As a PADI Instructor on staff at a popular dive shop in the SF Bay Area, I have high standards for SCUBA teams and their operations. Bubbles Below has a great team with excellent dive masters and a friendly, fun captain and shop team. Sometimes you see in guide books and reviews online that you can choose between a SCUBA shop that caters to beginners OR to advanced, certified divers. Although Bubbles Below excels with the latter, I would find it hard to not recommend them to the former... after all, don't you want more experienced people who are excellent with experts helping you if you're a beginner? You're in good hands here regardless of your experience level. I'm excited to return and dive with them again. read more

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This a great shop to dive with. Very friendly and knowledgeable staff. Great boat and great spots to dive. I always dive with Bubbles Below Scuba! read more

Clay, Jake and Blondy are the best ever. We went to incredible dive locations and had the sites to ourselves. Jake was amazing at finding and pointing out the abundance of marine life. 100% recommend!!! read more

We booked for Mother's day. Mom and dad had an amazing time on the dive the dive masters were knowledgeable and patient. My husband and I did snorkeling. It was a little choppy but it was a lot of fun. The first spot was a little harder to see but we did see some fish the second spot "house of the turtle" was awesome. We saw so many different fish and swam next to turtles! Clay the captain was chatty and very friendly. We had a fantastic time. read more

We had the pleasure of going out with Captain Clay and Manny on a last minute trip that they graciously squeezed my husband and I on during our honeymoon in March 2020. I am not certified, but my husband is, so he was able to go dive with a family of 4 while I hung out on the boat and heard awesome stories from Clay! I was also able to do some snorkeling and got to watch them while they were below! My husband was taken great care of by Manny and we learned a lot about Kauai and the different species of animals. I loved every minute of it! We will be going back out on bubbles below again when we are back on the island! Aloha read more

I got my certification with Bubbles Below. Clay and Blondie (the owners) were very responsive to emails and phone calls. They were able to help accommodate my schedule and help me plan my dive time on island. Jordan, my instructor and dive master, was clear during instruction and helped me feel comfortable underwater. He was easily able to identify areas that could potentially cause me problems and offer actionable advice. He also adjusted his style as I became more comfortable and he was comfortable with my abilities. Anthony, their other dive master, was also very knowledgeable. He had several divers that had followed him from other operations in order to continue diving with him. The boat dives were with a small party with 3/1 or 4/1 diver/master ratio. The sites they picked offered a wide variety of underwater landscapes (seascapes?) and animals (Turtles and Whale songs!). They bring snacks and water. Everyone was very personable. Would recommend them to anyone looking to dive in Kauai. read more

We chartered a boat for our underwater wedding with this amazing crew and there is not enough space here to list the endless ways they bent over backward to make our day special. Amber effortlessly transitioned between divemaster and impromptu maid of honor/wedding planner and videographer, while Clay bravely embraced his roles as DM/photographer and flower MAN. Captain Earl took us to multiple locations, pointed out abundant wildlife, and shared many historical insights. The diving was exceptional. We saw dolphins, monk seals, octopus, nudibranchs, and tons of turtles. Amber was great about pointing out all the wildlife. I can't recommend this operation highly enough. You will not be disappointed! read more

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Didn't get to go diving due to weather, but five stars for great service and knowledgeable folks in the dive shop. They were great about emailing in plenty of time to cancel the dive due to poor conditions, so you know if you book with them you're going to have a great dive, no going out and suffering through no visibility just to make the trip go. Thanks, Bubbles! read more

We LOVE Bubbles! Their small charters instantly make you feel like a "dive family! We have gone on multiple of their South Shore and Ni'i hau charters and never regret it. 10/10 for diving on Kauai. read more

Be aware of hidden costs... They advertise $200 on their website for the Na Pali coast/Mana Crack dive; however, they charged us $255 pp. When asked about this they simply said "whoops!" our website has not been updated yet. In addition, we were not able to dive the Mana crack because their navigation system had gone out on the boat. If you decide to dive with them get a locked in price first and make sure you know they offer a "local dive" that is only $140 for two tanks. read more

