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Na Pali Coast / Mana Crack Dive
This is an all-day trip occurring during the summer and other fair-weather months on Thursdays. Meeting time is 6:15am at Port Allen and returns around 2:00 pm.
The far west side of Kauai is a huge sunken barrier reef. It extends close to 11 miles around this side of the island and is several miles from shore. We dive the inside of the barrier reef so it gets deeper as you get closer to shore. It is home to the only Acropora coral found in the main islands of the Hawaiian Archipelago and is significant to coral reef experts. The coral heads are complete with chevron butterflies which feed only on acropora coral.
There are grey reef sharks, white tip reef sharks, eagle rays as well as pelagic species of sharks are also occasionally seen. But with all this, we still dive it for the Pahoehoe lava cracks which lead you to interesting corners and habitats. There are many predatory species present here with the grey snappers and the jacks scattering the reef fish. The tear drop butterflies are abundant which is unusual for Kauai's waters. If you would like to know more about these creatures, please check out our Marine Life web page. After the first dive we serve lunch as we cruise the NaPali Coast, picking out sites where the conditions are good for our second dive.
This is a great alternative to diving Niihau without having to cross the channel and still get totally different diving from the rest of the island. This is also a great area to dive nitrox as the profiles tend to be straighter profiles and nitrox would afford a diver so much more bottom time here.
Dive Ni'ihau and Lehua Crater (May-September)
Bubbles Below was the first to offer dive charters to Ni'ihau and Lehua Crater starting back in 1984.The diving is truly world class, with beautiful vertical walls, unbelievable huge caverns, large black coral trees, and a great abundance of marine life. Your chances of seeing a Hawaiian monk seal are excellent. This animal has the distinction of being the most endangered marine mammal in the USA. Schools of grey and white tip reef sharks are usually present. On occasion, we also see a great variety of pelagic shark species. The channel crossing is a trip in itself, and through the years we have had sightings of sperm whales, pilot whales, rough toothed dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, killer whales, and false killer whales. The channel crossing to Ni'ihau takes 2 hours and the return journey usually takes 2.5 hours (due to prevailing winds and swell). Many customers consider this the roughest ocean crossing they have ever done, and we therefore stress that you must be in good health and prepared for a rough ride. People with a tendency towards sea sickness should consider taking medication (sea sickness can be a real issue due to the nitrogen levels incurred through the day). People with bad backs or physical restrictions should consider diving with us around Kauai. Divers should be in good physical condition and should be comfortable diving on vertical drop-offs, huge underwater caverns, in possible choppy surface conditions.
This all-day trip departs at 6:15am from Port Allen and returns around 5:30pm. This 3-tank dive trip is for experienced, adventuresome divers to the forbidden island. Many sites do not lend themselves for dropping an anchor. Divers need to be comfortable descending, ascending, and performing safety stops without an anchor line, significant currents, as well as sharing water space with resident sharks. Ni'ihau is exciting, excellent, world class diving, but it is not for everybody due to the conditions and the type of diving. This trip is offered twice weekly (Wed./Sat.) in the summer only (May-Sept). The cost of the trip is $295.00 and includes tanks, weights, computer, a complete lunch buffet, snacks, drinks, and a marine guide to the undersea world of Ni'ihau.
We request that you dive with us at least once prior to a Ni'ihau charter so you can become comfortable with our drift diving techniques and we can assess your abilities. Depth ranges for Ni'ihau charters are as follows: 1st dive 60-110ft (ave. 80ft), 2nd dive 50-85 ft (ave. 60ft), 3rd dive 40-70ft (ave. 50ft). Advanced reservations is a must.
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 "Linda points out black coral in the caverns at Pu'u Mu'u.")
 "Kaimanu - Our 35ft fully equiped dive vessel.")
Get ready for a dive experience unlike any other. With Bubbles Below, you will be treated to a truly exceptional, memorable and educational tour of our undersea world. We are unique because our perspective is quite a bit different from most other dive companies. We treat our customers to a marine-ecology oriented, information-rich experience. It is our hope that those that dive with us come to appreciate the fragile beauty and splendor of our unique island home, and will then spread that knowledge and awareness to others when they return to their daily lives.
