Anybody diving Kauai 09/26-09/30 and staying in Princeville?

[divebrasil]

Aloha,

Have been to to the other islands many times, but heading to Kauai for the first on 09/25. This won't be a dive only trip as I will have wife and kids with me, but trying to get a couple dives in. The challenge is that we are staying in Princeville and most dive trips leave from the south side 1 to 2 hr drive. And even with a rental, it's hard to leave wife and kids stranded.

Long shot, but will anyone here be diving Kauai the same week and staying in Princeville?

Would be great to connect.

Thank you

 

[diversteve]

Here's a big MAYBE option. See if Fathom Five is shore diving Tunnels while you're there. DM escorted dive (which you want anyway there) so you likely wouldn't need to bring a buddy.

It's about 4? mi. west of Princeville and the road to it goes pretty close to the Princeville area so maybe they'd pick you up - or at least drop you off on their ride back.Tunnels Beach is also a decent beach for the wife/kids.

Otherwise it's the big drive south. Even Seasports in Kapaa is going to direct you to their Poipu based boats on the south side.

 

[divebrasil]

Diversteve, thanks for the response. How is Tunnels compared to the boat dives in the area? I am willing to do the drive to the south if the dives are better. Unfortunately end of Sep I might not be able to dive Nihau.

 

[Deinonych]

We dove Tunnels with Fathom Five when we were on Kaua'i in June. There is limited parking at the beach itself. We had to drop our gear off at the entrance to Tunnels beach, and parked a few hundred meters up the road at Ha'ena Beach. I don't believe Fathom Five does pickups, but it can't hurt to ask. The dive site itself offers very little in terms of marine life. There were a few fish, but very little coral cover. It had some interesting topography, but I have to admit I was very disappointed.

On the other hand, dive sites in the south were wonderful. Lots of marine life and very healthy coral cover. Most of the sites in the south are a 5-10 minute boat ride from the harbor (Kukui'ula Boat Harbor) I also did the day trip out to Ni'ihau with Fathom Five, which was easily the best diving I've had in the Hawaiian archipelago.

We stayed part of the time in the north (near Wainiha) and a larger part of the time in the south. We found this allowed us to experience everything the island had to offer without spending most of our time in the car.

 

[diversteve]

I don't believe FF does pickups either but it can't hurt to ask - at least maybe they'd drop you off post-dive so your wife didn't have to come back for you.

I don't know the north side dives at all except that both Bubbles Below and North Shore Divers do them. But they're both based South, North Shore is in Koloa and Bubbles somewhere near Port Allen farther west. So an even longer drive fro you than Poipu. I don't know of a dive company with a boat that works from the north shore - not even sure where they'd keep it.

You might contact Bubbles Below for Ni'ihau, they seem to go later in the season than some of the others. Or at least try.

It is always a weather/seas dependent trip with a 33 mile crossing from harbor to dive site areas. The distance between islands is 17 miles and is consistently do-able May thru Sept/October. However, there are “Weather Windows” throughout the remaining months. We offer the service of watching those ‘windows’ of opportunity and are now offering the trip in the “Off-Season”

 

[Deinonych]

I don't know of a dive company with a boat that works from the north shore - not even sure where they'd keep it.

The owner of FF (Jeanette) told us they were the only ones doing shore dives on the north shore. Apparently Kaua'i County requires all sorts of permitting and special procedures that discouraged most operators from doing them. I don't think any boat operators do dives on the north shore due to the distance and the unpredictable seas up there. Bubbles Below does dive some sites on the Napali Coast when conditions allow, though.