Dive Review of Bubbles Below/Marriott Waiohai Poipu in
Hawaii/Kaua'i + Ni'ihau

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Bubbles Below/Marriott Waiohai Poipu, May, 2005, by Doug Ruby, NM, USA . Report 1685 has 1 Helpful vote.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	We made arrangements with Bubbles Below to do the checkout portion of our Advanced Open Water certification months in advance, telling them we would do the classroom portion in our hometown before we left. Linda Marsh, the owner, said that would be fine and she would charge us only $60 each for the checkout dive instruction. When we got there, she wanted to charge us $250 each. When I reminded her of her of her $60 promise, she became hostile and treated my wife and I with contempt from that moment on. Walter, our instructor, was very nice and patient, although the local Kaua'i dive we got checked out on was not very nice. There were fewer fish than in Kona, and on the 2nd tank dive, the visibility was no more than 10 feet! However, this was a good test of our compass navigation capabilities. We went on the 3-tank Ni'ihau dive two days later. Bubbles uses an old, smelly 35' dive boat with no entry platform and more importantly, no head for the 2-3 hour boat ride out to Ni'ihau. Linda was very domineering and arrogant leading these dives, constantly criticizing us without offering helpful suggestions. She seems to hold her paying customers in contempt. Although we were supposedly being "checked-out" for 3 advanced open water dives, she paid no more attention to us than to any of the other divers, except to admonish us for being "over-weighted". The 2-hour ride home was rough in this small boat. Our gear stunk after being rinsed out in their filthy rinse bucket. In comparison, we dove Ni'ihau two days later with their competitor, SeaSport Divers. They have a wonderful custom fitted PRO 48' dive boat Certified for 42 passengers and 30 Divers. However, keeping comfort in mind they limit it to only 12 divers for the trips to the Island of NI’IHAU. They had no qualms about changing course to follow the pilot whales on our way out, as well as completely circling the island of Lehua crater to see the dozens of spinner dolphins playfully jumping and spinning inside the crater walls. We even caught a glimpse of 2 of the last humpbacks of the season in the distance. Monk seals came by and they caught a 40 lb yahoo trolling during one of our surface intervals. They were pleasant to dive with and let us dive our own profiles while making sure we had plenty of air left for 5 minute safety stops. They had soapy water waiting in large troughs at their store for rinsing our gear leaving it fresh-smelling. And their big comfortable boat, with head, made the rough channel crossing much more pleasant. They charge exactly the same price as Bubbles Below, but in my opinion, have far superior facilities and are more pleasant people to dive with as well.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	101-250 dives
Where else diving	Kona, Hawai'i Cozumel
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	calm, choppy
Water Temp	75-77°F / 24-25°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	10-150 Ft/ 3-46 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Must maintain computer time limit no less than 0:10 minutes at any given depth.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	1 or 2
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of Bubbles Below/Marriott Waiohai Poipu in Hawaii/Kaua'i + Ni'ihau

Bubbles Below/Marriott Waiohai Poipu, May, 2005,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Bubbles Below/Marriott Waiohai Poipu in
Hawaii/Kaua'i + Ni'ihau