One of the best ways to fit scuba diving into your Kauai schedule is to do a shore dive on the Garden Isle. And, you’re in luck when staying at Koloa Landing®, because our area of open water directly across from the resort is the best place to explore Kauai’s amazing underwater world.
Koloa Landing® waters offer the best opportunity to see some of the island’s rarest reef fish, including Bandit angels, dragon morays, and frogfish. Eagle rays, Hawaiian green sea turtles, and sometimes the rare sunrise shell are what make this dive spot so amazing.
Shore dives take you down 20 to 50 feet at Koloa Landing®. This popular dive spot is protected from the afternoon trade winds and boasts the easiest dive entry. Regardless of how deep you dive, be prepared to carry about 60 pounds of gear down with you. While this sounds like a hefty load, we promise the marine life scenery is well worth it.
Hawaii is also home to 23 different species of hermit crabs. Kauai’s hermits can be as tiny as the zebra hermits, with vibrant black and white stripes, to as big as the giant hairy hermit that can inhabit snail shells the size of a football.
Scuba certified divers who take a dip along Koloa Landing®’s waters are always impressed with the vast array of aquatic life they get to see down under.
“I’ve scuba-dived at many places around the world and I saw more creatures in Kauai than anywhere. Turtles, moray eels, manta rays, white tip shark, tons of beautiful fish, and loads of other creatures,” said one scuba diver who took a Garden Isle Dive expedition. “On the scuba dive, we swam through old lava tubes and along the beautiful and abundant reef. On the boat ride to the dive site, we saw humpback whales and spinner dolphins.”
Kauai is a great place to see tropical fish because more than 25 percent of the species on the island cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
There are several outfitters that offer scuba diving in Kauai with experienced divers to help any diver go from the novice, to a lifelong scuba diver. Some outfitters even offer a little added bonus: if you find a fish that your dive instructor can’t name in Kauai’s fragile ecosystem, stumping them could mean a six-pack of your favorite local beverage, on the house.
Still not convinced? Let our friendly Koloa Landing® staff answer any other questions you may have about what to expect on scuba diving, best times to scuba and best dive sites to try. Call us at 808-240-6600. We look forward to helping you plan your underwater adventure!