2 Tanks Scuba Dive Kaua'i From A Boat

This was a fantastic adventure with Jessie and Nick! Awesome experience, spinner dolphins, flying fish and rainbows even before getting to the sites. Honu, octopus, white tipped reef shark, and so many other marine friends showed up for the dives. Looking forward to more dives with Explore Kauai Scuba in the future.

We had an awesome experience doing the two tank boat dive with Nick and Jessie. The equipment/boat was in excellent condition and their choice of dive sites made for two great dives - we saw turtles, eels, an octopus and tons of beautiful fish. What made this experience stand out from other dives we have been on was both Nick and Jessie’s passion for sharing their knowledge of the ocean landscape and animals as well as their relaxed and calming attitudes. We will definitely be booking the Ni’ihau dive with Nick and Jessie the next time we visit Kauai.

Great dive, great people! Will do it again!

Loved diving the Mana Crack with Jessie and Nick! They know the geology, fish, and history of the area. Great divers and hosts.

Explore Kauai Scuba is hands down the best dive company we have ever gone with. We have dived in Kauai, the Big Island, Cozumel, the Yucatán, and cenotes, and we keep coming back to Explore Kauai for a reason. We just completed our 6th trip with them, and every experience has been unforgettable. Their small-group dives feel personal, safe, relaxed, and unhurried. It feels more like diving with knowledgeable friends than being packed onto a crowded boat. Jesse and Nick are down to earth, professional, kind, and genuinely great people. We have seen turtles, beautiful coral, angelfish, butterflyfish, triggerfish, puffers, porcupinefish, huge moray eels, giant lobsters, reef sharks, manta and eagle rays, and 200-foot walls off Niʻihau. One of our favorite moments was being greeted by a playful Hawaiian monk seal that swam among us and scratched its back on the reef like a cat. They are also excellent with nervous divers. My wife gets anxiety before dives, and Jessie and Nick always help her feel calm, take time with descents and equalizing, and make sure the experience feels safe and enjoyable. On our last trip, she ended up staying down the longest with a 62 min dive! If you want a small-group, professional, relaxed, and truly memorable dive experience on Kauai, book with Explore Kauai. We will keep coming back for years.

I’ve been diving with Explore Kauai Scuba since 2021, and after another recent 2-day trip (2 tanks each day), I can say they continue to exceed expectations. Nick and Jessie run a first-class operation. Their experience diving around Kauai really shows—they know exactly where to go based on conditions, and every dive felt thoughtfully planned and safe without ever feeling rigid. Over the course of the trip, we saw sharks, lobsters, and a great variety of local Hawaiian species including raccoon butterflyfish, yellow tang, Moorish idols, and parrotfish. The sites were vibrant, healthy, and full of life. What really sets them apart, though, is the personal touch. Nick and Jessie are genuinely friendly, easygoing, and clearly passionate about what they do. They make you feel like a returning guest, not just another customer—and that makes all the difference. If you’re diving on Kauai, the decision is easy. I wouldn’t go with anyone else.

Jessie and Nick re THE BEST! This was our second scuba trip with them and will not be our last! Great people! Great boat! Great equipment! Great dives.!!!!

Great hospitality and customer service. Nick and Jesse are very experienced and go the extra mile to ensure you have an enjoyable day!

Wow!!! These two really have a lot of local knowledge. It’s a very personal service, they listen to what you like and cater to you. We were so happy with them we cancelled with others for the week! We highly recommend them.

Jess and Nick from Explore Kauai Scuba are a first rate team and I am thankful my research into Kauai diving options lead me to book with them. My husband and I dive a couple of times a year (30+ years certified) and our 22 year old son has made 5 dives over the past 4 years. Jess and Nick customized our dive based on weather, dive site water clairity/conditions (Dec dive with heavy rain day prior) and our interest in type of dive. After visiting and Jess assessing the first two sites they recommended we boat anther 4 miles for likely better conditions- they were spot on! Our dives had great visibility and we encountered many fish including: moray eel, reef shark, intensely orange/red octopus and curious turtles. Jess’s high level of knowledge of all the dive sites and marine life paired with Nick’s expert captaining of the boat allowed us to enjoy the day in comfort. We even spotted him back wales frolicking in the water with tail slaps and flips. We were paired with pine other diver and appreciated how Jess and Nick explained the options to our group as the day progressed and never felt like we were on a tight timeline. We highly recommend Explore Kauai Scuba as one of our best dive teams ever. They cost a little more but they are more than worth it for the level of small diving group experience you will get! Would definitely dive with them again. Book early as their dates fill in quick.

We had an awesome day on the water with Jess and Nick. We dove at Amber‘s Arches and Pue’os. We saw dolphins little bitty crabs, living in the antler coral and a ton of tropical fish. The tour operators were very knowledgeable and friendly, and I would highly recommend them.