First time scuba diving and I'm so happy I did it with the experienced group of instructors and divers at bubbles below! They were so friendly, encouraging, and attentive to everyone's needs and skill levels. I did the tandem dive, and we went on two different dives during the afternoon. Essentially everything was provided for you, including gears, wet suits, water, snacks. Some helpful tips: - Put in LOTS of sunblock and bring some if you can. I didn't think much of the sun warming up my back after our dive, only to realize that i got burned when I returned to the hotel. - Take motion sickness precautions if you're likely to get seasick. I actually had the pressure wrist bands on and still got sick. It gets windy out at sea, and the little boat will rock a lot. - Be open minded: if this is your first time diving, Kauai has a lot of fish and sea animals to see in the coral reefs, but don't expect to see huge, colorful coral reefs here. The coral reefs were brown, but the wildlife is still incredible! - Have a good attitude! And how can you not? The crew is great and this is going to be an experience you won't forget. Thank you bubbles below crew! I had an amazing time! read more

I've been diving with Bubbles Below three times, twice solo and once with my certification buddy. Each time I've had a different captain and dive master and they have all been great. What I like most: 1. The crew's top priority behind safety is that you have a great time and a lot of fun. They all let their personalities shine and everyone is genuine and cool. Super Aloha good time. 2. The groups and small and they take the time to understand your level of experience and comfort and use that to help select from their mooring sites. It all feels very customized. 3. They take care of all of the gear and every other detail because they want you to just have the most enjoyable day possible. By far, my favorite dive company of any, anywhere. Lucky for me they are local, even if on the other side of the island ;) read more

Very professional, friendly, helpful, and knowledgable of underwater sea life. We had a wonderful time and would use them again. We give our highest recommendation! read more

Completely professional. Helpful. We even took a detour to find some whales. Many of us were inexperienced divers and they were very patient. read more

I had a lovely time with this group! An easy, smooth process to get to the dive, and friendly, knowledgeable instructors. It was a great experience and I would definitely dive with them again. read more

We had a fantastic two tank dive! Company was very helpful, professional, and made sure we were comfortable and safe to dive. Guide was knowledgeable and we saw absolutely stunning marine life. Would for sure use them again! read more

My family and I just had an amazing experience on our vacation with bubbles! We went on a dive/snorkel PM and all of the help with the dive masters and captain made our experience so enjoyable! We felt safe at all times and went to some awesome dive spots! Can't wait to use them again on our next vacation! read more

Great Dive experience I would highly recommend. My son commented to me that this was the easiest drive ever....I asked why? He was totally impressed with their service. All we had to do was put on equipment, mask flippers, strap on back pack and dive away. They did absolutely everything...from moving equipment, weight belts/packs, assisted with hearing up and down, washed all our personal equipment...etc. Now the dive was great. They scouted spots, had us on site in 15 to 20 minutes in rough rough seas....got us to a calm location and we saw a lot. The dive master knew the wild life and reef like the back of his hand. We saw sharks, frog fish, he pointed out rare sea life using his knife and grease pad...so cool. Did I mention turtles? Shoot we dove with them all around us..huge and small...dive master found several eels and octopus...it was a cool low effort way to dive. Well worth it! They provided drinks and snacks and were very attentive and informative. Now I mentioned the seas being rough...captain did his best to get us there and back and for me it was an added bonus. I love boating and getting a little salt across the bow just part of the fun. Great Job guys. We will be back! read more

Dove with Captain Clay and Dive Master Manny on Feb 11 2020 and had a terrific time. Saw Dolphins, Whales, frog fish, turtles, a school of barracuda, a white tip reef shark, eels, and Manny found the tiniest baby nudibranch I have no idea how he found it! I will absolutely dive with them again! read more

