Operator recommendations in kauai?

trob09 · Oct 7, 2004

Hi,

I'm traveling to Kauai in about 2 weeks and I'm looking for recommendations on dive operators:

What I'm looking for:
- An operator that is focused on interesting destinations...Lava tubes, walls, etc.
- An operator that recognized individual experience and water comfort/skill and doesn't limit all divers to the lowest common denominator (i.e. the biggest gas hog turns the dive for all) and allows for a bit of freedom in dive planning and execution (i.e. we don't all have to follow the DM)

A bit bout me:
I am a full-trimix technical diver living and diving off the coast of NYC & NJ. I am used to depths to 250' and decompression obligations up to 90 minutes. I dive in 40 degree water with 15' of visibility.

I realize that Kauai doesn't have technical/mixed-gas dive operators, but I'm looking for someone who will recognize that I have a bit more experience and training than basic open-water and will provide a richer experience. I also don't want to be drafted as the 'auxiliary' dive-master as can happen.

So, any thoughts?

Tim

rje634 · Oct 7, 2004

As I am going to be in Kauai in Dec. I'll be checking in on this thread..
If you find someone good please post it hear or PM me. I'm not a tec diver but I'm no newbie.
I've looked at SeaSport and Fathom Five seeing that we will be staying in Poipu.
Seasport told me that they are offering free nitrox until Christmas, if I remember the e-mail correctly Fathom Five doesn't offer nitrox at all.

Pass on any info you might find...

trob09 · Oct 7, 2004

rje634:
As I am going to be in Kauai in Dec. I'll be checking in on this thread..
If you find someone good please post it hear or PM me. I'm not a tec diver but I'm no newbie.
I've looked at SeaSport and Fathom Five seeing that we will be staying in Poipu.
Seasport told me that they are offering free nitrox until Christmas, if I remember the e-mail correctly Fathom Five doesn't offer nitrox at all.

Pass on any info you might find...

Sure thing. where in the Hudson Valley are you located? I live in NYC but have a house near Woodstock..

tim

rje634 · Oct 8, 2004

trob09:
Sure thing. where in the Hudson Valley are you located? I live in NYC but have a house near Woodstock..

tim

I'm in Warwick Orange county.

Joe

-=>Larry<=- · Oct 8, 2004

trob09:
Hi,

I'm traveling to Kauai in about 2 weeks and I'm looking for recommendations on dive operators:

What I'm looking for:
- An operator that is focused on interesting destinations...Lava tubes, walls, etc.
- An operator that recognized individual experience and water comfort/skill and doesn't limit all divers to the lowest common denominator (i.e. the biggest gas hog turns the dive for all) and allows for a bit of freedom in dive planning and execution (i.e. we don't all have to follow the DM)

So, any thoughts?

Tim

Hi Tim,

I assume you've already searched the board for message strings about Kauai. I've visited the Poipu area once and dived with Mana divers - and the North Shore once and dived with Sacred Seas. For Lava tubes and "walls" you want to try Tunnels beach - we did that with Sacred Seas as a get-acquainted, then arranged that we'd just get tanks and dive ourselves. Around Poipu - that's where you get the boat dives and, unless you rent the whole boat, may have trouble with all the freedoms you want. Mana divers had a 6-pack - so my two sons & I did accidentally have the whole boat one time! Both operators recognised we were experienced and gave us a medium amount of latitude around their plan [I don't generally push on what they request - I just don't come back if I didn't like the trip {and tell people about it!}]

Other shops - I visited Dive Oahu when I was on the North looking for boat dives - the old salt at the shop talked the best story for experienced divers - I just haven't been out wiht them. Similarly, folks on this board have been very positive about SeaSport. Sounds good - but it looked like a high volume operation to me, amy well be deserved though.

Hope this helps!

trob09 · Oct 8, 2004

-=>Larry<=-:
Hi Tim,

I assume you've already searched the board for message strings about Kauai. I've visited the Poipu area once and dived with Mana divers - and the North Shore once and dived with Sacred Seas. For Lava tubes and "walls" you want to try Tunnels beach - we did that with Sacred Seas as a get-acquainted, then arranged that we'd just get tanks and dive ourselves. Around Poipu - that's where you get the boat dives and, unless you rent the whole boat, may have trouble with all the freedoms you want. Mana divers had a 6-pack - so my two sons & I did accidentally have the whole boat one time! Both operators recognised we were experienced and gave us a medium amount of latitude around their plan [I don't generally push on what they request - I just don't come back if I didn't like the trip {and tell people about it!}]

Other shops - I visited Dive Oahu when I was on the North looking for boat dives - the old salt at the shop talked the best story for experienced divers - I just haven't been out wiht them. Similarly, folks on this board have been very positive about SeaSport. Sounds good - but it looked like a high volume operation to me, amy well be deserved though.

Hope this helps!

