Maui and Kauai in August (new diver)

[Tropical Dreamer]

My husband and I went to Hawaii last year. We are new and inexperienced divers, so we were looking for some shallow dives with less challenging conditions.

We were set up to dive with Fathom Five on Kauai. Unfortunately our dives were cancelled (first dive we were told the sites were not diveable, second dive the surf was too choppy to get the boat out). We were disappointed but appreciated their willingness to cancel the dives if conditions were not right. If we get back to Kauai I would try to go with them again.

As far as Maui--I have heard the back wall of Molokini can be difficult. We dove with Maui Dreams Dive Co and I specifically asked them not to take us there, because we weren't experienced enough yet.

Have a great time!

 

[oldschoolto]

My husband and I went to Hawaii last year. We are new and inexperienced divers, so we were looking for some shallow dives with less challenging conditions.

We were set up to dive with Fathom Five on Kauai. Unfortunately our dives were cancelled (first dive we were told the sites were not diveable, second dive the surf was too choppy to get the boat out). We were disappointed but appreciated their willingness to cancel the dives if conditions were not right. If we get back to Kauai I would try to go with them again.

As far as Maui--I have heard the back wall of Molokini can be difficult. We dove with Maui Dreams Dive Co and I specifically asked them not to take us there, because we weren't experienced enough yet.

Have a great time!

Did they tell you about Koloa landing ? Not a boat dive, But a really fun, easy shore dive...

Jim...

 

[Tropical Dreamer]

Did they tell you about Koloa landing ? Not a boat dive, But a really fun, easy shore dive...

Jim...

Hmm...I don't remember if that one came up or not. I know the weather was really odd the weeks we were in Kauai and Maui. We had cancellations of multiple activities. I just looked it up though, and it looks like a good dive!

Some day we'll get back there. In the meantime we'll just dive dive dive in the quarry!

 

[MalibuJerry]

On Maui I have been with a number of operators, all good. My favorite is Ed Robinson's (though I have not been to Maui in a few years).

On the Big Island shore diving is great. You can rent tanks, wts. and other equipment from Jack's Diving Locker. They will give you a map and tell you how to dive "two step." This is a really nice site where you basically sit down on a rock, put your fins on and lay down in the water. I have seen everything at two-step that I have seen from boat dives on the Big Island at a fraction of the cost.

 

[large_diver]

Another strong recommendation for Fathom Five on Kauai. My newbie daughter and I just came back from Kauai (June 30 - July 10)...we dove with FF twice on the north shore at Tunnels (shore diving - guided dives). They are extremely well-organized = beach chairs set-up for all divers, beach mats for tanks/BCs, plenty of drinks/snacks and really friendly folks. Jeanette, who runs the FF operation up there, has been doing this for years and provides great briefings. Her enthusiasm about diving is contagious and she truly cares about making sure everyone that dives with FF has a positive experience....regardless of the number of dives you have or your comfort/experience level. Parking at Tunnels can be tight, but as long as you are there on time and follow the directions provided by FF - no problem. My daughter rented gear (I brought own)....FF delivered the gear (as well as the tanks/weights for me) right to the site. Logistics are great!

The diving itself = turtles, white tip reef sharks, morays, octopus, beautiful cavern swim throughs....really enjoyable.

One tip - if you are with non-divers, have them come along and hang out at Tunnels beach while you dive (good snorkeling)...or them drop you off and then they can try other beaches in the area (Ke'e), hike the Hanakapi'ai trail (incredible views of the Na Pali cost) or shop/hit the beaches in nearby Hanalei. We were lucky enough to be staying less than a mile from Tunnels = very quiet vs. the rest of the island...but so beautiful.

 

[AquamanKauai]

Aloha!
As you can clearly see there are numerous first class operations that will take excellent care of you throughout the islands. I've been diving in Hawaii professionally for about 15 years and have always been impressed by the overall quality of operations. My suggestion is to generally target the smaller boats simply because on the whole I've found them to be more personalized. From the perspective of an instructor/DM I've also found that there's so much more time to interact and share things with divers on the smaller boats. Yes - some of the larger boats still have amazing DM's and are personalized, but on the whole I just lean toward 6 pax (passenger) boats. For an even more personalized experience with a little research you can find some fantastic shore dives that often end up being 1:1 or 1:2 ratios with you guide. This opens up the opportunity to learn tremendous amounts about the amazing marine life in Hawaii and even improve dive skills (if so desired) all in the same experience of a guided tour.

For my 2 cents on Maui I suggest diving with Pauline at Mike Severns. She is simply fantastic and has knowledge and passion that I envy. It's just a sure thing for a great experience.

On Kauai you should consider checking out Koloa Landing as a shore dive. It's a safe and relatively easy dive that has a max depth of about 45ft. It has AWESOME critters. Turtles, Frogfish, Lionfish (the nice ones), Eels (including the amazing Dragon Moray), Leaf scorpions....

If you are considering a north shore dive (also from shore) there is a great lava tube dive called Tunnels up there. About 12 different formations to go through! It's also easy and tons of fun. It should be done with a guide for sure to find all the hidden lava tubes though. Jeanette Thompson with Fathom Five is the very very best guide to go with up there!

Well, happy diving! Oh, and I second the suggestion for Shaka Doug on Maui!
A

 

[Haleye97]

Ka'anapali Dive Co. is GREAT! I did four dives with Doug this week. We saw turtles, Octopi, eels, a spotted eagle ray, and lots of pretty fish! We also heard dolphins and he said he saw a white tip reef shark around here earlier this week. As a first time diver, he made me feel safe in the water and I had a very enjoyable experience.