Info about Kauai

[master_diver_UJ]

Thanks for this great thread on diving Kauai in March. My wife and I - along with our diving friends are coming to Maui / Kauai in March 09.

I'd appreciate anymore detail on dive operations, dives not to miss, and restaurants. We'll be staying at the Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club in Poipu.

Thanks !

John

 

[BobbyT22]

I am coming for a stay in Feb, and will look you guys up at aquatic adventures for a guided shore dive. I've been to Kauai twice in the last year (Feb and August), and each time I dove with Seasport. boat dives all. The trips were fine, but I am ready to branch out a little bit and try something new (and less expensive). I have to work while there (Navy-PMRF), but I have been wanting to try a shore dive since it works with my schedule better than the boats do. I might try to work nights and dive days

I am staying at the Sheraton. Are the cavern accessable directly from the hotel, or do I have to go down to the landing to access the water?

Rob

 

[scubadreamtime]

There is great boat diving off Kauai's south shore. Shore diving operators are too quick to dismiss boat diving for business reasons. There are areas that have currents, which offer fabulous opportunities for drift dives. You cover a large area, with minimal effort, and see varied marine life. Shore diving will never offer you that possibility. Shore diving is not bad, such as Koloa, but you are very limited in the numbers of available sites. There are over 20 dives along the south shore for boat operators to choose from. A good operator will select the sites with the best visibility and the profile best suited to the experience level of the divers. Shore operators do not have the luxury of so many sites to chose from. If visibility is poor at Koloa, it might be marginally better at PKs. And if it is winter Tunnels is not an option. And if its summer you have a long drive ahead to the other side of the island.

You should go with operators that offer you the option of shore dives and boat dives. Get the best of both worlds. The price for boat dives are only slighly higher than for shore diving. But for the price you get a greater variety of dive sites and a wonderful boat ride to check out dolphins or check for whales during your surface interval. No shore diving company can do that.

And if you come in the summer, Ni'ihau is the dive location provided you have the experience. Shore operators might dismiss Ni'ihau but it boast some of the best diving in all of the Hawaiian islands.

Hope you have a wonderful time on your holiday. Keep diving and do it safely.

 

[aascubagirl]

Thanks for this great thread on diving Kauai in March. My wife and I - along with our diving friends are coming to Maui / Kauai in March 09.

I'd appreciate anymore detail on dive operations, dives not to miss, and restaurants. We'll be staying at the Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club in Poipu.

Thanks !

John

Aloha, John! Glad you found this thread helpful I still remember what it was like when I first visited the island and didn't know where to go, who to dive with, what the best restaurants were, etc. I hope you'll stop by our dive shop (Aquatic Adventures) to say hello - we've had an awesome time meeting fellow SBers and that way, you can see for yourself what kind of operation we are. We're located just minutes down the road from you right off of Poipu Road.

Here are some of my favorites for food - I consider these a must if you have the ability to eat out:

1. Kalaheo Cafe for dinner (they only serve dinner Wed. - Sat. but it is worth the wait!)
2. Mark's Place for lunch (located in Lawai, not too far from Poipu)
3. Mariachi's if you have a craving for Mexican food that can't wait - I love that place! Try the carne asada fries for an indulgent appetizer
4. Poipu Beach Broiler for great burgers or if you sit in the bar - awesome fish & chips.

Hope this info helps!

 

[aascubagirl]

I am coming for a stay in Feb, and will look you guys up at aquatic adventures for a guided shore dive. I've been to Kauai twice in the last year (Feb and August), and each time I dove with Seasport. boat dives all. The trips were fine, but I am ready to branch out a little bit and try something new (and less expensive). I have to work while there (Navy-PMRF), but I have been wanting to try a shore dive since it works with my schedule better than the boats do. I might try to work nights and dive days

I am staying at the Sheraton. Are the cavern accessable directly from the hotel, or do I have to go down to the landing to access the water?

Rob

Aloha, Rob.

We can't wait to meet you! We're located right off of Poipu Road, just about 5 min. away from your hotel and Koloa Landing is just 1-2 minutes from your hotel so you can roll out of bed and go diving in just minutes! As you've probably seen from some of my other posts, Koloa Landing is one of my most favorite sites to dive in all of Hawaii. As far as diversity and abundance of aquatic life - well, let's just say that you WON'T be disappointed.

I don't recommend entering the water at your hotel - but as mentioned above, KL is just minutes away. We do a lot of work w/the guys at the PMRF so maybe you'll run into some of our divers there and can get feedback directly from them or elsewhere on this board about our dive shop. Contrary to what others might say, while we are a shore diving operation, we've found that with excellent dive instructors and dive masters, we can offer some pretty spectacular diving to our guests. Most of our dive team have several thousand Kauai dives under their belt and know the sites like the back of their hand and can take you on an amazing guided tour.

I posted some restaurant recommendations above...Kalaheo Cafe is on your way home from the PMRF and also Brick Oven Pizza, which I neglected to mention. Good luck and we look forward to meeting you soon!

 

[aascubagirl]

There is great boat diving off Kauai's south shore. Shore diving operators are too quick to dismiss boat diving for business reasons. There are areas that have currents, which offer fabulous opportunities for drift dives. You cover a large area, with minimal effort, and see varied marine life. Shore diving will never offer you that possibility. Shore diving is not bad, such as Koloa, but you are very limited in the numbers of available sites. There are over 20 dives along the south shore for boat operators to choose from. A good operator will select the sites with the best visibility and the profile best suited to the experience level of the divers. Shore operators do not have the luxury of so many sites to chose from. If visibility is poor at Koloa, it might be marginally better at PKs. And if it is winter Tunnels is not an option. And if its summer you have a long drive ahead to the other side of the island.

You should go with operators that offer you the option of shore dives and boat dives. Get the best of both worlds. The price for boat dives are only slighly higher than for shore diving. But for the price you get a greater variety of dive sites and a wonderful boat ride to check out dolphins or check for whales during your surface interval. No shore diving company can do that.

And if you come in the summer, Ni'ihau is the dive location provided you have the experience. Shore operators might dismiss Ni'ihau but it boast some of the best diving in all of the Hawaiian islands.

Hope you have a wonderful time on your holiday. Keep diving and do it safely.

Aloha, Scubadreamtime!

Just wanted to let you know that not all of us shore diving companies dismiss boat diving. In fact, I've posted several recommendations for boat diving on SB and while I've never dove w/SeaSports I have had fantastic experiences with both Fathom and Bubbles on their boats. Plus, I LOVE Niihau and couldn't imagine how someone would dismiss it - I think it it offers some world-class diving opportunities. It kind of sounded like maybe you were dismissing shore diving instead of the other way around...but I am willing to acknowledge that perhaps I am misreading your post and am being to sensitive. Why does anyone have to dismiss or disparage shore diving or boat diving? Each has its own unique pluses and minuses.

P.S. Dolphins regularly come into Koloa Landing and just a week or two ago, we had divers literally run into a small pod of humpback whales at Koloa Landing. Although it is rare, this has happened on multiple occasions with shore diving.

 

[frontierdiver]

I am coming for a stay in Feb, and will look you guys up at aquatic adventures for a guided shore dive. I've been to Kauai twice in the last year (Feb and August), and each time I dove with Seasport. boat dives all. The trips were fine, but I am ready to branch out a little bit and try something new (and less expensive). I have to work while there (Navy-PMRF), but I have been wanting to try a shore dive since it works with my schedule better than the boats do. I might try to work nights and dive days

I am staying at the Sheraton. Are the cavern accessable directly from the hotel, or do I have to go down to the landing to access the water?

Rob

I have seen people enter from the Sheraton and I wouldn't recommend it. With the rocks and the surf it can get a bit hairy.

My understanding is that all diving is on the south side right now and if you want a great dive that will not take up too much time, Koloa Landing is your place. Even better for night diving. Good luck and happy diving to you.

 

[mistressmotorsports]

My wife and I are coming to Kauai in February. This was a last minute decision, and due to where our timeshare is, we are staying in Princeville. I do intend to dive one or two days while there, and I understand I will need to drive to the south side this time of year. How long is the drive really? I have no issues getting up stupid early, just want to know what to plan. Thanks.

 

[Cali_diver]

Hi we just got back from a week in Kauai!! They are still recovering from the torrential rains they have had, so Koloa was not as good as it was last March when we dove there. Viz was definetly better than they had described before X-mas.

For the boat dives we used Fathom Five. We like the smaller 6-pack boats and their bigger boat had a warm shower!!! The Sheraton Caverns are pretty cool, but we enjoyed all of our dives. On our last dive of the trip we were on our safety stop and the whales sounded so close that the DM and I were literally looking over our shoulders for them.

Enjoy your visit!!!

 

[BobbyT22]

I didn't think that entry directly from the Sheraton was feasible, but thought I'd ask. As far as the shore vs boat diving thing goes, the main driver for me is my schedule, which makes me available for mid-late afternoon diving. Most of the boats run in the morning, then again in the early afternoon, which probably won't work for me. I'll probably do one or two boat dives on my off days, then try to squeeze in some shore diving between shifts at PMRF.

I've done some drift dives off of the south shore of Kauai, and you are right, it was absolutely fantastic.

It is cold and wet here in Virginia. February can't come fast enough!