I loved diving with these guys. It was my certification and a great place to get it! I did run into an urchin while we were kneeling on the bottom doing certification exercises which was not pleasant, but my instructor was supernice and helped me pull out the barbs. It was an important lesson for me to learn. Blondie at the office was super helpful and sweet, and her husband Cap'n Clay, though sometimes he barks and grumbles, knew what the heck he was doing and does it well. He knows the sites like the back of his hand, was outgoing and fun, and what I appreciated most of all was that he's really involved in the conservation of the reefs and all their wildlife. For me that's paramount in a dive outfit. Dive master Manny was also really great and so on top of his game. I saw two sharks, many honus, crabs, lobsters, eels, rare critters of all kinds, and incredible fish everywhere. The best was the underwater topography Manny and the Cap'n took us to that was just awesome. Overall a really great operation and I would absolutely go back! read more

This was my third trip to Kauai and my third attempt at diving Ni'ihau (the two other times the Ni'ihau trip did not work out due to scheduling or weather). It was worth the wait! The swim throughs and caverns of Ni'ihau arches were beautiful, we got to see and dive with monk seals, and the crew and DMs were helpful and knowledgable. The channel crossing to and from Ni'ihau is usually quite a ride and not for those prone to seasickness. I lost my lunch on the way back but still an overall amazing experience and glad I did it. Too bad, too, since lunch was quite good! I had also been with Bubbles Below 10 years ago when the ni'ihau trip was cancelled. As a backup plan we went to Mana Crack and that was amazing as well. I was impressed with the company then and happy I went with them again this time. read more

Great team and great charter! Went to Niihau with them yesterday and had a great experience! Knowledgeable dive masters and very helpful with all you need! Definitely recommend this dive shop! Clay was the captain of the boat and Anthony and were the dive masters! Great to have 2 dive masters so knowledgeable on the boat! read more

We took a small charter with Bubbles Below Scuba yesterday and despite suboptimal conditions from Mother Nature we had a great time. Blondie was so helpful and professional. She made our reservation so easy. Captain Clay was so easy going and really made our time on the boat fun. We are a family with 3 kids. My youngest snorkeled on the top while everyone else was diving on the bottom. All our kids had a lovely time. I HIGHLY recommend Bubbles Below Scuba. We will definitely book again with them on our next trip to Kauai. Thank you Blondie, Clay and dive master Manny for a great time. read more

BB was recommended to me by Mike Severns divers on Maui, who we absolutely loved diving with. My husband and I spent 6 total days (13 tanks) diving with Bubbles Below in late October, early November, including a day on the Na Pali Coast and one night dive. The dive masters are are incredibly knowledgeable about the underwater world in Kauai and happy to share it, we explored at a pace slow enough to actually observe things. They know all the cracks where the sharks, leaf fishes, eels, and turtles are hiding. We received great information on the boat about endemic and rare species we would be looking for/at on each dive. They kept in constant phone contact with us about weather and departure times for our next dives. We had to reschedule some days due to a big storm. The dive masters and captains were experienced in finding a great site each day where the weather/water won't be too yucky. We visited a variety of sites for both stationary and drift dives. We went in winter, so it was tricky on some days to find clear water and not too much current. They were very helpful getting our equipment set up, on the boat, on our backs for the dive, and back off and rinsed clean. We used most of our own equipment, but used their wetsuits. They brought a variety of suits for us to try before getting on the boat. The lights they rented us for the night dive were of very good quality. They ran everyone through a gear check on land and on the boat, and had replacement parts for a mouthpiece that needed replacing on the spot. For one dive, they provided an alternate/gentler water entry method for a woman with back issues. One constant that I noticed about the divers who did not have a good time was that they showed up having not taken any Dramamine (motion sickness medicine). Especially for new divers, you don't need to be boat sick on top of being a little nervous about a dive - take a Dramamine before you go to bed the night before, or at least an hour before you're going to be on the boat - or you're going to be yakking over the side and missing the dive. And guys, don't drag your girlfriend who hates diving along with you. No one will have fun listening to her complain about it, and it's dangerous for someone uncomfortable/inexperienced with diving to be in the water. All of the dives we did could be accomplished by a relatively new diver. We took it slow, received excellent briefing, and I think we had a line to descend/ascend on for each dive except one of the drifts. DM's have a slate to communicate, and they are very good at checking for air usage and helping divers back to the line/boat when it's time. Snacks, clean water in reusable bottles, and soda are provided on the boat. For the longer trips, they got box lunches from Grinds Cafe; big tasty sandwiches, cookies and chips. We had fresh hot cinnamon rolls on the trip to Na Pali. Yum! The Na Pali Coast trip was breathtaking. Captain Mike and Travis know all about the area and gave us great historical information about how the area was used by early Hawaiians as we cruised along it. We explored the sea caves and marveled at the cliffs and lush valleys in between. The dives over there were amazing too, really unique topography and less worn out that some of the south coast sites. Overall, we had an amazing time. We added one more day of diving at the end of our trip and also upgraded our last day to a three tank to squeeze in a little more diving with them. I swear we saw 95% of the fish in my Hawaiian shore fishes book; packs of sharks, turtles feeding and cleaning and sleeping, nudibranchs and their eggs, jacks and bonefish, coronet fish, porcupinefish, boxfish, leaf fish, scorpionfish, Kauaian endemic species, lobsters, spinner dolphins, all kinds of eels, sleeping parrotfish. I can't wait to go back and dive with Bubbles Below! Thanks for an amazing to weeks guys! Mahalo Linda, Travis, Rob, Mike, Earl, Brian... you guys rock. read more

