SCUBA diving in Kauai, how is it?

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brianbain

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We just arrived at Kauai yesterday and are thinking about doing some diving. In looking at the prices it seems a bit expensive, is the diving here really good? In Hawaii I have only gone diving in Kona but didn't find it that great other than the Manta Ray night dive (my favorite dive of all time).

Would you say it's worth it? I am also thinking about doing a night dive, are the night dives here?

We are tentatively schedule to go with FF tomorrow and a night dive on Friday.
 
If you didn't like Kona you may realy not like Kauai. It's OK there but many have false expectations of Hawaii diving. It's Hawaii not the Carib. Night dives anywhere are the best!
 
You should have a great time with Fathom Five. My lovely bride and I had a great time diving on Kauai. We went with SeaSport Divers. Good operation.

Dave
 
well, I ended up going and really didn't enjoy it. we did see some great larger marine life but there isn't any soft coral to speak of and hardly any hard coral. The visivibility was <50ft. We were in about 5ft swells so most everyone was sick (I had to laser focus on the horizon to keep from getting sick). and the water was cold enough to make just about everyone shiver.

Fathom Five! :bananalama: Lonnie (sp?) was an awesome store manager, really helpful. Glen our captain was the nicest captain I have ever experienced. apparently he has out lasted the last three owners of FF, been there since the mid-80s.

Anthony our divemaster did not match the tone for FF though. I would say he has negative chrisma. He is not approachable, talkative, or nice. I will give him two thumbs up for finding marine life, he well above average on finding marine life so all in all it's a hard call if I were to go with FF again.

So I would highly recommend FF but I won't be diving in Hawaii again since it doesn't seem to be the type of diving I like.
 
Well, as they say... There are two sides to every story. I'd be
curious to
hear the other side as I have been diving with Anthony for a number of
years
and would without hesitation suggest anyone interested in an incredible
dive
on Kauai - do just the same. Like the other guides at Fathom, Anthony
has
found more amazing critters than I could ever recall. My first
impression
of Anthony was years ago when he dove at Bubbles Below on Kauai - when
he
certified my daughter. Not only was he accomodating and very friendly,
but
very professional. My impression has never changed. My Family request
to
dive with Anthony at Fathom every year. Seems the chapbook and a write
up
in Scuba Diving magazine echo my thoughts. Anyway, for those inquiring
about diving on Kauai, if you love turtles, sharks, lava tubes, whales
in
the winter, and some of the most amazing diving ever off of Nihau!!! I
suggest Fathom Five and there great staff. Len and Kyle are great
captains. Debbie and Mark have also been great guides. And Anthony -
you
can count on him for a great experience. 5 years of vacationing on
Kauai
and I haven't seen otherwise.

Happy vacation planning. We can't wait til out summer trip back.
 
In relpy to Brian Bains statement about Anthony Kuntz, the dive master on Fathom Five. There were three other people on the the dive that day, Feb. 22, 07. Our experince with Anthony proved to be excellent for these reasons. He was approachable, professional and clearly has a passion for teaching scuba. Brain's party of three to begin with were 1 hour late, making the others wait at the boat, expected to be catered to and were assisted very nicely by Anthony and the captain. As stated the seas were rough and Anthony gave explicit intructions NOT to inflate your BC's and swim straight to the front of the boat and down the line to facilate a drift dive. Brain's group did the exact opposite, inflated their bc's, dropped over the side and drifted away from the boat. Meanwhile 3 people were on the front line for 15 minutes using up air while Anthony assisted Brain's party to the line. Anthony acted very professional and patient in dealing with everyone on board. The water temp was 72 degrees and we were very comfortable with our 5 mil wet suits, provided by FF. The marine life was excellent and Anthony used an underwater communication board and named each species. At the end of the trip FF provided a personalized dive record. If we return to Kauai someday you can be sure that we will dive with Anthony and FF again. I have been on over 11 different boat dives and have never been catered to as on FF, they were very attentive and thorough a pleasure
to dive with. Best Regards, Jim and Susan
 
Jim Bo,

(Jim and Susan) thanks for giving us the other side of the story. My husband and I are planning a winter dive trip to Kauai now. If I were to go on Brian Bain's summary, I would have avoided Fathom Five. But after reading your summary, I think I will actually seek them out.
 
I, too, thank you for the 'other side.' My wife and I are planning our 20th Anniversary trip for Decemeber and Kauai is one of the many places we are considering.

Thanks for keeping Kauai in the running!
 
I know Anthony personally from years of diving on Kauai and he is an excellent guide and an excellent person!
 
If I may resurrect an old thread.

I recently returned from 7 great dives with Fathon Five, including obtaining my AOW certification. I found the diving and FF to both be great. I really wonder what brianbain expects from dives and divemasters. Jeez. If he thinks that Kona sucks, . . . .

Anyway, at FF I had four different instructor/divemasters, Juli, Debbie, Zoe and the-aforementioned Anthony. I learned a great deal from each of them and found them all to be very professional, personable and knowledgeable. Captains Charlie and Len were top notch, as well.

And don't just take my word for it. For a couple of those dives, I buddied up with a colleage of my wife's, who is an instructor with gobs of experience going on tropical dive trips. (I know, Hawaii's SUB-tropical. But compared to northern Calif., it's way warm.) He told me that he was extremely impressed with FF's operation and people. (The way they trailer their six-pack boats with passengers on board and have the trailer move as soon as the boat stops gives the feeling of sailing right into the parking lot. Very slick, indeed.)

I highly recommend FF to all divers (expect those with overblown expectations).
 

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