Diving Kauai late January 14

My wife and I recently certified this summer (OW, Advanced OW and nitrox) and will have 40 fresh water dives in our local reservoir (Beaver Lake) along with a dozen drift and reef dives in Cozumel before we arrive in our favorite place in the world -- Kauai.

I contacted Bubbles Below as they have a lot of great review/fans out there. Before allowing us to do anything else they are wanting us to do a private excursion where we learn how they do drift dives--which feels like it is adding a lot of cost (to the point we almost can't afford it).

Is this common requirement for BB and other dive shops in Kauai or should I reach out to another operator for our trip?

If we only have 3 two-tank dives while we are there (very end of January), what sites should we ask to see (weather and waves permitting)

Thanks,
-John

BB probably is looking at the fact that they often dive the rougher (in winter) west side so want to be sure you can handle it. At 40 dives plus a dozen Coz drifts, I don't see why though. It's not that difficult..lol.

The other two options are Fathom Five or Seasport Divers. Both are in the south Poipu area and tend to dive nearby. Both get good reviews. I liked Seasport. Neither will ask you to do a private lesson first.

IDK if you're aware of this but North Side diving and Ni'ihau diving will be shut down in the winter - big waves crash into Kauai's north shore making it undivable. Since the Poipu area sites are shielded by the island, they're good all year. If you are renting on the north side, plan on 30+ mins. drive - maybe more like 45mins. down to Poipu.

The signature Kauai boat dive is Sheraton Caverns just off Poipu. Shallow dive among collapsed lava tubes with huge turtles in the area. I also liked Fast Lanes. Brennecke's Ledge is supposed to be another good dive.

Koloa Landing is also an easy, shallow shore dive. You walk in off the old boat ramp - although it's slick, it doesn't get much easier. Either operator also offers DM-escorted dives there - both are less than 5mins. drive away. Rent tanks from either.

Terrific to know. We will have visited Kauai several times -- all in the winter so we are familiar with the winter surge.

One of these trips we will visit some time in the summer/fall and try the North shore...it looks so clear and calm in pictures.

Aloha! Excited for you and your trip to Kauai!

First and foremost I think you'll find through replies that all three operations on Kauai get very high reviews which makes it great for visitors who are diving. Over the years I have worked with all 3 operations and have enjoyed the professionalism among divemasters here.

With your experience (number of dives / Cozumel visit) I think it's a bit overkill to be required to do so. This is my humble opinion as a DM who has been diving Hawaiian waters for the better part of 20 years. If you are not changing your exposure protection dramatically your weight will likely be the same or varied by just a couple pounds. Did you mention your Cozumel trip and that you will have that experience? I respectfully imagine that you had - it just seems odd to me that the request was made. If you reach out to Linda Marsh in an email (she is the owner) she may have a different answer. Perhaps she was the one who answered, but it's possible that a less experienced staff member misunderstood or overlooked the information given. It certainly is expensive to dive Hawaii and your concern is valid. You could make this attempt at Bubbles again or contact the other shops. Neither will require any additional trips. Fathom has two small boats as well taking no more than 6 divers. I think the personalized experience on a 6 pack is always a good option to explore. The also have a wonderful captain named Charlie who is fantastic with divers.

Many of the sites are condition dependent though Sheraton Caverns in Poipu is the signature dive on the island. Turtles, frogfish, eels, nudibranchs, flatworms, scorpionfish etc... with the lava tubes as well of course. The favorite among many divemasters is a site that is called turtle bluffs. I get excited thinking about your Jan visit just knowing that our Humpback Whales will have returned. Get ready for some amazing whale watching (can be done from shore as well) and be prepared for some fantastic underwater singing and vocalizations.

Consider a shore dive at Koloa Landing as well! Many divers steer away from shore diving being haunted by memories of tough OW classes. Koloa is a shallow and very mellow dive (easy entry/exit, no current) that simply has fantastic fantastic fantastic critters. Being a 45ft max it also assures you of very long bottom times. Divers interested in doing so can pretty much be assured of an hour bottom time. Turtles, harlequin shrimp, frogfish, leaf scorpions, dragon morays, freckled snake eels, nudibranchs, and often eagle rays. It's also done as a private or semi-private dive for customers so you're pretty much assured a vacation highlight by diving there. Oh, and it is a little easier on the pocket book. I have friends that come dive the landing with me every year and will often do 10-12 dives there because of the variety of critters and long bottom times.

As it gets closer (or at any point you have a question) feel free to send me a personal message if you like. I'd be happy to help you track down an operator or suggest a divemaster with the operation of your choice. I will likely only be doing private dives at the Landing and naturally I'd be happy to take you out to share the amazing critters there as well. Whoever you choose I encourage finding an experienced DM. It's VERY transient here and sometimes you can get paired with a new DM that isn't familiar with critters just yet. It's not a knock on them by any means and again Kauai's instructors/DM's are very professional on the whole - it's just the nature of diving in the islands.

Additionally, if you'd like me to send a copy of the Ultimate Guidebook for Kauai for you to borrow I'd be more than happy to do so no matter who you choose to dive with. It's great to help plan the non diving parts of your trip. I also always have marine life books, coolers, beach towels and chairs for people to borrow when they visit the island. Just a small gesture hoping to help visitors have an amazing time during the visit here.

Well, I wish you good luck in your plans and hope time passes quickly. Please contact me if I can help you out with anything.

Best of island wishes
A