Kymba
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Looking for recommendations for which dive op for Niihau. Also - how realistic is the ‘advanced’ expectation? I’m an AAUS diver with rescue cert but haven’t been diving much the last couple years….TIA.
Niihau recommendations?
- Thread starter Kymba
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We used bubbles below and had a good experience but that’s been a few years now. One of the cool dives called Vertical Awareness is a dive along a wall that extends well past recreational diving limits, so if you can keep your self at a set depth without a bottom and the chance of a current then you’re fine. Otherwise they are just a little deep ~80-90ft, with minor current (at least on our visit).
Aloha! Super exciting to be hitting the islands for diving. Niihau season is off and running here and it looks like it will be yet another incredible year. You'll find that all the operators here get wonderful reviews. The trips are very similar from shop to shop. As far as the "advanced expectation" ... that's an excellent but not easy to answer question. Lots to unwrap as they say. Diver to diver that definition can mean many different things. Additionally, some DM's are more obsessed or at least apt to seek out depth and currents than others. Experienced guides (DM's) choose sites and stationary vs. drift dives based on divers comfort / experience levels. What we hope for in a diver for Niihau is someone comfortable with ascending and descending without a line (whether or not current is present) who is able to monitor their nitrogen closely as well as their depth on walls and pinnacles. That is basically what I humbly consider an advanced diver. Some of the best dives at Niihau allow for periods of time where you have no bottom to reference your depth (the perviously mentioned walls and pinnacle). You may be able to see the bottom but it is well beyond the recreational diving depth. I hope I'm not getting off track and not answering what you are looking for. The other consideration that makes Niihau advanced is that you are on a boat for roughly 10-11 hours. Many "advanced divers" have never had the experience of being on the water for that many hours. The open ocean crossing in the channel is the other factor. It "can" be rough for a good part of the day - and divers IMHO should expect or at least be prepared for a long rough return trip. The return from Niihau is often against trade winds and sometimes those winds are strong making the return "memorable." The reality is that a good percentage of divers that go to Niihau would not go again just based on these realities no matter how great the diving was. Niihau for that reason more than anything - I would consider advanced. Don't get me wrong - there are days when Mother Nature is very kind and divers even sleep on the return trip, but this is not the normal. When leaving Lehua / Niihau there is a 20-45 minutes that can be very exposed and rough some days. Researching the boat you'll be on in terms of size and cover is never a bad idea. Trade wind days that are 15mph and less are ideal if you get lucky enough to catch one. Not wishing to scare off anyone - but I hate that people get themselves regularly in over their heads not knowing what this trip is - and what it can sometimes be in terms of conditions. It's some of the very best diving in Hawaii for those that can handle and we divers that come back year after year for this one. Monk Seals, Sharks, Rays, Dolphins, large game fish .....
In terms of depth (another humble opinion) you don't need to go deep to experience the best of Niihau. I've lead many dives at Niihau without ever going deeper than 65 or 70 feet. Divers that wish to go deep certainly have that opportunity and enjoy being able to say they went "X depth" and how cool it was. Nothing wrong with that. But in over 2 decades of diving / DM experience out at Niihau / Lehua I've largely found that you don't see anything different going deep. The seals and sharks are the biggest highlights for many people and they are usually in 60ft and shallower. Exceptions would be for photographers that would want to shoot deep water anthias or possibly Tinker's Butterfly fish. The multi-level nature of the dives in many cases allows divers who wish to stay shallower - to do just that.
Hopefully this was a tiny bit helpful? If you wish to send me a PM with any specific questions or if there is any help / advice I can offer for your Kauai visit just hit me up. Have an amazing time planning and I hope your vacation is amazing.
Cheers, A
Hi,
We went to Niihau in September 2021 and used Bubbles Below - had a great experience. We were so lucky and saw like 10 monk seals and could hear them growling when we would dive into their "area/zone." It was awesome diving.
I will warn you the ride back (at least it was the ride back for us) was rough and they said we had a really good day. Super bumpy for like 2-1/2 hours. But IMO, it was worth it for the diving and to see the monk seals.
Have fun!
Cruzbound
We went to Niihau in September 2021 and used Bubbles Below - had a great experience. We were so lucky and saw like 10 monk seals and could hear them growling when we would dive into their "area/zone." It was awesome diving.
I will warn you the ride back (at least it was the ride back for us) was rough and they said we had a really good day. Super bumpy for like 2-1/2 hours. But IMO, it was worth it for the diving and to see the monk seals.
Have fun!
Cruzbound
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