The new divers may love it, but I was not impressed. The online registration is hand tallied and errors are common. I signed up for nitrox and din tanks and got neither. The store employee is not a diver, or at least not a knowledgable one. The DM was dragging her gear all over the bottom and decided to ignore her deco stop (from 84 feet) saying that her computer was too conservative. read more

Me and the bf were first time divers, our guide Michael gave a thorough lesson on the guidelines and safety of scuba diving. We were asked numerous questions to test our knowledge of the DOs and DONTs that are involved in diving as it is a dangerous activity. For a two tank dive per person was around $280 not including the nice tip Michael deserved!! After a thorough lesson in diving we took a mini true/false test and both passed. We were then given wetsuits, fins, booties, weight belt, and vest with tank etc. ALL scuba gear included. After walking into the water you practice for a few minutes with your head underwater and practice getting comfortable with your mask regulator on. Then you individually go down with your guide and practice the hand signals and safety practices. Then off you go exploring the ocean floor. Michael pointed out various sea creatures and was able to communicate with us via magnetic board. Since we had a two tank experience, we came up and switched tanks and Michael provided us with water, fruit and snacks. I especially liked the company we chose since I overheard other scuba companies nearby educating there students but not being as thorough or friendly as Michael was. Hooray for Michael! The bf totally wants to get certified now, thanks to Michael! ;] Awesome experience, Michael made us super comfortable! read more

J and I dove with Bubbles Below on a recommendation to us by Dan from Aquatic Discovery. Elizabeth was extremely responsive and friendly from the get go. Emails from her were very personal (she answered all my questions with tons of details, whereas inquiry emails to Fathom Five ended up with responses that were a clear regurgitation of what was on their website) and sent in a timely manner. After contacting a few other scuba charters, J and I decided to go with BB because it was clear that they cared about their customers. The day of our dive turned out to be quite stormy. Elizabeth showed up to finalize the paperwork-- she is SO friendly/bubbly in person, its almost ridiculous. She was also quite meticulous about checking PADI certification (J and I only had temp cards since we were so recently certified, and she spent a couple minutes scrutinizing them). Our divemaster was Wayne, and our boat captain was Pete. We only had 4 in our group, which made the entire experience more pleasurable (I can see how a larger group might be uncomfortable). We ended up diving basically the same site twice because conditions at the other sites were bad. I'm glad that both Pete and Wayne were concerned about not only the currents, but also about visibility. Both men were extremely knowledgeable and took time to make sure that us newbs felt comfortable in and out of the water. Wayne was a great DM. He was super aware of where everyone was in the water, and also gave the two more experienced divers more space, which I'm sure they appreciated. He paid special attention to J and myself, which was great for us. Wayne was also great at spotting all the interesting critters-- he found a bunch of HUGE sea turtles napping in crevices, the largest hermit crab I've ever seen, eels, etc. We only did a two tank dive with BB ($130 + $30 for equipment rental), and they were our very first scuba charter, so its hard for me to give more than 4 stars (our experience with them was very short after all). Overall we had a fun time and I would definitely recommend BB to friends (as well as dive with them again if I have the chance). read more

