Kauai in August

[daniboy]

Hi all,

I'm planning my family summer vacation in Kauai during the month of August.
We have been told that sea condition varies around the year and I was wondering what could it be in the area of Poipu.
We are a family of divers and we are looking for good dives, so ... any suggestion would be very appreciated, just another question: what could be the water temp?
Would a 3mm wetsuit be enough or a (2 pieces) 5mm wetsuit be better.

thanks for your help.

good bubbles to all of you

Daniele and Family (from Milan Italy)

 

[diversteve]

Yesterday it was 81.5^o at the water temperature measuring station in Nawiliwilli harbor. US NODC Coastal Water Temperature Guide

That's maybe 10miles from Poipu. Generally the only really rough water off Kauai is off the north shore in the winter when the big waves roll in. Even then, boats go out of Poipu as it's sheltered by the island. In August it should be pretty calm - it was in early July. We also stayed on Poipu Beach.

Sheraton Caverns is the must do boat dive there. Not much over 60' deep and there will be turtles everywhere. Some short swim throughs with partially or completely collapsed lava tubes. We posed for pictures with about a 5' green turtle in one of the sidewalls. Usually a couple will circle overhead during your dive.

Koloa Landing can be a good shoredive - easy entry and fairly shallow. Vis is often very good. We saw more along the right side. They teach there and you can walk in off the old boat ramp.

We dove with Seasport Divers. No complaints. Fathom Five is another nearby option. FF does an escorted shore dive to Tunnels on the north shore in summer, it's undiveable in winter. I've never dove it.

 

[llqwyd]

Aloha!

Just following up with what diversteve said... 81.5 seems a little high and I would plan on the temperature being closer to 79 degrees. Sheraton is a good dive but tends to be the most over-dove/over-rated spot on Kauai. There are many dive destinations that are far better. The South tends to get the majority of the "ocean action" during the summer months and we can see sets of 10ft during that time. However, it is usually calm during that time. You should be fine to do Koloa almost anytime of the year as it is a secluded/protected area.

If you are a very serious diver, Ni'ihau is awesome and available during the summer months. However, the boat ride can be off-putting and it makes for a long day (6am-6pm). Tunnels is a great dive site but you should know that it is a "topography" dive. It can be very rewarding, though.

As a "family". I highly recommend doing Koloa as it is good for all levels of divers. Tunnels has a lot of overhead and can be "intimidating" to some. A 3mm wetsuit should be fine (full) and keep you warm. For the ladies, if they have a tendency to get cold, I would recommend a 3mm with a 1mm surf shirt.

There are 5 dive shops on the Island:
Sea Sports
Fathom Five
Bubbles Below
Kauai Down Under
Aquatic Adventures

All of the shops have different strengths and weaknesses. For Koloa, Fathom and Kauai Down Under do a great job. For the most hands on, personal experience, I recommend Aquatic Adventures. For the most knowledgeable person (she's a fish) on the Island, I recommend Linda at Bubbles Below. Sea Sport's Divers does a great job but can sometimes be impersonal.

Hope you have a great time!

Mahalo.

 

[Kryssa]

We were just there last month and had a great time! Not the best diving in Hawaii but certainly lots to see!

We booked a couple of weeks in advance with Fathom Five divers. They called the day before our first dive to tell us they were canceling due to lack of interest. They didn't get enough divers to send out a boat. We called Seasport and booked with them for that first day instead. We kept our 2nd day of diving with Fathom Five so I can tell you a little bit about both shops.

Seasport:
They took us on a morning 2-tank after we called the day before. We had 5 or 6 divers on the boat with one DM- Anthony. We had heard the conditions were bad but being from the California Coast, "bad" Hawaiian vis is just fine for us. We were expecting 20-30 ft vis. The captain and Anthony found 2 excellent dive sights with 60 ft vis, Zac's Pocket and Shipwreck Ledge. We were thrilled with the vis. The depth conditions were good, a little surge but not enough to bother us. The temp was 76F. I wore a 3mm full and was a bit chilled at the end of the 2nd dive but not bad enough to wear another layer of neoprene. I had brought my core warmer just incase. SI was a bit rough. One guy got seasick, a couple others felt queasy, including myself.

Anthony wasn't the most friendly or personal guy, but he swam slowly and was great at pointing the Hawaii life out to us. He writes down the names of things on his slate so you know what you are looking at. He also wrote down all the dive info once we got back the shop so we could write it all in our log books. I really appreciated that. On one dive we had a great interaction with a sea turtle. He swam right up to us!!! We also saw 2 octopi, pufferfish, lots of eels, nudis. My biggest complaints about Seasport was the DM could have been more friendly and also it seemed like they expected you to change out your tank. They helped if you asked. I was not feeling well so I didn't want to do a lot of moving around so they changed my tank for me after I asked.

