Help me plan my Kaua'i trip

[TexasKaren68]

I'm heading to Kaua'i in April and will be there for four and a half days. I arrive on a Wednesday morning around 8 a.m. and my flight out leaves Sunday afternoon around 1 p.m.

I want to get a fair amount of diving in but I also want to see the island. The first day I am doing a photography tour of the island but that's the only thing I have booked so far. I also want to do a helicopter tour and need to plan that around diving because of those rules about diving/flying too close together. I would also like to do a mixture of boat/shore diving and maybe even a night shore dive. I'm very much a beginner. In fact I have two open water dives and am heading over to my dive shop this afternoon to register to complete my OW cert. I imagine by the time the Kauai trip comes along I'll still have less than 10 dives.

Does anyone have suggestions for a good dive op for a beginner? I don't necessarily need to use the same one every day but that would be preferred so I can store my equipment with them and not have to be bringing wet gear back to my hotel room. I will have a rental car. I'm also going to be traveling by myself so I need to find a dive operator who will be good about pairing me with a buddy - preferably one of their DMs.

I don't know yet if I want to bring my BC and reg with me or just the mask, fins and snorkel. I'm already probably going to have to check two bags so it may not really be an issue but unless all my stuff is completely dry by the time I fly back it could make my cases overweight. Hmmmm.

Is a 3mm shorty appropriate for diving in Kauai or would a full suit be better? So far all I own is a shorty.

So far my itinerary looks like this.

Wednesday Day - Photo tour
Wednesday Evening - ?
Thursday Day - Helicopter tour in morning?, Boat dive in afternoon
Thursday Eve - Night shore dive???
Friday Day - Shore Dive in morning, sightsee in afternoon (Waimea Canyon? Fern Grotto? Botanical Gardens?)
Saturday Day - ????? another dive but not sure which, maybe some beach time as well.
Saturday Eve - ?????
Sunday Morn - ????? Last minute sightseeing?

 

[AquamanKauai]

Aloha Karen,
Congratulations on your open water certification! There are sooo many amazing experiences that await for you. I can help you with any of the information you may need for your Kauai visit both above and under the island.

I am current Divemaster/Instructor here on the island and have worked with the 3 primary shops on the island. I have pretty extensive knowledge regarding the different operations and their staff. Any info that I dont know for sure - I can get for you happily.

First I would say that I think regardless of who you choose - your findings will be that the operations and there personnel are very professional here and equally as helpful. I am certainly proud to work with divemasters/owners on this island. Personally, I work currently for Marvin Otsuji and SeaSport Divers in the Poipu area. I have been diving here for almost 12 years professionally in the islands.

Some of the shops here have very high quality rental gear while others... well, you get the idea. I would suggest a full 3mm as a minimum for exposure protection as the waters will be starting to warm but not yet at summer temps (approaching 80). Very few people (especially women) get away with shorty diving - even in the summer.

Your Thursday schedule might run close to pm boat check in times so just be careful timing your booking. Transit time to the south shore might be tricky depending on the time of day and your location. All the operations essentially dive out of the south shore in Poipu. One operation is further to the west and goes out of Port Allen.

The shore dive at Koloa Landing is fantastic!!!! It's right in Poipu and has some really amazing resident critters including DRAGON MORAYS!!!!

If you need to borrow a gear bin, guide book, beach cooler etc... you can get in touch with me when you arrive and I'll gladly set you up.

Allow yourself a full day to visit the breathtaking north shore here! It's really amazing and full of great photo ops!

That should get you started ! Excited to help you out however I can. Happy Planning

 

[TexasKaren68]

I sent off a request today to Jack Harter helicopters requesting the earliest possible flight so I should have plenty of time to make the afternoon boat trip with SeaSport if that's what I decide to do.

I read on the SS site that they do not do dives at the Tunnels location. Do you have a recommendation for a company that would be a good choice for the North Shore?

