Dive Review of Seasport Divers/Grand Hyatt in
Hawaii/Ni'hau

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Seasport Divers/Grand Hyatt, May, 2008, by Don Lipmanson, CA, USA ( Reviewer 4 reports). Report 4113.
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	Had the good fortune to go from Poipu to Ni'ihau on a day with variable light winds and very calm seas, making for a lovely trip out and back on a very decent boat. Crew set two fishing lines en route and caught a huge yellowfin tuna, which was killed and gutted on the dive deck; not a sight for the queasy. Nice pod of spinner dolphins showed up on the outward leg; a lone humpback breached a couple times in the passage between Ni'ihau and Lehua. The diving left me somewhat cold, literally as well as figuratively, even with a 0.5 mm. tropical wetsuit under a 3mm. rental shortie. The first dive (on air) took us down to 100' on a lava wall, but days of strong winds had stirred up the bottom so much that visibility at Ni'ihau was mediocre; ditto for a second dive. Typical assortment of Pacific reef fish and HI endemics, nothing particularly large. Highlight of those dives was a group of about five white-tipped reef sharks plus a solitary gray shark. Visibility was much better just of the tiny island of Lehua, where a fairly strong surface current made swimming to the forward descent line something of a challenge. The dive involved stunning swim-throughs beneath lava arches and tubes, where some nudibranchs and other macro objects shared the stage with the usual assortment of fish. Overall, I can't really recommend the Ni'ihau trip, given the cost (about $330 for three dives) and the lack of corals that add so much beauty to most warm-water diving. Also, the divemasters seemed less focused than most operations on finding and calling attention to unusual objects, and one (Zack) rather rudely moved divers aside so he could stretch out on the return trip. On the plus side, Seasport's store staff is excellent, the dive briefing was good, and the boat was not overcrowded. Concerning resorts, the Hyatt is sensational (albeit expensive) in terms of decor, restaurants and service, particularly after four nights backpacking on the Kalalau trail.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	51-100 dives
Where else diving	Papua New Guinea, Kona, Belize, Turks and Caicos, Monterey Bay
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	calm
Water Temp	78-0°F / 26--18°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	40-100 Ft/ 12-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	100' on Nitrox
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 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]

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Dive Review of Seasport Divers/Grand Hyatt in Hawaii/Ni'hau

Seasport Divers/Grand Hyatt, May, 2008,

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 Seasport Divers/Grand Hyatt in
Hawaii/Ni'hau