Capturing the Moment

Jess: Local Knowledge Entry at Koloa Landing, Kauai    For shore diving the south side of Kauai there is one solid option that will satisfy beginners and experts alike.The name of the place is Koloa Landing. Located in between the resorts of Poipu and the famous blow hole, Koloa Landing provides an easy boat ramp access and gravel parking lot right next to the water. My friend Jess has been working as a dive instructor in Kauai so knows the waters pretty well. She agreed to take me out for a crepuscular/night dive to see what kinds of interesting creatures we could find. Potter's Angelfish   After a very easy entry and a short kick out we submerged to a find a large school of blue stripe snapper. Large boulders were strewn about the site with some nice looking coral sporadically among them. It was in and among the coral and crevices that we wanted to search for the rarer species. Leaf Scorpionfish Jeweled Anemone Crab   And fine them we did....

 How much of the island of Kauai could you really see in just two days. Read on and see how I managed to fit just about every corner of the island into two long days of driving and then think to yourself what you could do with an entire week!  Starting off centrally located was key. I stayed at the Beach Hostel in Kepa'a, which is about twenty minutes north of the airport. I separated my two days into a southern and a northern itinerary. There is one big road that goes around the coastline of Kauai, with a few roads heading inland to see waterfalls, rivers, and canyons. The coastline is awash with beautiful white sand beaches, and a number of hotels, resorts, vacation rentals, and restaurants to keep the regular tourists busy. But for the adventurous visitors who want to get off the beaten track Kauai is an untapped playground.  Just south of the airport lies Kalapaki Beach and Nauwiliwili Bay were surf lessons can be watched with mai tai in hand on the lana...

Exploring the Coastline of Kauai     My C watch had the first shift as we left the mooring at Lehua Rock for the big channel crossing over to Kauai. The winds were way down, but enough to fill our sails, but the waves were still high and coming from two different directions. We headed straight into the east swell but every time a north swell came through the boat lurched over. The north swells were hitting us right on our beam which created pretty rocky conditions. I actually had one wave hit the side of the boat and splash up into the wheelhouse where I was, until then, perfectly dry. After being relieved by Emma and her A watch I went down below to get some sleep, knowing I would be back on deck at 6am. The rocking was pretty intense down below in my bunk but I finally drifted off, wondering what sights I would wake to in the morning. Cliffs and Watefalls on the Na Pali Coast Sun and Mist: Na Pali Coast   When I came on deck I found that we were hove t...