Considering Diving Ni'ihau in September. Is it worth it?

[waitingaroundtodive]

The trip to Ni'ihau sounds amazing. I was in Kaua'i last September and didn't go because tales of the channel crossing on the way back made it sound like a couple of hours of seasick agony. That being said, if I'd been there earlier in the summer I might have gone anyway...a friend went and said it was the best dive EVER particularly Vertical Awareness. I love deep dives, so I was bummed after she got back and said the channel crossing wasn't "that bad" but apparently it's the luck of the draw (keep in mind that she doesn't get seasick. Ever). I HAVE done the Molokini back wall dive with her several days before her Ni'ihau experience. I thought it was unbelievable...she said Ni'ihau dives (the first two, she thought the third dive was just average) beat the back wall hands down (she was especially enamoured by a monk seal, and she said the vis was unsurpassed). She too went with Seasport because of the fact that their boats seemed better equipped for the crossing than Fathom Five. I went on a morning dive with Seasport, they did a fine job. In summation, I'd say go unless you are bothered by violent seasickness. She said it was worth every penny. Btw, the manta ray dive on the Big Island is a MUST DO. Your wife will love the snorkeling--my SO (who can't dive because of ear problems) adored it as well. It's a great trip for diving/non diving partners, both will have a blast. Have fun!

 

[djmccarthy]

Thanks for the input. Much appreciated! Starting to think that it might be worth it.

 

[AquamanKauai]

Niihau is sooooo worth it. I've been diving here in Hawaii for almost 20 years (13 as a DM) and I'm sitting here getting more and more anxious daily for the Niihau season to begin. Having dove Kauai/Maui/Lanai/Big Island extensively - I feel that there is nothing like it. Lehua certainly has many similarities to Molokini at first glance but the critters are very different. The opportunity to dive with one of the most critically endangered marine mammals in the world (Hawaiian Monk Seal) should make a Niihau trip more than worth it for any diver!!!!

A

 

[boulderjohn]

Here's my trip report from--OMG! It's getting close to 3 years!

I have to admit, though, that part of the experience was the glass-like surface of the water on the way over and the still relatively gentle conditions on the way back. We had very full dives and still returned well ahead of schedule because of that.

 

[SCUBA482]

I dove it almost 2 years ago and thought it was worth every penny as well. Especially like Vertical Awareness. We did the Keyhole drift dive as #2 and that was a ripping drift no doubt. Like others have said, make sure you have your buoyancy pegged and know how to work a SMB. The last dive we did were the Lava Tubes. Pretty cool swim throughs and volcano structure with typical reef life. We did see sharks on the last two dives and the Monk Seal on the first dive. During our SI we had a Manta jump out of the water. Another cool thing about Seasport is they fish in between sites. We caught 5 Ono that day and the passengers take turns reeling in what is caught. At the end of the day if you want they will cut the fish down for all to share. Makes a tasty treat at the end of the day. I heard of the violent crossings as well, but lucked out and had fairly smooth seas. I'll definitely be doing it again once I get back to Kaui.