Seasport or Fathom Five on Kauai?

[tattooedtropicaldiver]

Hey! I've done most of my dives on Maui, Lanai, and the Big Island, but I will be heading to Kauai next month and am curious about these two dive operations, and which would be best for my needs. From what I already know, it seems like a draw. I've seen a picture of Seasport's boat, and it looks nice. I like that it has a top deck (Strangely enough, I don't get seasick if and only if I sit on the top deck, and I know that Kauai's waters are not as placid as, say, those off the Kona coast), but Fathom Five's website doesn't have a picture of their boat, so I don't know how big it is, top deck, etc. On the other hand, I suspect that Kauai, like the other islands, usually has way calmer waters in the morning (please correct me if I'm wrong), and Seasport's morning dive seems to be for advanced divers. It says in the brochure that they may do a drift dive, which I've never done before and am not comfortable with it, so I'd have to go in the afternoon--the downside there is the rougher waters and the shallower dives (I like to dive deep and am working on my Deep Diver PADI specialization). Fathom Five's morning and advanced dive had no specified difference in ability level, so I would be able to go in the morning if the AM in Kauai is calmer. Any suggestions for me, advice or personal experiences with these outfits? Any other info on Kauai diving would be greatly appreciated! I dove a couple of months ago in Kona (saw white tip reef sharks and manta rays!) and Lanai (Cathedrals I and II were amazing!) and can't wait to be diving again in the Hawaiian Islands!

 

[diversteve]

Not saying anything bad about Fathom Five since I have no personal experience with them but their boat is a 6-pack. Made by Radon. Radon Boats -- quality sportfishing and diving boats They only go up to about 33' and ones I've seen don't have an upper deck for anyone but the captain.

Seasport's boat (which I've been on) which is a Pro48. So I'm guessing it's a lot more stable. For comparision - if you dove Cathedrals with Lahaina Divers - their current boat is a 46' Newton.

My personal experience off Kauai has been 2 trips. The first one with Seasport was on a "rougher" day but it was no worse than Lanai in mid-morning.

My 2nd trip was with someone else who may no longer be on Kauai. They had a smaller cabin cruiser boat - I don't think it was even 30'. It really pitched a lot while moored - we dove Sheraton Caverns and a site I don't remember.

Both trips were in the morning in mid-October. I've never dove off Kauai in the afternoon except shorediving at Koloa Landing which is protected.

fwiw, drift diving is about the easiest diving there is. Usually it's done as a loose group and typically everyone surfaces around the same time. Usually you jump as a group, do the dive and then float around until the boat picks you up afterwards. The DM carries an SMB that he either manages all through the dive or deploys at the end. The best thing about drift diving is that bottom times get close to an hour since you're not expending much energy during the dive.

I've even done a drift dive off the T/C Explorer, that's a 132' boat. The pickup was a little more challenging...lol. Not for us but for the captain.

 

[Bappelt]

I think you'd like either of those dive operators.

I went out with Fathom Five and I was happy with them. They have two size boats; a small one that only takes 6-8 divers and a larger one that takes about twice as many. I was on both sizes and I liked the bigger one better because it was easier to get back on after the dive.

But either way, I don't think you'll go wrong.

 

[fisheater]

You won't go wrong either with the dive op.

I went with Fathom Five for a week and had a total blast. It was nice only having a few divers in the water at a time. If you want more company, go with a bigger boat.