Kauai and Kona diving in March

[mikesbucky]

I'll be going to Kauai and Kona in March and would like to get some diving in while I'm there. In Kauai, I'll be staying in Princeville. Any recommendations for dive sites and operators that time of year? I know that Niihau is out that time of year. Also, is it possible to do a north shore and south shore dive trip on the same day? Time is limited and I'm trying to max the diving.

In Kona, I was looking at the Manta dives. Can you find the mantas during the day dives? My wife isn't experienced enough for the night dives, but we'd still like to see the mantas if possible. Any other recommendations would be appreciated.

 

[smellzlikefish]

Hi Mike- Your best bet for diving Kauai in March is probably the south shore. March usually harbors a few north Pacific storms that drive the north shore surf here, but as it is the end of the winter season you may be okay. Your best bet it to check conditions at the time of your stay. Even if you can't dive, Kauai's topside is beautiful.

The visibility offshore from Kauai can be good, the visibility offshore of Kona is almost always incredible and as such, Kona is probably where you should plan to get the most diving in. Since the dive lights attract plankton, the manta dive is a night ordeal. There is a cleaning station where you can find mantas lounging about during the day and there is always the chance of a fly-by, but these options are spotty. As far as night dives go, the manta dive is really easy. There are enough people all waving lights around and boats everywhere to pick you up in case you get lost that it really is a good stepping stone into night diving. If you plan your time right, you and your wife could easily gain enough diving experience during your stay to try night diving here.

 

[friscuba]

Ditto on what smellzlikefish says. Kona is well worth diving more than just the manta dive. Mantas can be seen during the day, but no guarantee. As far as experience needed to do the night dive, it's a safe bet that more divers than not who've just finished their certifications in Kona end up doing that dive, often the first dive after certification if they're not diving a lot afterwards. As well as being considered to be one of the world's best night dives, it's one of the easiest night dives a person can do unless conditions are suspect. I wouldn't recommend it as the first dive after a good break from diving, especially if there are comfort issues, but anyone fairly comfortable during recent day dives should have little trouble with that dive.

 

[Jack'sDivingLocker]

Aloha! We take lots of people to the manta site for their first night dive. Ultimately it's up to your wife to decide her comfort level for night diving...but the dive is in 30-45 feet of water and well lit up by lots of diver and snorkeler lights. We like to do it as a 2-tank dive. On the first dive during daylight divers can get used to our equipment, our boat, our crew, and our procedures prior to the night dive. That helps a lot. If you have questions you can e-mail angela@jacksdivinglocker.com We'd love to take you on this amazing experience. We had at least 18 mantas last night which was pretty incredible. (As a side note, there's been a whaleshark or two in town lately!)
Mahalo, Angela

 

[AquamanKauai]

You'll find that you'll likely need to drive south for any diving you are interested in doing while on Kauai in March. There's a slight chance that you may be able to do a shore dive at the well known lava tube site called Tunnels - but more than likely there will still be swell up there which makes diving it impossible. You could certainly do a full day south on shore/boat or a combination. There is an awesome shore dive here in Poipu called Koloa Landing. It has incredible critters and is a very easy dive. Off shore there are about 15 different sites to choose from with various depths - topography - and critters.

 

[Silver_Diver]

Stay south in Kauai.

As for the Big Island, there's a ton of awesome diving all over the Kona side. Check in with any of the local shops and they can point to some easy spots. I recommend Jacks Dive Locker and Kona Dive Company. Honaunau, aka Place of Refuge is about the easiest entry/exit you could hope for and the dive itself can be kept to 40 feet, or you can go past the edge of the bay and head to 100. Since the bay is 3/4 protected it's almost always nice down there. Kealakekua Bay also has some decent diving. And there plenty of good local charters if you want something a little more guided.

The manta dive is veeery easy to do. Basically you enter the water at or a little after sunset and follow your dive leader to a big patch of rubble where everyone comes and makes a dive light 'campfire' to attract plankton. The mantas come in to feed on the plankton and all you do is sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. And, of course, you're surrounded by tons of dive boats that are all making sure no one wanders off or gets lost, so there's really very little risk at all. Plus, mantas.

 

[halems]

I strongly recommend WannaDive Kona for your night dive. Steve and his crew will make you and your wife comfortable and do a twilight dive first to make for an easy transition. Kona was my first night dive and I have been back for several more Manta dives. On a couple, the mantas didn't show up. I sometimes think that is better as the reef at night is much more interesting than watching mantas dance for 30 or 40 minutes.

For Kauai, I would suggest Bubbles Below on the south shore. Linda runs a great operation and can find good dive sites in almost any weather. She is also not afraid to call off the trip if the weather looks at all flakey. I will be on Kauai March 18-30 if you you are there and want to shore dive. That would be in addition to several trips with Linda.