divecontom
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Going to Kauai in May, anyone got any suggestions where and who to dive with?
Kauai, Hawaii
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Hi and welcome to ScubaBoard, never did any dives on Kauai, but the snorkeling is nice.
The island is small enough to travel the whole coast several times in a day.
I'm sure someone with better knowledge of the island will chime in.
The island is small enough to travel the whole coast several times in a day.
I'm sure someone with better knowledge of the island will chime in.
No recs on the diving, but make sure you go to Brick Oven Pizza in Eleele.
Are you staying on the North Shore (Hanalei, Princeville) or South (Poipu, Kalaheo, Koloa). That will make a difference. Also, are you looking to do shore or boat? Depending on your experience there is also some amazing advanced diving available as well.
Your primary dive choices are Fathom Five Divers in Koloa (808-742-6991 / FathomFive.com) with small six passenger dive boats doing the entire South Side (2 shore spots and about 26 boat dives)and the popular lava tube shore dive on the north shore. Seasports Divers of Koloa (similiar dive sites to Fathom) with two large boats taking up to 20 divers also doing 2 shore sites. And Bubbles Below of Eleele - further to the west on the south shore. One of there boats takes 10 divers with the other taking 6 I believe. Numerous shore diving companies exist as well.
I personally work for Fathom five and can provide any detailed info you might need. If you would like any specific information about the others I would be happy to track it down and provide it for you.
Drop me a message at anytime and I'll help you with any info you would like. It doesnt have to be dive related either. The ultimate Kauai guidebook is a great pickup for planning. You wont go wrong with it.
Best of island wishes
Anthony
Your primary dive choices are Fathom Five Divers in Koloa (808-742-6991 / FathomFive.com) with small six passenger dive boats doing the entire South Side (2 shore spots and about 26 boat dives)and the popular lava tube shore dive on the north shore. Seasports Divers of Koloa (similiar dive sites to Fathom) with two large boats taking up to 20 divers also doing 2 shore sites. And Bubbles Below of Eleele - further to the west on the south shore. One of there boats takes 10 divers with the other taking 6 I believe. Numerous shore diving companies exist as well.
I personally work for Fathom five and can provide any detailed info you might need. If you would like any specific information about the others I would be happy to track it down and provide it for you.
Drop me a message at anytime and I'll help you with any info you would like. It doesnt have to be dive related either. The ultimate Kauai guidebook is a great pickup for planning. You wont go wrong with it.
Best of island wishes
Anthony
BobHaze101
Registered
I'm in Kauai now, and did a 2-tank shore dive the other day with Kauai Down Under, who operate out of the Sheraton Kauai Resort ini Koloa (south shore) among other locations. We dove at Koloa Landing.
As you've probably heard there was a lot of rain here this winter, and you'll see the results in any shore dive. We had to wade out about 50 yards through wood chips, then general muck and the "chocolate milk" I've seen referred to here on the Board, to find good viz and clean water, but once we got past all that the diving was quite good (to this novice, anyway!). We got to 48' and had 46 min. of BT, and saw some 6-8 varieties of moray eels, tons of reef fish, and a couple of turtles even flew by (cool!).
I mentioned to my dive master that I've dived in St. Croix (awesome!!) and she "warned" me that the coral and the colors here are more muted than they are in the Caribbean, and she was right. I don't know how much of that was the nature of the reef systems here, and how much was the silt from all the rain, and I'm not complaining. It was less colorful, but just as interesting and there was more variety of sea life. To me, isn't that what's great about diving: that every dive and every place is different?
Anyway, at this point, due to the silt situation, I'd probably recommend a boat dive over a shore dive, but either way I think you'll do OK.
As you've probably heard there was a lot of rain here this winter, and you'll see the results in any shore dive. We had to wade out about 50 yards through wood chips, then general muck and the "chocolate milk" I've seen referred to here on the Board, to find good viz and clean water, but once we got past all that the diving was quite good (to this novice, anyway!). We got to 48' and had 46 min. of BT, and saw some 6-8 varieties of moray eels, tons of reef fish, and a couple of turtles even flew by (cool!).
I mentioned to my dive master that I've dived in St. Croix (awesome!!) and she "warned" me that the coral and the colors here are more muted than they are in the Caribbean, and she was right. I don't know how much of that was the nature of the reef systems here, and how much was the silt from all the rain, and I'm not complaining. It was less colorful, but just as interesting and there was more variety of sea life. To me, isn't that what's great about diving: that every dive and every place is different?
Anyway, at this point, due to the silt situation, I'd probably recommend a boat dive over a shore dive, but either way I think you'll do OK.
dlndavid:
Aquaman's got the boat diving pretty well lined out there. When I spent my summers there - I worked shore diving. Most ofthe operators he mentioned also do taht - but I want to add "Sacred Seas" since that's the bunch I was with.
On the South Shore - the prime place is Koloa Landing, a lovely place wiht coral and lots of life all within 50 yards of your entry - -It might well be affected wiht the lflooding though as there is a stream that runs right into it.
On the North Shore - Tunnels - - A great area with lots of Lava Tunnels and life.
Both of those, and a couple of the state parks provide good snorkeling
BTW - With traffic, locals & speed limits - don't expect to make it around the island more than once in a day [and why would you want to?]
Masterspykiller
Registered
Aloha All
This is my first post on this board, so please excuse any newbie errors.
I will be in Kauai Sunday May 7-Friday May 12 with my wife and two kids (13 and 11 yrs old). All four of us are newly certified. We are staying in the South end of the island at Marriott in Poipu Beach, but have a car. We need to rent BC, weights, tank and reg.
We were informed a 4 hour boat dive (2 dives) on Kauai was about $135+ each (with equip), no discount for 4 divers. Too rich for me. I would consider that for a full day 3 or 4 dives.
If boats really that expensive, I had planned on shore diving until heard of chocolate milk and wood chips. YUCK. I don't want to feel like I'm diving the Hudson (apologies to NY'ers).
Any improvement in shore conditions recently? Any suggestions on shore locations in addition to those posted above (keep in mind newly certified)?
Mahalo! Michael
This is my first post on this board, so please excuse any newbie errors.
I will be in Kauai Sunday May 7-Friday May 12 with my wife and two kids (13 and 11 yrs old). All four of us are newly certified. We are staying in the South end of the island at Marriott in Poipu Beach, but have a car. We need to rent BC, weights, tank and reg.
We were informed a 4 hour boat dive (2 dives) on Kauai was about $135+ each (with equip), no discount for 4 divers. Too rich for me. I would consider that for a full day 3 or 4 dives.
If boats really that expensive, I had planned on shore diving until heard of chocolate milk and wood chips. YUCK. I don't want to feel like I'm diving the Hudson (apologies to NY'ers).
Any improvement in shore conditions recently? Any suggestions on shore locations in addition to those posted above (keep in mind newly certified)?
Mahalo! Michael
Koloa Landing has improved some - viz this last week was in the 30 foot range when you get to the outside. But the boat diving on Kauai is the way to go. you might check out the conditions for a shore dive at Tunnels on the north shore - as long as the swell isn't up it should be OK.
Masterspykiller
Registered
I'm looking out at Poipu beach in the dark early hours of Monday morning, waiting for light to go into the water. Thanks for taking the time to update me. Unfortunately, I"m just too broke to take all four of us on a boat. Better broke in Kauai than working.
I guess we'll just have to save up more and come back for boat dives. Mahalo
I guess we'll just have to save up more and come back for boat dives. Mahalo
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