FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions
Important Things To Know

Spearfishing or the taking of coral, live animals etc. is not permitted. Please be responsible for your own actions underwater and minimize any impact on the reef you may have.

Good buoyancy control is a skill that should be mastered in a more benign setting before going on a Bubbles Below charter. Download this Excel Spreadsheet to give you a rough idea of weighting in Hawaiian waters based on your current weighting.

Cancellation policy

We have a full 24 hr. cancellation policy in effect for Kauai charters for parties of 3 divers or less.  We have a full 48 hr. cancellation policy in effect for Kauai charters for parties of 4 or more divers.  Full boat charters are paid for 2 weeks in advance with no refund within the 2 weeks for partial groups unless we can fill the spots. All   Niihau charters require a 48 hr. cancellation notice.  We will not charge if we can fill the seat, but please understand that so many bookings are done in advance that late cancellations are very difficult to fill.  A credit card number is used to hold your seat and will be charged if you cancel inside the policy period.

Payment

You are more than welcome to pay with your credit card, however, travelers checks, personal checks, and cash are always appreciated from small businesses. We do ask that if you so choose to leave a gratuity, that it be in cash to the captain, or divemaster.

Other Info

Bubbles Below is extremely committed to maintaining the Kauai ecosystem.  We were the first to sponsor underwater mooring buoys to protect our fragile sites. We are also committed to not over diving a particular area.  As such, we have found and dive some very unique spots in the Kauai waters. So that these spots are not overrun with divers please refrain from bringing a GPS to record a particular sites exact location.

Camera gear is no problem.

How to get to Port Allen from Lihue:

For those with a GPS or using a USGS quad map:

Do not continue on to the State/Navy Pier property.  We also request at this time that divers drive down their gear to the boat and then drive back up and park.

Click Here For A Map

Important Diving Information

We meet at Port Allen Small Boat Harbor which is on the southwest side of the island between Poipu and Hanapepe. Driving time can be a factor in deciding which charter works well for you. If you are staying on the south side near Poipu, or west side around Waimea, you are looking at a 25 min. drive. If you are staying around Lihue, you are looking at a 30 min. drive, Kapaa is around a 45 min. drive. Princeville is a 1hr. 15min drive, and Hanalei and beyond is up to 2hrs. These are one way estimates

The difference between diving the morning at 7:30am and the afternoon, starting at 12;30pm has two sides. If the wind is going to come up on that given day, then perhaps the afternoon boat will have rougher water conditions on the surface, (but not necessarily affecting the dive). So the morning boat can offer a wider selection of dive sites, thus accommodating more "critter" requests. However the afternoon boat on the first dive has very direct sunlight, and then the second dive is an excellent behavioral dive in somewhat waning light. The behaviors we typically see in the afternoon are courtship and mating rituals performed by the fish. Turtles also tend to graze in the afternoon, and as a result are less abundant in diving areas than in the morning.

Niihau Caution (The best diving in the state is not a free lunch)

Our all day summer advanced 3 tank trip is to Niihau. Please be sure this trip is for you as it is a rough (seasicky and body wrenching for some) 2 hr. boat ride home through 12'+ white capped seas. We consider this trip to be across one of the roughest channels in the state. No other dive charter locale in the state is destine to transit via such sea states- natures own roller coaster ride. This is exactly why the masses do not overrun such an incredible place as this. We also like to do more advanced style of diving here as in drifts, walls, caverns, sharks etc. Divers should be comfortable doing "Live boat" drift diving techniques such as descents/ascents without an anchor line. This means your 5 minute/15 foot safety stop is to be done drifting along with the boat following the group.

Good buoyancy control is an essential skill for this trip. Those friendly with these skills know this as one of the best ways to dive, a common way to dive off of live-aboards around the world. This Niihau/Lehua Rock trip is not the place to gain a first exposure to these ideas. Some divers may have never actually done this type of dive before but are fine with each concept involved. In general, this type of diver does fine on the trip and should not shy away for that reason. Our dives sites web page has good info on the trip. You should be a fairly hardy diver to go on the trip. We also do not usually suggest diving with us the very next day after Niihau. Most people prefer to have a casual morning after and it is too late to cancel for it upon returning from Niihau.

In the event (about 20%) that Bubbles Below cancels the trip due to severe conditions, a local Kauai 2 tank trip is done in its place. These half day trips are a standard offering on our other than the Wed/Sat Niihau days and are the natural choice for those choosing against the Niihau trip.

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