Diving Kawaii/Puerto Rico in Feb same week, believe it!

I'm going to a wedding in Kawaii on February 19th and tried to search the forum for some reputable diving operations, but no dice. Does anyone have any suggestions on who would take people out for a couple of days? Isn't this whale season? Do they do dives along their routes . . . or is that a totally ridiculous, environmentally insensitive question?

Also, I'm flying from their to San Juan, Puerto Rico to give a lecture that same week. What dive operations would you suggest there for one day?

Cheers

Assuming you mean Kauai

Bubbles Below ( http://bubblesbelowkauai.com/ ) is a highly regarded charter operating in Kauai.

Try and get in on a trip to the island of Niihau. The boat ride is long and bumpy and the price high (~$250 for 3 dives) but worth it I hear . Niihau could be considered the only 'world class' dive site in the Hawaiian islands. Lots of sharks. I was told the owner of Bubbles Below even spotted a Great White there once.

I'd also recommend doing some shore diving. The boat ramp at Koloa Landing is easy access (see http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/Hawaii/Ka...ding/index.htm). My wife and I even spotted a Hawaiian Dragon Morey there on our visit last April. Unfortunately it was too deep within a coral head to use the 1:2 extension tube I had set up on my Nik V. We did get some good video though.

I'll back up Brad's suggestion. Having dove with Bubbles Below for several years when vacationing in Kauai, I can highly recommend them.

I've been close enough to the Humpbacks to be too close. LOL! Cut off the whales nose in the pictures because of my proximity. If a whale is close to the dive boat, you slip into the water with mask, snorkle and fins and hope it comes around. They don't chase them.

You won't be able to dive Ni'ihua at that time of year though. Too rough. I think they start those trips in June.

Koloa is a nice shore dive although the entry to the dive site requires a 4x4. But you can gear up on top and walk down.

I got lucky on the Dragon Moray there:

You won't be able to dive Ni'ihua at that time of year though. Too rough. I think they start those trips in June.

You are right. Feb is too early.

The first trip of the year was by SeaSport Divers mid-April last year. The weather was bad the day prior. I did not want to commit due to my tendancy to get motion sick. The day of the trip the sea was flat. I wish I had been on the boat, even at the high price.

I got lucky on the Dragon Moray there

That's the shot I wanted! Very nice.

This is one reason I am setting up a dSLR now. No more extension tubes for macro.