Kauai - North shore

[GoBlue!]

Posted this in another thread, but haven't received any bites.... Maybe it'll draw more attention as a new thread:

Two friends are going to be living in Hilo for three months (Sept-Nov), and will be making a trip to Kauai for 5 days early September. They're going to finish their OW checkout dives a day or two prior to going to Kauai, so they will be very novice divers & will actually not have experienced boat diving yet (their checkouts will likely be all shore dives).

They'll be staying in Anini while on Kauai. Recommendations for the very beginner diver who has not yet been on a boat? I'd appreciate dive op recs....it looks like from reading previous threads that the south shore is frequented by divers; they're willing to make the drive down, but if there would be something suitable on the north shore, it'd be more convenient obviously.

Thanks. Any & all info will be passed on,

Jim

 

[-=>Larry<=-]

They'll be staying in Anini while on Kauai. Recommendations for the very beginner diver who has not yet been on a boat? I'd appreciate dive op recs....it looks like from reading previous threads that the south shore is frequented by divers; they're willing to make the drive down, but if there would be something suitable on the north shore, it'd be more convenient obviously.

Thanks. Any & all info will be passed on,

Jim

Hi Jim,
At the risk of being repititious - There aren't any boat dives leaving the North Shore - but there are a couple of EXCELLENT shore diving opportunities. [Check all the other strings for the boat diving reccomendations]

Tunnels is the prime shore diving spot - and from Anini, its a relatively easy and very beautiful drive to roll past Hanelei and the bridges and do a shore dive there. I routinely recomend Sacred Seas as the operator, but most of them have somebody working that spot.

Anini itself is a nice snorkel spot - I found it a bit shallow and cloudy, but there was a nice little bit of the regualr reef life - better than driving a 1/2 hour+ for an afternoons ad hoc dip.

Another one I just discovered - is that there is a operator working out of the Princeville Hotel - I went there snorkeling and found a reasonable little dive op working out of one of the beach storefronts - They had folks entering the water right there, even though the reef extends fairly far out - I would expect the diving on the outer edge would be quite nice.

In any case - Definitely do at least one escorted dive, wherever they choose, as taht way they get an good iontroduction into the area - and also - just have your friends tell their operator that they are new, it will be appreciated, and they will take extra care with them.