Dive Ni'ihau with Seasport Divers
DIVE NIIHAU - Three tank, full day diving adventure for the experienced and seasoned divers only. Incredible wall dives, lava pillars and enormous caves. Includes 3 dives, breakfast, lunch, snacks. (Summer Months only)
Some of the most pristine and dramatic diving available in the Hawaiian Islands takes place off Ni'ihau. Incredible wall dives, soaring lava pillars, and enormous caves combine with bountiful fish, numerous pelagics, and unlimited visibility to dazzle even the most discriminating diver. Marine life is diverse. You are likely to see spinner dolphins (they seem to live at the crater); large schools of butterfly fish: pennant, milletseed, and pyramid; bandit and potter angel fish; spotted eagle rays; monk seals; octopus; lobster; tiger cowries; and possibly manta rays and sharks: white tip reef, black tip reef, and Galapagos. And that's just for starters!
Ni'ihau is accessible from Kaua'i by way of the Kaulakahi Channel. Ni'ihau Island lies 17 miles southwest of Kauai, and Lehua Rock rests just a "stone's throw" northwest of Niihau. The northern tip of Ni'ihau and the crater at Lehua Rock are dive sites that are considered to be the ultimate in Hawaiian diving. The morning begins at 6:00am with the boat trip from Kaua'i's Southt Shore. The 20-mile crossing takes about 2½ hours and is not for the faint of stomach though it is usually calm and clear for the morning ride over. Breakfast is served as the view of beautiful Ni'ihau grows closer and closer. The morning's first dive is a deep one, typically Vertical Awareness or Keyhole. Large Schools of Pennant Fish cluster about the top of this 280ft wall. The lava shelves are home to lobsters, octopus, pillow stars, reef fish and hunting monk seals. At about 100 feet deep, with unlimited visibility, the dive is short but spectacular.
A regularly frequented second dive site is known as the Super Highways. Maximum depth for this dive is 60 feet and the prominent feature is the towering lava formation resembling a highway super structure. White tip reef sharks, octopus, tiger cowries, and enormous yellow margin eels as well as numerous small caves and swim-thrus make this location a virtual playground for the divers. While the divers are down on this dive, our captain is busy preparing lunch so the next surface interval is a long one. A little sun, a lot of food, and a dolphin or two to entertain us and we're ready to get back in the water.
With sites to choose from like the Drive-through Cave or a drift along Lehua Rock, the third dive of the day is never a disappointment. Shallow and relaxed is the theme of this dive. The currents and waves are often on the rise at this time of the day but under the water is still the place to be.
As the boat heads back toward Kaua'i it's time for everyone to get dry and warm and ready for the ride back. This part of the ride can get a little exciting as the afternoon channel is a bit bumpier than the peaceful lake encountered that morning, but once we tuck in beside Kaua'i its back to napping and watching the beautiful scenery as the lowering sun bathes the beautiful Ni'ihau island
Passage across Kaulakahi Channel, from Kauai to Ni'ihau and back, can be rough at the best of times. Seasport Divers' Ni'ihau trips are, therefore, only scheduled for the normally calmer period that runs from late spring through early autumn.