This dive log is an account of the diving and over-all vacation my husband, Tony and I had in the summer of 2006. I chose the Island of Kauai for a much needed personal retreat. I have to be honest though, although I was in Hawaii for some serious R & R, my addiction to diving was always in the forefront and my husband and I even intended to do and actually completed the PADI Rescue Diver Course on this trip. The other reason I chose Kauai, is because I knew we could dive the "Forbidden Island" of Ni'ihau--- accessible to divers only from Kauai and only from May to September when the sea is calmer. Due to our very busy business, we sometimes juggle our travel schedules, so I arrived first on May 28th and I was raring to go.

Our non-diver son, Michael also came to Kauai and my husband and I did come back in August as planned to do more diving. Some of us divers have non-diving spouses or children and I feel that land based activities can be an integral part of diving vacations. This log is mostly about my underwater adventures, my experiences and my opinions but over several visits we have also visited some other beautiful parts of Kauai like the stunning Hanalei Bay, Waimea Canyon, and of course, the Na Pali Coast. There are too many activities to mention in a dive log---this is why I love the Island of Kauai so much.

Overview: My overall experience of my month in Kauai and diving both Kauai and Ni'ihau was a 9 out of 10. The 1/10 deduction is only because nothing is perfect in life and "stuff" happens, but in paradise, relatively speaking, nothing can be that bad. In comparison to the diving my husband and I have done in places like Palau, Yap, Truk Lagoon, Micronesia, French Polynesia, The Great Barrier Reef, Turks and Caicos, The Cayman Islands, The Bahamas, and the other Hawaiian Islands, we did not see the vivid bright colors of soft coral found in some of those areas, but at Ni'ihau and Kauai, we experienced diving interesting rock formations some reminiscent of the Grand Canyon, colors of terra cotta, mustards and deep, warm oranges, we saw fish life indigenous only to the Hawaiian Islands; we dove into caves and swim-throughs like we were in a "James Bond" movie. It is very special. Quite simply, I loved it. Read more dive details and entries below.

Accommodations: Because we wanted a kitchen, we rented a condo apartment at the Poipu Kai resort managed by Suite Paradise. We had a 2 bdrm, 2 bath 1750 sq. ft. apartment. The condo was very close to the Grand Hyatt Resort and a short walk to Shipwreck's beach---bigger waves than Poipu Beach but less busy; the Seasport Divers dive shop was less than a 2 minute drive away. We were very happy with the accommodations and the rates offered were good value. I did have to ask to be moved to a different apartment after checking in because there was not a bathtub in the first suite they gave me. I eventually moved to another suite which was identical in layout but had a bathtub in the master bathroom---a necessity for me after a 3-tank dive!

Food & Restaurants: Having a condo with a kitchen is great for long stays. I shopped at the outdoor market at the Koloa Ball Park on Monday at noon for fresh produce and the grocery stores for staples. Bring your camera for it is a colorful sight. There are many restaurants to choose from in Kauai. My all-time favorite is the casual and inexpensive Hamura's Siamin in Lihue--- the best noodles on the face of the earth! Our family favorite is Dondero's at the Hyatt because we love Italian food---pasta and/or veal osso bucco is perfect after a 3-tanker in Ni'ihau! I also enjoyed the Blossoming Lotus in Kapaa---creative, gourmet vegetarian food. My son also liked Puka Dog in Poipu; they served a choice of polish or vegetarian hot dogs with creative tropical relishes like star fruit, banana, or coconut served with a secret non-slimming, very addictive sauce. You will not go hungry on Kauai no matter what your budget is.

Dive Operator: We dove with Seasport Divers during my stay in June as well as our return in August. My husband and I have traveled extensively and I have very high standards especially when it comes to dive operators. Even though I have been to the Hawaiian Islands 16 times in my life, I researched the diving thoroughly and read many books and magazines. I chose Seasport Divers before I arrived on Kauai and have no regrets. I highly recommend them. They have the biggest, best equipped dive shop on Kauai with two locations---Poipu and Kapaa. The instructors, captains and employees are professional, courteous and sensitive to the needs of each individual while at the shop and also on the boat. And, by the way, Seasport Divers has the biggest and best boats of all the dive operators on Kauai --- a serious requirement for that 2 hour trip to Ni'ihau where Mother Ocean can choose to take the "attitude" out of any cocky diver.

