Dive conditions for late Feb and early March on Kauai

[Barberman]

My wife and I are considering taking a vacation to Kauai and the end of Feb though the first of March. I was just wondering if anyone could give me a good idea of what dive conditions to expect. I have read in some magazines/books that a lot of the dive sites are only good during the summer, so also want to make sure there is enough variety in dives this time of year. Niihau sounds great but it is one of the sites listed as summer only. Neither of us have ever dove in the ocean before, but have lots of experience in lakes in the Midwest. We are both AOW and I have over 100 logged dives and she has about 75. We both prefer shore diving, but also want to do some boat dives as well. We are also considering the Florida Keys as a possible destination. Any info or advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!

 

[nematoid]

Diving in Kauai in March and February in Kauai is great. Most diving is done on the south side and occasionally the east side this time of year. All dive boats operate out of the south/west side of Kauai. You are limited in that diving on the north side and Niihau begins May thru October. Humpback whales are visiting Kauai and you can hear their singing and sometimes treated to underwater sightings. February and March are very active months here for the humpback.

 

[aascubagirl]

Aloha, Barberman!

Hope the scales tip in favor of Kauai :O) We'd love to see you and I think you'll find diving here very unique. As Nematoid (Hi Nematoid!) says, most of the diving will be on the south shore of Kauai so if you are not staying in the Poipu area, plan on driving there for all of your diving.

Kauai is quite lucky in that we have some truly fantastic shore diving, which it sounds like you prefer. Koloa Landing is my favorite and you'll find a ton of posts on that dive site with just a little research. Easy to walk-in (you don't have to lug heavy gear on a long trek or hike in ankle-deep sand...instead, walk down a ramp into the water), no surface swim or heavy surf (typically), nice, easy dive profile but packed full of all kinds of diverse aquatic life. You can easily do a two-tank guided shore dive there and still have plenty of time and energy for other activities.

If you have any other questions about diving (or eating :O)in Kauai, just PM me or post them here. I'll be happy to reply and I am sure others will as well. We're a fairly small community over here and everyone is always happy to help! Best of luck to you in your decision-making process. [Insert subliminal message here: Go Kauai!]

 

[Barberman]

Thanks for your replies! We have decided to go to Kauai, it must have been those subliminal messages. We will be arriving Feb 22 and will be there for a little over a week. We can't wait to get there. It will be great to have better than 8 foot of viz in 45 degree water and not having to be in my dry suit!!!!

 

[DMJulie]

Good choice!!!

February is going to be awsome for whale watching and a very good chance of hearing the whales while diving.
I dove Koloa Landing last week and heard the whales on my dive. The whales were so loud, I was expecting to see one!

Happy diving!

 

[spoolin01]

Don't give up on North Shore diving too easily! I was in Princeville in early April last year and happened to catch a day on either side of my week there where conditions were calm on the north side and I got 4 tanks in at Tunnels. If the forecasts aren't clearly too high, take a look-see, you might get lucky. Oh, and get your tanks on the south/east sides, nothing available up north this time of year, from what I found.

 

[aascubagirl]

Thanks for your replies! We have decided to go to Kauai, it must have been those subliminal messages. We will be arriving Feb 22 and will be there for a little over a week. We can't wait to get there. It will be great to have better than 8 foot of viz in 45 degree water and not having to be in my dry suit!!!!

Woohoo! I've always wondered if subliminal messaging worked. Now I'm going to try it out on my husband

Water temp during your trip will be approx. 74-76 degrees. Most people find that a 3 - 5 mm full wetsuit suffices over here - you won't need to bust out your dry suit, that's for sure!

Rest assured, if Tunnels is an option (unlikely during Feb./Mar. but hey, you never know with Mother Nature), we will make that available to you. Whether it's Tunnels or Koloa, you will have a great time. See you soon!

 

[llqwyd]

Tunnels (North) is great and was one of the first places that I dove in Kauai...however, it is only available from May to September. There may be small windows of opportunity here and there, but I would not count on them being open. If by some small miracle conditions appear to be appropriate, I highly recommend you check with someone (local dive pro) before going to dive the North (better safe than sorry)! Plenty of good diving available on the South, though.

Aloha! :cool2: