Kauai Dives In June

[jwlast]

Gonna be on Kauai mid-June. Been there once before, didn't have too much time to dive, only got to Koloa Landing. Got a few more days this time.

Would like to dive Sheraton Caverns and looking for opinions on which dive boat we should be trying to hook up with. Any options?

Also looking to do multiple shore dives. Not looking for a dive shop to dive with, looking for opinions on good spots, spots to stay away from, etc. Do a lot of underwater photography so looking for thoughts on places that are photo ops waiting to be captured.

We'll be staying down at Poipu, know the south shore isn't too dive friendly in the summer......

Thanks in advance....

JT

 

[teksimple]

You can do better than Koloa Landing, though there aren't a lot of other choices for shore dives on Kauai. The exception is Tunnels Reef on the North Shore. I wouldn't recommend diving Tunnels without a guide, at least for the first time. That is not a con. Tunnels is so intricate with its dozens of walls, caverns and crannies that it is a complete WASTE of money to come all the way to Kauai and then not see a fraction of what Tunnels has to offer. I would recommend going out with Jeannette Thompson of Ocean Quest/Fathom Five who quite possibly has more dive guide experience at Tunnels than anyone else alive.

Go on ANY boat dive on Kauai's South Shore, and Sheraton Caverns is more often than not the second dive. If you want to dive the best that Hawaii has to offer, book early and get on a Niihau/Lehua Rock charter. One spot called Vertical Awareness is without a doubt the best wall dive in Hawaii (Molokini's back wall doesn't come close). You can sit on a ledge and look straight down to 250+. That is, if a curious Hawaiian monk seal--one of the rarest mammals on earth--does not distract you from the rest of the incredible scenery and marine life.

Fathom Five, Bubbles Below, and Seasports all have regular trips to Niihau in the summer. Not recommended for novice divers or those prone to seasickness.

 

[TullyM]

Just returned from two and a half weeks on-island, since we go often Kauai is my main dive destination outside the Puget Sound. I've dove most all the South Shore sites, Niihau/Lehua and mana Crack.
In my opinion Bubble Below is the best dive outfit on the island, they don't bother with a storefront, they just dive and do it very well, and they treat you like family. If you are into marine life they have incredible knowledge of whats down there. They come out of Port Allen instead of Kukuilua and range farther up and down the South Coast for the right dive site. The fifteen munites extra it takes to get there from Poipu is time very well spent.
We always stay in Poipu and our view is right at Sheraton Caverns, its a cool dive with structure but it is the heaviest dove site on the island and hit hard every morning and afternoon; I see Seasport and Fathom Five there every day twice a day.
There are lots more very good South Shore Dives; Niihau/Lehua is the best diving in Hawaii, incredible stuff out there and you will swim with Monk seals, I've dove it many times, Bubbles has been diving there longer than anyone else. Verical Awareness is awesome as are Pu'u Mu'u, Neon Cave and Niihau Arches, but The Keyhole is the real gem if you can get into it.
A word to the wise, book more than one trip because if the swell is up you will not get over, Niihau/Lehua is very much a condition dependant destination, if the next trip is booked and you are not on it then its SOL. I book every Wed-Sat I'm on island and get half with the others converting to South Shore, and thats cool.
Mana Crack off the Na Pali is really cool and not visited by other dive operators, incredible scenery both above and below water.
Give them a call and they will assess skills and are very good at working with divers of all levels.
Enjoy!
Wish I were ther now.