Seasport Divers is sadly, if not ignorantly, mentioned in the Ultimate Kauai Guidebook with, in my opinion, an inaccurate review. The authors claim that "Seasport Divers soaks up too much pre-dive time since they make you do a pre-dive class in a pool prior to taking you on your boat dive…" You may or may not agree, but I believe it is imperative to do at least a pre-dive overview for any new diver who may end up panicking from lack of knowledge, ruining their own dive and as well as others on a boat and then risking that they might never dive again from that single unfortunate experience. Some of these travel guides, it would seem, are subjective and have hidden agendas. So, I do my own internet surfing, read dependable diver-specific magazines, make phone calls directly to the dive operators and ask specific questions.

Crew: I met all of the crew employed with Seasport Divers. Derek, was my very first contact with Seasport Divers on the phone. He is the ultimate professional and just as supremely nice guy. I found the rest of the crew to be helpful, courteous, and knowledgeable---without the "attitude" that I have experienced on many occasions with several dive operations in all parts of the world. The other thing worth mentioning is that Seasport has been in business for several years and they have a very low turnover of staff. My experience was that all the employees seemed to have a deep respect for the owner, Marvin Otsuji---that in itself says a lot.

On my first day diving in Ni'ihau, I had the good fortune of having Zac, Andrew, Luke and Grant as the crew. All of whom I have tremendous respect for and much gratitude. It would be this crew that I mostly dove with. Grant, always smiling, is an excellent scuba instructor in his own right; he was always there for the divers with any need---he graciously brought me my gear to the edge of the boat because I was nursing a bad back during this trip and could not walk with my tank on my back. As I mentioned before, Zac is a cheerful, astute captain. On that first day, at the end of a blissful dive, I unknowingly almost made the mistake of swimming under the boat in a slight current. Zac's watchful eye saw me and pulled the boat away as Luke called me back to safety. After this, I learned to remember every last little detail of the dive briefing and I always felt that Zac kept an eye out for me and we have become pals.

Andrew, who is Seasport's Senior Captain and has been with Seasport Divers for over 12 years, has a warm, welcoming and fun nature. He'll make anyone feel comfortable with his broad knowledge of these waters and years of diving expertise. I dove with him on my first dive on this trip and I could tell he was checking out my abilities because I had a brand new 5 ml wetsuit on which I was trying for the very first time. After I must have passed his watchful eye, Luke became my dive buddy for pretty much the rest of my trip with the exception of just a couple of dives. Luke was an exceptional diver and dedicated professional. I felt safe and comfortable diving with him and he showed me a lot of stuff that I would not have noticed on my own. Luke, my dear friend, is sadly no longer with us due to a tragic non-diving related accident. His gentle & caring nature will be greatly missed. He was an integral part of Ni'ihau diving and made an enormous contribution to my life as well as others.

I dove with some of the other crew members as well on one or two occasions on the local Kauai dives. All are as friendly and professional as the rest of their peers.

Certification Courses: Seasport has an outdoor pool for certification courses which is also next to Kukuila Harbor where they do the required ocean dives. I took my PADI Rescue Course with Mike and my husband Tony took his with Niko. Although each had a different approach and style, both instructors were very well versed and trained by PADI standards. I felt challenged at times during my Rescue Course but I am glad I went through it and learned a great deal from the experience. Finishing the course has improved our diving skills tremendously.

Diving Summary: Seasport Divers dives Ni'ihau on Tuesdays and Fridays from May to September. Check-in at the dive shop in Poipu is 6 A.M. 2-tank local dives on the south shore are twice daily with the morning check-in at 7:30 A.M. and afternoon dives at 12:30 P.M. Nitrox is available.

If you intend to dive Ni'ihau and Kauai in the summer months, it is wise to stay in the southern part of the island in the Poipu Beach area. If you chose to stay as far as the northern Princeville or Hanalei areas, it is a 75 minute drive at dawn to make it to the boat by 6:00 A.M. for Ni'ihau. No Starbucks is open that early! Then there's the same drive back around 6:00 P.M. after a 3-tank dive…

I had a cold when I arrived in Kauai so I chose to rest for the first 5 days and missed a few days diving. Seasport Divers does trips to Ni'ihau on Tuesdays and Fridays. I did a total of 24 dives in Ni'ihau--- 5 consecutive Tuesdays and Fridays in June with the exception of one Tuesday in between when the trip was cancelled because of rough ocean conditions; fortunately, I was doing the PADI Rescue Course on that day so it worked out great for me. My husband and I dove Ni'ihau again at the end of August and early September. Apparently, I lucked out during my time in Kauai because, honestly, with no exaggeration, the passage to and from Ni'ihau on 7 out of the 8 trips that I was on was calm, sunny and beautiful. One trip out of the eight was a little bit rougher but the diving was so great that day that all the divers happily bounced around with the wave action tossing it up to (pardon the pun) Captain Zac wanting to get home quickly to his wife and a hot dinner! FYI: Captain Zac is one of my favorites and is an astute Captain!

