Posted by Frank O on October 07, 2002 at 20:55:11:
In Reply to: Kauai Diving posted by NightDiver on October 07, 2002 at 15:03:45:
Re SeaSport Divers, when I was in Kauai this summer I didn't get a chance to go out on any of their boats, but after dropping by the shop a few times for various doodads they struck me as pretty knowledgeable -- any store that pumps nitrox and also has three-footer freediver fins on the shelf goes beyond the usual resort stuff.
Re Max's comment about DMs handling "rare, endemic starfish," would that be the crown of thorns? When we took a boat out to Nihau, my wife went on a guided snorkel tour where the guide picked up one of them and brought it up to the surface to show to the crowd. So that hands-on attitude seems to be common.
I've heard a lot of good things about Bubbles Below, although they don't seem as equipped to deal with freedivers as SeaSport.
There's some pretty fair shore diving on Kauai as well -- Koloa Landing is a favorite spot for certification classes and has a nice variety of fish (plus it was a five-minute walk from my hotel). On the north shore, Ke'e Beach and Tunnels are really good.