It seems that April is kind of in between summer and winter surf conditions so I suppose it's a crap shoot as to whether sites will be safe or not

My 3mm wetsuit should be arriving in the next couple days. I'm also planning to purchase a dive computer before my trip but haven't decided which one yet. The dive computer thread on Scubaboard has only served to confuse me more (trying to decide between Suunto and Oceanic)

I think I'm going to do my last dive no later than early Saturday morning so I have plenty of time for last minute sightseeing, to let my stuff dry out a bit, and be all ready for that plane ride home at 39,000 feet.

I think I can squeeze about six or seven dives total including one night dive into my vacation budget so this should be a good trip.

 

[beasleym]

I go to Kauai every two years since the early '90's. Bubbles Below has the best dive operation in my opinion. Tried all of them and all are good, but Bubbles has the best boat and knows the Ni'ihau and Napali coast better than anyone. These are hard trips, expensive, long but the diving is incredible, at least for Hawaii.

 

[Pontius320]

Bring your equipment and don't worry about it. $25 for the comfort and familiarity of your own gear? Practically free. I had a great time with SeaSport Poipu, of course I didn't get to dive with the other operators. The helicopter tour might sound expensive (I was ready to blow it off) but it will be a highlight of your trip. Don't skip it. Hiking Hanakapi'ai, on the Na Pali coast will consume much of a day and leave you totally beat and with junk shoes, but the waterfall at the end of it is remarkable. You'll get the Waimea experience from the Heli. Have fun!

 

[kenbert61]

Karen I just got back from diving with Aquamankauai (Anthony) and you can't go wrong with him and his shop at Seasports...being new you will also appreciate there big comfy boats. And if you get Captain Zak it's an added bonus.

 

[kenbert61]

I go to Kauai every two years since the early '90's. Bubbles Below has the best dive operation in my opinion. Tried all of them and all are good, but Bubbles has the best boat and knows the Ni'ihau and Napali coast better than anyone. These are hard trips, expensive, long but the diving is incredible, at least for Hawaii.

Dude did you read that she is newly certified?

 

[AquamanKauai]

Aloha again Karen,

You actually can dive Tunnels with us. It is not yet updated on our site, but we will have an instructor dedicated to diving there all summer. He a GREAT instructor who loves to dive Tunnels and will take very good care of those lucky enough to dive with him.

I have used many computers over the years and suggest Oceanic over the SUUNTO computers. Just a personal opinion - NO PM's from divers who love their SUUNTO's please ; ).

Oceanic VEO computers are easy to use and pretty bullet proof in my opinion. In fact they are widely used in rental programs for that reason. Users can change the battery on their own and they are Nitrox cap. Also very reasonalble pricing.

Let me know if I can help you in any other ways.

Have a great weekend

 

[TexasKaren68]

Well I booked two dives with SeaSport.

So now my schedule looks like this....

Wednesday - Photo tour (East and North shores)

Thursday - Helicopter tour in morning with Jack Harter helicopters, Boat dive in afternoon with SeaSport Divers. After diving, find a place near the beach for dinner and watch the sunset from the south shore somewhere.

Friday - Shore Dive in morning with SeaSport. Possibly Waimea Canyon in the afternoon.

Saturday - Possible a.m dive but nothing booked yet. Botanical Gardens in the afternoon/evening including the Sunset Allerton Estate tour.

Sunday - ????? Last minute sightseeing?

I called Fathom Five because their web site mentioned Tunnels and was informed that they do not dive there until May.

Fathom Five told me that night dives are done upon request if there is someone available and they like to have at least two people. SeaSport told me they do night dives on Wednesdays. So, it seems that a night dive is something that may just get done at the last minute if other people are also going out. Thursday evening is the only time I might be able to fit that in.

I'm off to finish up Chapter 5 of the OW manual and take the online assessment. OW certification classes start tomorrow. Yay!

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

The shore dive at Koloa Landing is fantastic!!!! It's right in Poipu and has some really amazing resident critters including DRAGON MORAYS!!!!

Thanks for helpful post. Is there good night diving at Koloa landing, or elsewhere?

What is there to see at Niihau? I have seen some prices for trips to Niihau at $300 which is 3x what I would typically pay for a similar day trip in California. Not that I begrudge the operators a living but at that price I would be disappointed if it was not really good.