Quick Kauai questions / trip planning

[H2ODoc]

My wife and I are heading to Kauai for a work function mid-April. We each have about 200 dives under our (weight) belts, and have dove the other Hawaiian Islands before, but not Kauai.

Our work function is at a resort on the far southern tip of the island. If we were to extend our trip to include a few days of diving, would it be best to stay somewhere else on the island, then move down to the resort for our meetings?

Shore diving/boat diving... doesn't matter to us.

 

[diversteve]

What resort?

Both of the often recommended dive operations - Seasport Divers or Fathom Five are based near Poipu in the south and keep their boats at a nearby harbor. A good shore dive nearby is Koloa Landing also on the south side a few minutes away. The other really good shore dive that should be open then is Tunnels on the north side - Fathom Five guides there often.There's no other shore dive and no north side based boat operation so you're better off staying to the south.

One of the signature boat dives is Sheraton Caverns - also on the south side. I also liked Fast Lanes. Another is the island of Ni'ihau - google Vertical Awareness for a video. It's an all day excursion and a rough crossing - all the shops with boats do it. Another option is Bubbles Below in Port Allen - they dive there plus the Napali Coast and Mana Crack area on the west side.

AquamanKauai will likely see this and respond - he works at a shop there.

I can't help with a resort there as we rented a house.

 

[AquamanKauai]

Aloha! (Yes, diversteve you are once again ahead of me!)

I echo the thoughts that diversteve mentioned on Koloa Landing for sure!!! It has been an amazing critter dive for years and has been a favorite of mine for years. I often dive there on my days/afternoons off due to the amazing critters there. With 200 dives each you "could" easily self navigate this site with some basic info upfront. At the same time, you may find it really rewarding to go with an experienced dive guide to point out some of the hard to find critters. Should you decide to do Tunnels reef just be aware that vis' is often really low up there. It is without question the lowest vis' on average of ANY dive on the island. It is also primarily a structure dive (lava tubes / 5-25 ft walls etc) that doesn't compare critter wise to Koloa Landing.

Two of the best dives on the island are Hale O Honu to the west and Sheraton Cavens near Poipu. Depending on what your interests are in terms of diving I can better suggest operators/dive sites. While I currently work with the Bubbles Below team out of Port Allen - I think you'd enjoy diving with any of the operations here on the island.

My first thought when I read "200 dives" is that you should without question consider the Niihau trip. It is AWESOME. Niihau is actually the reason I live on Kauai. I humbly think that it is simply the best diving in Hawaii.

All operation for scuba diving charter leave out of the south to west sides. Sea Sport Divers and Fathom Five go out of Poipu - while Bubbles Below leaves from Port Allen. Explore Kauai Scuba leaves further to the west from Kekaha.

Feel free to send me a PM with any particular questions. I would be happy to help with any dive planning or misc information you may like to ensure you have a wonderful time while visiting the island.

Have fun planning and again - just let me know if I can help with anything.
A

 

[H2ODoc]

Thanks for the replies, all!

So, we struggled with some planning / scheduling issues, so now it'll just be my 17 year old son and myself on this trip. I think he and I will bring our dive gear and try to sneak in a dive maybe 4/14 and/or 4/15. He's got about 25 dives under his belt, but it'd be a shame not to dive while there, right?

I'm not sure how possible it'd be for me to do Niihau, but that's a bucket list item for me, for sure. My son leaves about 1/2 way through my trip, so I wonder if I did a trip, if they'd have a buddy for me. Just thinking out loud here until I can solidify some ideas!

 

[AquamanKauai]

The more flexible that you are during your visit the better chance of making the crossing. Bubbles Below is the only charter that is crossing in April to my knowledge. Everyone else generally starts in May. You'll need a day that the north swell is way down and the winds are from desired direction and at an appropriate speed.

We were there 3 days ago and had numerous manta rays, 4 species of sharks, countless whales, green sea turtles, eagle rays, 2-3 monk seals and so much more. When you can get over in winter months it's pretty epic.

The key for your son (or anyone) is "in water comfort" with the abililty to descend and ascend without lines. Several of the dives over there don't have lines and some of the best dives are drifts.

If your son doesn't go and it would just be you - generally the shops here do to not buddy up strangers. Essentially your buddy would be the DM so doing it without a buddy is not an issue. It is very common to have divers on the Niihau runs that do not have a natural buddy with them.

Let me know if I can help further and please feel free to send me a personal message so I can respond promptly.

Cheers and mahalo
A