Thanks Larry. I did search and you comment do help. Tim

diversteve · Oct 8, 2004

trob09:
Hi,

I'm traveling to Kauai in about 2 weeks and I'm looking for recommendations on dive operators:

What I'm looking for:
- An operator that is focused on interesting destinations...Lava tubes, walls, etc.
- An operator that recognized individual experience and water comfort/skill and doesn't limit all divers to the lowest common denominator (i.e. the biggest gas hog turns the dive for all) and allows for a bit of freedom in dive planning and execution (i.e. we don't all have to follow the DM)

A bit bout me:
I am a full-trimix technical diver living and diving off the coast of NYC & NJ. I am used to depths to 250' and decompression obligations up to 90 minutes. I dive in 40 degree water with 15' of visibility.

I realize that Kauai doesn't have technical/mixed-gas dive operators, but I'm looking for someone who will recognize that I have a bit more experience and training than basic open-water and will provide a richer experience. I also don't want to be drafted as the 'auxiliary' dive-master as can happen.

So, any thoughts?

Tim

This is the dive for you - Ni'ihau - with Bubbles Below Charters. It's the best place off Kauai for advanced diving, walls, some ripping huge currents, etc. Although this might be too late in the season, usually nobody goes out there in fall past September due to the wave action. Actually the Northside just about shuts down for diving in the fall/winter also, it's pretty rough. Something to do with the big waves not being impeded by anything as they move across the ocean until they slam into Kauai. Supposedly one of the best dives in Hawaii though, you might check with them to see if they're still going out there now. http://www.bubblesbelowkauai.com/

They also run trips on the southside, you should really see Sheraton Caverns if you haven't been there before, some longer swimthroughs through the Lava tubes and lots of big (300') Green Turtles. We were filmed by one under a ledge till someone kicked him, then he spent the rest of the dive circling around us. Pretty shallow though, my log says 60-65' There was also a deep dive called Pinnacle or something like that, but we couldn't do it as a second dive. Kauai's typically not deep though, all the sites I've ever been to have been less than 75'.

You're going to love the water clarity, I've looked up from 75' and been able to clearly see the orange "S" on the safety stop regulator. And coming from NJ, you're going to think it's warm - I've dove all the islands - except Oahu - in a T-shirt in summer.

I dove with Seasport once - and looked for someone else the next time. I don't particularly know why though, they were alright and let us pretty much do our own thing - my buddy and I went opposite the group and nobody had a problem with it.

trob09 · Oct 9, 2004

sjspeck:
This is the dive for you - Ni'ihau - with Bubbles Below Charters. It's the best place off Kauai for advanced diving, walls, some ripping huge currents, etc. Although this might be too late in the season, usually nobody goes out there in fall past September due to the wave action. Actually the Northside just about shuts down for diving in the fall/winter also, it's pretty rough. Something to do with the big waves not being impeded by anything as they move across the ocean until they slam into Kauai. Supposedly one of the best dives in Hawaii though, you might check with them to see if they're still going out there now. http://www.bubblesbelowkauai.com/

They also run trips on the southside, you should really see Sheraton Caverns if you haven't been there before, some longer swimthroughs through the Lava tubes and lots of big (300') Green Turtles. We were filmed by one under a ledge till someone kicked him, then he spent the rest of the dive circling around us. Pretty shallow though, my log says 60-65' There was also a deep dive called Pinnacle or something like that, but we couldn't do it as a second dive. Kauai's typically not deep though, all the sites I've ever been to have been less than 75'.

You're going to love the water clarity, I've looked up from 75' and been able to clearly see the orange "S" on the safety stop regulator. And coming from NJ, you're going to think it's warm - I've dove all the islands - except Oahu - in a T-shirt in summer.

I dove with Seasport once - and looked for someone else the next time. I don't particularly know why though, they were alright and let us pretty much do our own thing - my buddy and I went opposite the group and nobody had a problem with it.

Thanks!

bluemagoo · Oct 11, 2004

Bubbles Below is probably the best bet for you; they launch from Hanapepe/Port Allen which is pretty much in the center of Kauai's south coast (not far west of the Poipu resorts). During the winter, diving can get dicey during big surf days (think Oahu's North Shore) because of Kauai's round shape; the surf and current tends to wrap a long ways around. Also, shore diving can sometimes be a mess because of the runoff from rain at higher elevations (after all, Mt. Waialeale is known as the wettest spot on earth). The runoff also sends a lot of offal into the water, attracting the "men in grey" which tend to be large tigers. Water temps are typically in the mid-upper 70's. Hawaii cannot be compared to, say, the Caribbean because Hawaii is subtropical (cooler water temps), extremely isolated (fewer species but higher % of endemics), and almost no barrier reefs (corals tend to be the surf/current resistant stony variety, no seafans and other delicates except very deep). There are almost no true wreck dives in the islands; nearly all are wrecks purposely sunk for artificial reefs, certainly nothing like a Doria. The deep divers tend to be scientists; Richard Pyle being probably the best known.

FYI, on Maui, Mike Severns' op can accomodate tech divers. On Oahu, Hawaii Sea Adventures caters to techs and the military. Don't know of any similar on the Big Island but there might be.

trob09 · Oct 25, 2004

Just to close this out...

I ended up with Fathom Five on kauai. the diving was fine, we were limited by the 'winter' weather. That meant no Ni'ihau and no north shore stuff.

tim

Operator recommendations in kauai?

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