LOVE diving with Bubbles! Linda always takes us to the best dive spots and knows everything about the island and the life under water. Best boat set up on the island and they now have a cool dive shop at port Allen. Would highly recommend doing the Nihau trip and the Napali coast trip with them! We always have a great time and can't wait to dive with them again! read more

Bubbles Below Scuba Charters, Inc - Diving Napali Coast - Boating Near Me - Eleele, Hawaii

My daughter (16) loves the ocean and all the sea life so this trip to Kauai was the perfect opportunity to surprise her and let her try scuba diving. There are several SCUBA companies here on the island and I researched several of them before deciding on Bubbles Below. Although I was certified a long, long time ago I would never consider myself certified anymore so I wanted us both to take the beginner (uncertified) dive option. Bubbles Below was awesome. Dive Instructor Joe was great and gave us a basic safety class and our "intro" to SCUBA began in a private pool where we could get used to being neutrally buoyant in the water and swimming underwater with no current. My daughter was a natural. The next day was our real dive trip where we met our Dive Master Linda (owner) who was so awesome. She is extremely knowledgeable about everything. Love her!!! On our dive trip we had four divers, Joe (our personal instructor) and Linda was the Dive Master. It was like we had our own private experience. Linda treated us like family. She even took my GoPro so she could film me and my kid. We could not have had a better experience. I'm so happy I chose Bubbles Below for our dive trip. Everything was perfect. Linda and Joe were great. Kid was beyond happy. I will definitely use Bubbles Below on our next dive trip. Thank You so much for making our trip the best. Dive Safe! read more

Wow! What an excellent team! Crystal was super helpful getting us booked. Once aboard the boat Captain Clay and crew did everything to make sure we had a great dive. The dive masters hopped in the water at several spots to check out the conditions and make sure we had good visibility and low currents. Once we found a good spot, they pointed out tons of marine life. We saw nudibranches, a few types of eels, sea turtles, and so much more! Even saw a whale spouting on our ride to our second dive. Would definitely recommend diving with them in Kauai! read more

I have been diving regularly for 20+ years and Bubbles Below ranks as one the best dive operators I have worked with. Clay (Captain and business owner) genuinely cares that everyone has a great experience. Some highlights: - Amazing dives at the Niihau site with Nitrox provided for dives 2 & 3 (you can do the Nitrox intro on the boat). Great dive site selection by the dive masters. - Small groups. Max of 9 divers on the boat (our charter was 7) with 2 dive masters for 2 small dive groups makes it easy for the dive masters to point out even the smallest rare creatures and fish - Amazing bottom times. The dive masters know how to take a leisurely pace and navigate the reefs to give recreational divers maximum use of their air/Nitrox. Bottom times over 1 hour and everyone dives their own air, so if you are low early, they will make sure you can get to the mooring line for your safety stop and the rest of the group keeps diving. - New, top of the line equipment including dive computers provided that count down your safety stop - no more guessing - High quality food and drinks throughout the trip Pizza, soup, sandwiches, snacks, water, soda. Best food I have ever had on a drive trip. - Friendly, safe and helpful throughout. You can tell diving is their passion. It couldn't have been any better. As a Niihau skeptic before the trip - I can confirm it was well worth it. It is so quiet (we were the only dive boat there most of the day) The most amazing shark and Monk seal encounters, visibility and cliffs / topography. Highly recommend. read more

