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Dive Review of Bubbles Below in
Hawaii/Ni'ihau, Kaua'i

Bubbles Below, Aug, 2003,

by LeRoy Anderson, Utah, USA . Report 627.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 5 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 3 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments The quality of the dive staff was first rate. Good dive briefings and excellent guided service to go to the most enjoyable parts of the reef. Bubbles Below did an awesome job, making guided diving enjoyable even though I am used to diving with my own agenda. The diving around Kaua'i was quite fascinating for me, quite a different seascape compared to that in the Carribean, but equally enjoyable and fascinating. The numbers of butterfly fish, large surgeon fish, and what appeared to be yellow and blue striped grunts was quite striking, and though there was less coral than I am used to, it was obvious that the underwater environment was healthier than that in Palau or in the Caribbean, as the coral that was around Kaua'i seemed in good shape. Many fascinating critters such as leaf scorpion fish and frogfish, as well as many types of reef fish kept the diving interesting, and we saw more turtles around Kaua'i than anywhere else I've visited, with Little Cayman being perhaps equal in turtle interactions. Around Ni'ihau, I can only echo the official report given in Undercurrent Magazine this year, this was world class diving, with multiple monk seal interactions, whitetip shark sightings, tuna and rainbow runners diving in and out of a large bait ball, clouds of butterfly fish, and the most fascinating seascape formations, with multiple caves, swim throughs, dramatic pinnacles, canyons, and bottomless vertical walls, and visibility easily 150 feet, probably more like 200 feet, easily the best visibility I've ever encountered. Currents were mild to nonexistent, though the surface during the morning dives was a bit choppy. The water was very calm during the afternoon in Ni'ihau. It was a rough boat ride back from Ni'ihau to Kaua'i, but well worth it. The underwater environment was like no where else I've ever been, which made it quite interesting for me. My advice--if you're going to Hawaii, you've got to go diving at Ni'ihau.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Little Cayman, Grand Cayman, British Columbia, Palau, Yap, Channel Islands, Florida Keys, Cozumel, Papua New Guinea.
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas choppy
Water Temp 75-80°F / 24-27°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 60-150 Ft/ 18-46 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions All dives led by divemaster.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 2 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 3 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 3 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 3 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Minimal accomodations for photographers, though the dive crew was helpful with that brought abourd the boat.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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