At Ni'ihau the visibility was always gin-crystal-clear of about 100 to 150 feet or more. Kauai's visibility was a little less with about 70' to 80' but this was only due to a south swell that was just dissipating on the day I did my local dives. The water temperature fluctuated from as low as 75 - 77 degrees in June and 79 - 81 degrees in August. I am used to diving warmer waters in the Pacific and Caribbean were I use a 3 ml, so, knowing what the water temperature would be like in Ni'ihau and Kauai, I chose to dive in a 5 ml wetsuit and I was comfortable on all my dives. There were some divers wearing a 3 ml, some wore shorties, and only two divers during all my diving courageously wore no wetsuit! All had their own reasons as to their choice of outer protection, but several people wished they had a 5 ml or more, if they were wearing less; but notably, the two divers who wore no wetsuit claimed they were warm enough…perhaps it's all in the mind after all, what do I know?…

Diving Ni'ihau also includes nearby Lehua Rock which is a dramatic rock face very close to Ni'ihau. The typical dive day started at 6:00 AM where everyone met at the Seasport dive shop and then all divers and gear went to Kukuila Harbour where we boarded the Anela Kai--- a comfortable, well-maintained custom fitted Pro 48 dive boat that met all my requirements and expectations. The captain gives a safety briefing and then we were off for the 17 mile crossing through the Kaulakahi Channel. The crew serves a selection of tasty baked goodies and fruit juices for breakfast, all of which, you'll burn-off during the first dive. Boxes of cookies are served in between dives; the over indulgence will be your choice. After the second dive, Seasport serves a delicious and generous lunch---a selection of cold cuts, cheeses, vegetables, fresh baked submarine buns, potato salad, pasta salad, fresh fruit salad, potato chips, bread sticks. Bottled water is abundant in a large cooler for the entire trip. After the third dive, chocolate brownies are served. I guarantee that you will not go hungry on their Ni'ihau charter's; with the exception of live-aboard style diving I've done, it is the nicest lunch I've seen served on any dive boat…it easy to eat too much and be tempted to sit out the last dive and nap, but don't even consider doing that!

I have listed the dive sites we dove in Ni'ihau and Kauai with my dive profiles:

Ni'ihau Dive Sites

Vertical Awareness A.K.A. The Pinnacle - 06/02/06 - 108'/52 min, 06/06/06 - 112'/52 min, 06/09/06 - 85'/54 min, 06/16/06 - 105'/58 min, 06/20/07 - 113'/70 min, 08/25/06 - 110'/57 min, 08/29/06 - 109'/63 min, 09/01/06 - 116'/70 min

I dove the Pinnacles a total of 8 times. I like this dive very much and by the time I dove it for the eighth time, I definitely felt like a local here. There is a resident Hawaiian monk seal here and sometimes his playmate, another Hawaiian monk seal would show up. They would at times swim very close to us, as if to check us out. One time, one of them virtually performed right in from of our video camera in a playful dance. The underwater landscape was nothing like I anticipated; it appeared arid to me---a palette of browns, mustards, sienna and terra cotta. I felt like I could have been either in the Grand Canyon or in the now submerged dry landscape of ancient Troy. On some of the flatter areas there were funny squiggly shaped cracks on the sea floor where sea urchins live and hide, so, watch your fingers! The list of other fish life I saw seemed endless and included the following: Sharks- some medium sized, some smaller, schools of pyramid butterfly fish, yellow tangs, Hawaiian turkey fish a.ka. lionfish, endemic Hawaiian anthias, bi-colored anthias, longfin anthias, Moorish idols, moray eels, potters angelfish, four spot butterfly fish, scarlet (peppermint) cleaner shrimp, pencil urchins, blue dragons, multi-colored nudibranches, scrambled egg nudibranch, flatworms, purple velvet sea stars, large jacks, triton's trumpet shell and Spanish dancers. There is sometimes a thermocline that varies the water temperature from 81 down to 75 degrees.