Clay the boat captain and Ed the divemaster were the consummate team--not only doing the "airline dive checklist" but doing all the small things to make the dive special, such as handling all the equipment/exit of the drift dive made easy, defogging your mask for you, making the BC regulators and air gauges more available with a simple attachment and placing of the BC regulator thru the BC harness--plus Ed the divemaster went out of his way to show and guide the tour-- turtles, white tip sharks, eels, fish, octopi-- oh my--what a dive--hint-- make sure you know that the Port Allen small boat harbor is not on Poipu Beach-- cheers Al read more

Captain Clay and blonde run a class A1 operation. Their ship is good. Their dive masters go above and beyond taking you on a underwater tour. They serve snacks on the boat. Dive equipment is top notch. Safety is very important. J-sun approved read more

We received world class service from Bubbles Below from start to finish during our trip in Kauai. Blondie helped us with our reservations and was friendly and efficient. Captain Clay was friendly, knowledgeable and was a joy to speak with. Dive Master Jordan was patient, knowledgeable and fun as well. I would recommend this company to anyone that is looking for a fantastic experience wether you are a novice or a dive expert. read more

Fantastic crew, incredibly knowledgeable, and fun. Our dive master Linda was amazing. She is passionate about underwater creatures and knows the best dive spots to see some of the coolest critters around. She's incredibly experienced and her positive energy is contagious. She took us on a great two-tank dive it was like having your own personal guide, she asked the 5 of us what we were interested in seeing and based our dive location on everyone's wants/wishes we went to two fantastic spots. She gives great instruction as well as cares for everyone that she takes into the sea and makes sure everyone is having a great and safe time while doing so. read more

Loved diving with with Bubbles Below Scuba. They are very nice and professional. They had new gear. They were very knowledgeable on the dive sites and sea life. The had a variety of good food, hot soup, sandwiches and sweet snacks. We are looking forward to coming back and diving with them again. Thank you Clay, Anthony and Mike. read more

Linda is GREAT! knowledgeable, enthusiastic, careful, and passionate. Earl is an excellent captain... did not miss a beat. Elizabeth and the rest of the team were outstanding, accommodating, and incredibly friendly. I have been diving all over the world and know how important it is to go with a crew and DM that you enjoy, trust and appreciate. Linda and the Bubbles Below team are just that. The 2 Tank Napali Coast trip I went on with them was an incredible experience all around from the awesome coast tour to the swim with a mommy whale and her calf. I highly recommend Bubbles Below. read more

Having owned a condo on Kauai for over 20 years, I've had the opportunity to dive with many companies. Since 2005 I have used Bubbles Below exclusively. They operate with small groups of divers and focus on marine wildlife. New owners Clay & Blondie took the helm in January 2018 and have made a great dive experience even better. Retaining Anthony and Jordan as dive masters and enhancing the customer experience has only improved my positive impressions of Bubbles Below. A safe and professionally run dive experience focusing on finding the best dive site based on the conditions of the day. Clean vessels, great crew, and wonderful diving. Well worth the drive from Poipu and beyond. read more

Just had another wonderful dive experience with Bubbles Below and Captain Clay! I can't say enough great things about Clay and his team. In addition to being extremely professional and prioritizing safety, Clay is an incredibly friendly person with an obvious love for the ocean and scuba diving. Manny was a great dive master - thorough briefings before our dives, showed us all the hidden gems around the reefs during the dive, and debriefed afterwards with great knowledge of the marine life. I also appreciated that he let those with better air consumption stay down longer :) My first dive trip with them had been about a year ago when I was last in Kauai. The sea was rough that day, and I remember how much time (and gas) Clay and his crew spent trying to find an appropriate dive site with decent visibility and current. Their efforts and commitment to a good diving trip made a lasting impression! I came back this year, and I'll be back with Bubbles Below in the years to come. read more

Awesome people, excellent customer service, and amazing dive trips. Ni'ihau was spectacular! Can't wait for our next adventure with these guys. read more