Fathom Five:
A friendlier shop. Also a 6-pack boat with 1 DM. His name was Brian and he was excellent. Highly recommended- if we return to Kauai we will be requesting him!! He also wrote down all the sea life names on his slate. I love knowing what I am looking at! They also did much more of the work than Seasport. Their boat has less room to move around, so they set up your entire kit and when it's your turn, you sit down, buckle up, and backroll in. They change your tank without asking. We did Sheraton Caverns (great dive site, love the collapsed lava tubes that look like arches!) and Breneke's Ledge. Saw lots of turtles and eels. Temp was 76 again. Chilled at the end of the 2nd dive in a 3mm but not too bad. I took seasickness medication so the SI was fine. My only complaint about Fathom Five is that their boat doesn't have a lot of room to sit comfortably so with 6 divers it feels a bit cramped. Also they didn't have a camera rinse bucket, but maybe if you requested it they could make it happen.

If we return to Kauai we will be using Fathom Five and requesting Brian. If you have any questions, PM me! If you are headed to Weimeia Canyon, stop at the Shrimp Station for a bite to eat!!! We ate their twice it was so good! Shrimp Station - Waimea, HI

 

[vinegarbiscuit]

Go to Ni'ihau. Go to Ni'ihau. Go to Ni'ihau. (If you have the time and the money, that is - it takes a whole day, and it's more than $200 per diver). But the diving is specatcular. Very clear water, sheer walls that drop off at a 90-degree angle...truly amazing. You won't see pretty soft corals, but you WILL see amazing topography and animals that don't exist anywhere else. We just returned from a trip there last week with Seasport Divers, and they were really terrific. Ask for Sabine to be one of your guides - she's a very lovely lady and a terrific guide with very sharp eyes.

Upon returning from Ni'ihau, we drove to the North Shore and dove Tunnels. Despite benign conditions (although surge picked up on the second dive), the visibility was quite poor - 15-feet (3 meters) with silt covering everything. That's partly a function of heavy rainfall (carrying run-off from the island to the sea). But the topography was excellent: swim-thoughs absolutely everywhere! Bring a light, and get there early, if you have a rental-car and plan to dive it without a guide: parking is limited and tends to fill up quickly.

As for exposure protection, you will get many answers to this question. After 2.5 years of living on Oahu, I've become very used to the warm water. Water temperatures last week were about 74-76 F (23.3-24.4 Celcius), and I was shivering in my full-length 3 mm. If you will be diving for consecutive days or feel the cold easily, bring additional exposure protection, like a thicker suit or a hooded vest. Also a sweater or a windbreaker for morning dives or surface intervals - it can be chilly, and rain on Kaua'i is common (it's home to the wettest point on earth, after all).

Hope you have a wonderful stay. Happy diving.

 

[Layback]

Diving with Bubbles Below is like diving with a HUGE group of teenage men with too much testosterone. The overpack their boats and have a tough-guy mentality. I won't dive with them again.

I thought Kauai Down Under was awesome.

 

[fisheater]

Here's another "vote" for Fathom Five.

I had numerous great dives with a various Fathom Five DMs, all of whom were professional, friendly and knowledgeable.

I posted my Kaua'i dive experiences on another thread. Check it out.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/hawaii-ohana/385918-my-kauai-vacation-dives.html

If you have any other questions, PM me.

 

[Byte Me]

We'll be there in August as well for our 15th anniversary. Unfortunately my wife doesn't dive. I didn't when we were there on our honeymoon but I'll make up for it this time. Have 5 days of diving scheduled w/ Seasport including Ni'ihau and diving Tunnels w/ Fathom. Less than a month away now. It'll be my first Pacific dives and cannot wait.

Good tips about water temps. Was on the Belize Aggressor III in March, water temps were 76-77F and I was fine in a 3mm. Could probably have done shorts/rash guard but not doing 5 dives a day. If water is 79F there i'll be in shorts for sure!

 

[rickthescot]

I am going next week. Will it be a problem finding a boat on short notice? I plan to do some shore diving but my wife may want to do the boat thing.

 

[fisheater]

I am going next week. Will it be a problem finding a boat on short notice? I plan to do some shore diving but my wife may want to do the boat thing.

Call or email Fathom Five and ask what their situation is this time of year. Be aware, though it's still tourist season.


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