified within a matter of weeks, depending on your instructor's schedule.
As for the having a hard time breathing, that is probably because she tried to hold her breath, you NEVER hold your breath while scuba diving or she had a panic attack.
Personally I think people should learn how to free dive or at least snorkel before getting involved with scuba diving, but that's a personal opinion.
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