Kauai boat dive

[mandrroofing]

Hello, i wanted to see if anyone had a referral for a professional dive boat company and any dive site suggestions? Thanks!

 

[Dr. Lecter]

I've had good experiences with Seasport Divers. Fathom Five was a mixed bag: had a great DM, a pleasant captain, one boat crew asswipe who literally threw my assembled rig around after I made the mistake of letting him pick it up when loading the boat, and one shop employee who was pleasant and chatty and another with bad attitude who charged us for gear we didn't rent.

 

[jscan1]

I think bubbles below out of port Allen is good and Captain Earl is top notch! I'd recommend their mana crack dive on the Napoli coast! I'd probably recommend them for Niihau also, as I think their captains and Dm's are just top notch, but their dive boats are fairly small, and the seas coming back from Niihau when I went were big and I while I'm pretty sound in big seas, I liked the fact I was on a little bigger boat! As for doing two tank local dives I've used bubbles and Fathom Five, and I'd probably go with fathom five, as they often leave from the small boat marina in poipu, a two minute drive from our hotel, vs port Arthur which is probably 25 minutes, I also think the dives like Sheraton Caverns that they hit in front of poipu , were a little more interesting, than the ones right outside of Port Arthur, of course your mileage may vary!

if you have the time Niihau is the best dive you can do from Kauai hands down, Great Wall dives ,crystal clear vis, potential for monk seals, Sharks, etc worth the money and worth the time, but take your Dramamine, the ride back was a steady two hours of pounding seas with water washing over the bow, and from the talks of the crew sounds like it is pretty typical!

 

[JohnN]

Hello, i wanted to see if anyone had a referral for a professional dive boat company and any dige aigjt suggestions? Thanks!

I was on Kauai last week. The prevailing winds and swells made diving in the North a no-go. In the South (Poipu Beach), visibility was reported to be 10-15 feet.

That leaves the West (Port Allen) and Bubbles Below. Vis was quite good (80+ feet) despite some significant winds, and I was pleased with the Bubbles Below operation. Kauai certainly isn't a easy place to run a scuba shop, apparently the local regulatory person (for Kauai county) is trying to charge operators $2500/year/dive site in fees.

Boat dives certainly are not inexpensive ($135 for a two tank dive, nitrox is an extra $23/tank), but if you want to dive, these seem be the prevailing rate

 

[jscan1]

My understanding (and not 100% sure I'm accurate, is that the North Shore (Tunnels) is pretty much a surf break in Winter and doesn't really mellow out until summer, (I dove it last July and it was a pond with about 60ft vis great dive) Also I think summer is the only time they do Niihau , because other times the channel crossing is just too rough. As for Poipu Vs. Port Allen, I'd say its probably your typical "here today gone tomorrow" that we deal with with visibility a lot of places....Last summer I saw 60 ft out side of Port Allen, and an easy 100 ft plus outside of Sheraton Caverns in Poipu (Our dive master was commenting on how great the Vis was that day) OP when are you going? If summer I think you will find some good dives. Like JohnN said though Kauai diving is a little pricey compared to other places

 

[diversteve]

The three shops with the boats to get there - Seasport, Fathom Five and Bubbles Below are only going to run to Ni'ihau from about May->Sept. +/- BB is advertising recently that they're watching for "weather windows" to go out there possibly during the winter.

You can have a longer boat ride with the first two or a longer drive over to Port Allen to go there with BB.

any dige aigjt suggestions

Posting from your phone I see...

Sheraton Caverns off Poipu is the "signature" Kauai dive - lots of big turtles sleeping in the walls of the swim-thru's - it's a series of partially collapsed lava tubes. Bring a light and shine it on the roof of the intact parts when you go through, sometimes you'll pick up an octopus or other interesting critter - even during daytime. I also like Fast Lanes and Fish Bowl. Zack's Pocket is supposed to be a good dive also but we couldn't get out there due to conditions.

I like Seasport also. Jeannette at Fathom Five/Ocean Quest is the go-to Tunnels guide from what I've read/been told. Koloa Landing on the south side is a good shore dive also - both shops are pretty close by and the entry couldn't be easier - it's an old boat ramp. I've recently read somewhere that the fisherman have successfully gotten Ahukini Landing closed to dviers. Most of the other shore dive sites - typically off/near the beaches - are pretty shallow. We walked a long way out at Lydgate Beach and finally gave up.

 

[mandrroofing]

Thanks everyone i we have never been there so this is helpfull

 

[mandrroofing]

How far in advance should I book a dive or two

 

[DiveShopBarbie]

To echo what previous posters said, do Niihau if you can but be prepared for them to reschedule you due to weather (sort of shoulder season now, should be clear by end of the month). Sheraton Caverns is a lot of fun but Poipu will begin to get rougher in the summer to, so be aware of that when picking an op.

I liked Seasport a lot - great staff, good captain, a lot of "conditions awareness" which is appreciated. I've heard good things about Fathom Five but haven't dove with them in Kauai. Note that Seasport is a bigger op, so you won't be going out in a six-pack (bigger boats and groups), but I thought they did a good job of making it feel personal and splitting the groups with guides so there weren't too many in one spot.

One bonus - if the humpbacks are still around, you can hear them singing while you dive! I usually go in the winter during their peak season, but they leave around April - May so might not be there any more. If not, go back in February - it is an awesome experience!

Have fun - Kauai is one of the most beautiful places on the planet (in my opinion!) Hike Kalalau while you're there if you can!

 

[fisheater]

In my trips, I've had a great service from Fathom Five.

That said, I don't think there are any "bad" operators there.