Stairway to Heaven - N.E. Face of Lehua Rock - 06/02/06 - 93'/43 min

On our way to this site, we were blessed with schools of dolphins following the boat and jumping in the air to entertain us. When we finally stopped and descended, the site started with a lot of current. It can take any diver by surprise. I was grateful for my experiences I had in Palau and Yap which prepared me for this dive. Once I got deeper below 60 ft., the current eased off and the dive became easier and as soothing as a summer breeze. The landscape also started of as being rather barren. It was also canyon-like in some areas. Some of the life we saw was a total of 4 sharks, blue trevali, pennant butterfly fish, Hawaiian turkeyfish, scrambled egg nudibranch, other multi-colored nudibranches, and flatworms.

Puumu - 06/02/06 - 70'/52 min, 06/20/06 72'/57 min, 08/29/06 73'/66 min

This site rarely gets visited because of ocean conditions. Puumu is definitely on my "favorites" list. Including the 2005 Ni'ihau season, Seasport divers were only able to dive this site four times and I was fortunate enough to dive on three out of those four occasions. Every time we made it there, we got lucky and had the clear, calm, sunny weather needed to dive this wonderful site. There is something special about Puumu that I love, perhaps it is its remoteness and the thought that it is hardly ever dived. That's why there is still some rare life here that is no longer found in other parts of the Hawaiian Island chain. There are definitely more hard corals here than most of the other sites. I truly like the underwater terrain which looks like an arid canyon that is now submerged in water--lots of crevices and interesting swim-throughs. It has the same warm colors of browns and mustard yellows typical of the Ni'ihau sites. We went through some caverns and saw several lobsters; in addition, we saw Moorish idols, trigger fish, tiger cowries, lots of nudibranches, green and yellow flat worms, scrambled egg slug, pyramid butterflyfish, sleepy sharks under ledges and in caves, white-tip sharks, bi-colored anthias, large jacks, giant alua, red striped pipefish, as well as the other regular tropical fish that frequent these waters. On one of our memorable dives here, we saw so many sharks. At one point we entered a small cave to see a lobster family---huge lobsters as well as baby lobsters. We also saw the rare tiger cowries. When we came out of the cave, we were surprised by a shark show where 4 - 5 sharks of all sizes swam around us for several minutes; at the end of our dive we swam with 8 sharks

Key-hole - 06/06/07 - 104'/49 min, 06/09/06 - 109'/46 min, 06/20/07 - 115'/56 min, 08/25/06 - 113'/30 min, 08/29/06 - 112'/57 min, 08/29/06 - 112'/57 min

This is my favorite dive site in the Hawaiian Islands and one of my favorite dive-sites on the planet. For me it is magical. There were manta rays playing on the surface on several of our visits here. The boat approaches the site and there is a vertical cut on the dramatic rock face that looks like a key-hole. Because of the current, we have to be dropped as a group as close to the key-hole as possible in well-timed synchronicity. We then have to swim on our backs toward the key-hole. As we get to the descent spot and we finally turn around, we witness the rays of the sun trickling through the vertical cut and the light sparkles on the water surrounding us. The experience is so beautiful, it is almost surreal. Aside from the regular schools of pretty tropical fish, we've seen sharks, eagle rays, giant ula, turtles, kava kava (also knows as near-shore tuna), millet seed, banded angelfish, coral banded shrimp, long nose butterfly fish, fuscha flatworm, yellow margin eel, Spanish dancer, stout moray, tear-drop butterfly. The action happens on this site when there is current---the pelagics and sharks come out to play. Without current it is still nice but not as exciting. At some point it maybe necessary to hang on to a piece of dead coral so you can see the action. It can be almost like the famous Blue Corner site in Palau. We saw so many sharks one day that we were giggled!!! On one occasion, everything was relatively normal and we expected the current to be 1 or 2 knots below the surface. After we descended it kicked up to 4 to 5 knots and it humbled the best of us on that dive. All the divers on that dive that day will probably talk about that experience for the rest of their lives. The Key-hole is definitely for the advanced diver only.

Arches - 06/06/06 - 67'/62 min, 06/09/06 - 64'/63, 06/16/06 - 66'/67, 08/25/06 - 71'/60 min, 09/01/06 - 71'/72 min

This is a lovely dive site. There are many rock faces, rock formations, ridges, valleys, swim-throughs, nooks and crannies…and arches. There is one very large arch in particular where schooling horse-eyed jacks where always there to welcome us. I found it very intriguing. We saw 4 sharks on one dive---some good sized white tips. In an easy-access cavern, there were 8 - 10 lobsters all grouped together on one shelf and several others on another. On another occasion we saw a total of about 20 lobsters! We also saw Hawaiian yellow head moray eels, scrambled egg nudibranches, juvenile yellow tail Coris, rock mover wrasse, Hawaiian cleaner wrasse, the rare tiger cowries--- in one area there were 5 grouped together. Again the underwater topography has the warm colors and arid ambiance. On one dive here, the current led us to a coral garden with some healthy hard corals--- one of the healthiest patches in the Hawaiian Islands.

Lehua Rock Drift - 06/16/06 - 101'/62

This was a fantastic drift dive. We saw several sharks and one 8 foot grey reef shark in particular. There were two Hawaiian monk seals as well as an array of local tropical fish. The landscape was made up of interesting flat rock formations, all tumbled around as if it was caused by the tectonic plates shifting. The underwater terrain brought me the feeling that I was diving in a place where something significant happened in the past---like the beginning of the formation of the Hawaiian Islands. I could feel and sense the energy of it all. At the end of this lovely dive, we drifted into a coral garden that had some of the healthiest coral that I have seen on the islands---similar to the Arches site.

Kauai Dive Sites

Brennicke's Ledge, Kauai - 06/19/06 - 84'/50 min, 08/27/06 86'/60 min

This site is only a few minutes from shore. It is lovely site. It consists of a nice long lava shelf with a white sandy bottom and a pretty coral garden, including a species of black coral, and white and pink cauliflower coral. We saw all the regular tropical fish such as the local squirrel fish, snappers, two octopi, 2 large turtles and triton's trumpet shell. As we passed one octopus it sprang up and as it swam away, it sprayed its black ink all over us.

Sheraton Caverns, Kauai - 06/19/06 - 67'/60 min, 08/27/07 - 61'/63 min, 08/28/06 - 66'/65 min, 08/31/06 - 67'/64 min

This is Kauai's signature dive site. I like this dive very much; it is consistently an eventful dive! The underwater landscape has some interesting swim-throughs, caverns, a lovely coral garden and it is loaded with things to see---octopus, frogfish, scrambled egg slug, large green turtles, scarlet cleaner shrimp, Hawaiian turkeyfish, leaf scorpion fish, devil scorpion fish, Indian nudibranch, red striped pipefish to name a few. On one of our dives we found 4 leaf scorpion fish and a giant turtle swam with me for a very long time. I am constantly surprised at the variety of what I see here and this is definitely one of the most special dive sites in my dive log. It is important to go with an experienced dive-master or instructor who knows where all the resident creatures live.

Shipwreck's Ledge, Kauai - 08/28/07 - 50'/60 min

We dove this site one day because we just wanted to dive with our friend Luke. We didn't expect anything special but boy were we surprised. Named after the ledge that apparently caused many a shipwreck, this is a nice and easy dive--- and again, like most of Kauai's dive sites, it is very pretty. The coral gardens were abundant and healthy. We saw one large octopus, and one baby octopus, schools of the common Hawaiian tropical fish and lots of small and large moray eels. It is a great site for newly certified divers but also a great leisurely dive for veterans who have done a lot of diving but just can't stop getting wet!

Stone House, Kauai - 08/31/06 61'/65 min

This site is named after a stone house that sat directly across from the site on shore before Hurricane Iniki destroyed it in 1992. It is very mellow, tranquil and gentle site---perfect for an afternoon dive. We wanted to dive it because it is one of the few sites on the south shore that we hadn't been to yet and our friend Luke wanted to show it to us. The underwater landscape has lots of boulders and a scattering of nice coral. Nothing overly spectacular, but it was still nice and we had glimpses of the local tropical fish, the occasional turtle and moray eel.

Overall Summary: My family had a fantastic vacation in Kauai and the diving in both Kauai and Ni'ihau was as good as or better than I expected. It is great to get good diving and so much to do top-side as well. The option of being able to dive Ni'ihau from this beautiful island is a bonus. I would come back to Kauai in a heartbeat even as my husband and I continue to travel the globe looking for exotic dive locations in order to "fix" our dive addiction. I may be more sentimental than most, but the diving here in the Summer of 2006 has left a lasting impression with me. The aloha spirit is alive and well in Kauai and Ni'ihau. Come experience its beauty for yourself and nourish your body, mind and spirit.

For a complete slide presentation including sound please visit www.HepburnProductions.com.