I dove with this company 10 years ago and this last trip was my favorite. Definitely the best guides on the island. If you want to see something they will take you there. I wanted to see a flame angelfish because I have a pair at home. On the island of Kauai this fish is not common at all. On our second dive they pointed out a pair! The boat was really easy to dive off of and handled the seas perfectly. I will 100% only be diving with them when I go to the island next time.

Wow! I can't give this dive company enough stars. Firstly, they had excellent customer service when it came to booking and flexibility. Jessie bent over backwards to get us on a dive with 4 other divers. I really enjoyed hanging out with the other divers and sharing our diving experiences. Nick was a super polite and knowledgeable boat captain. The dive equipment was in tip top shape and I was perfectly fitted into my gear. The dives were awesome and we saw so much marine life. Jessie carried a tablet and identified everything for us. Can't wait to go back to Kauai and dive again with Explore Kauai Scuba.

Jessie and Nick are great diving hosts. They’re super friendly and helpful with the dive experience and Jessie has a tremendous eye to find interesting critters. When we go back to Kauai I’ll definitely dive with them again. We were very fortunate during our two-tank local charter to come across a mom and juvenile monk seal pair that stayed with us for over ten minutes.

Explore Kaua'i should be your go-to for diving in Kaua'i.  The dive sites Jesse and Nick take you to are fabulous; better than the south-side sites, IMO. For Ni'ihau, they are simply the best choice.  From the West side harbor they leave from, Ni'ihau takes just about an hour, which is half the time dive boats from the Poipu area take. Jesse and Nick are both fantastic - great at skippering the boat and guiding underwater.  They also are in no hurry and don't rush you. We stopped to watch eagle rays at the surface, which was unforgettable!  You get to dive your tank, which few dive boats allow. Jesse is great at spotting and pointing out interesting critters, which elevates every dive. The boat is very comfortable with a cabin area for the times that there is rain, waves, and spray.  It's really nice to have that for wet, cold days! If you want a fabulous time diving, go with Explore Kauai!

I was excited to dive with this husband and wife-owned dive company (Nick & Jessie) because Nick had originally certified me in Oahu about 10 years ago and since I felt so safe & comfortable then, I knew I would be in good hands here in Kauai! Nick captained the nboat on this trip & Jessie took us down on amazing reef dives where we saw crazy beautiful fish, octopus and a half-dozen turtles rolling through a turtle-cleaning station which was amazing! I love that both Nick and Jessie were so knowledgeable about the island & the different dive sites… & I especially loved that Jessie pulled out some wildlife books BEFORE diving, to point out some really unique fish & creatures that we would likely see! They also provided some snacks, beverages & some fresh local mango, which was incredible! If you plan to dive here on the island - I would highly recommend you do it with this duo - they are experienced, patient & so much fun!

Nick and Jesse were so professional and made this a really fun couple of dives! They had all the gear prepped to go and safety was a priority. They knew the best dive locations and made sure we saw as much as possible. SO many sea turtles!!!! Really had a blast with them!

Nick and Jesse were incredibly professional and made the dive easy and fun! Saw SO many turtles! Saw them at the surface before we even got in the water! I highly recommend them for you next dive in Kauai!

Thank you to Nick and Jessie for giving us a memorable scuba diving and snorkel trip! They took their time to make sure we had the best experience possible and went above and beyond! If you are looking to scuba dive, make sure to contact Explore Kauai Scuba!!!!

We went on 2 different trips with Explore Kauai Scuba. Jessie and Nick did a fantastic job of making us feel comfortable on their boat and getting us to some nice dive sites. Since we brought our own gear, they dropped off the tanks on the dock for us to get everything set up. Then they loaded the tanks with our gear onto the boat. They did a safety briefing as we were leaving the harbor. The boat is small so they don't do more than 6 divers per trip. However, even with 6 divers there was plenty of space for everyone on the ride to/from the dive sites. I was thankful that they have a small indoor cabin to sit in to avoid the sun (and sunburn). They even have a bathroom on the boat in case you need it between dives. When it is time to jump in the water, they have 2 divers at a time gear up at the back of the boat. You put on your fins and they bring your tank/BCD to you to strap into. Then you just stand up and do a giant stride into the water. They have a small ladder on the back of the boat to make getting out at the end of the dive easy. Once you are back on the boat, they move your tank/BCD gear back over to the rack for you. Jessie was a great guide under water. She is very familiar with the local fish and critters. She carries a nice slate with her and can write down what you are looking at on the spot. I had a great time discussing what I saw with her and looking stuff up in the fish/creature ID books that they have on board the boat.

Explore Kauai is a top-notch dive operation. They have an awesome boat and high quality dive gear. Booking was easy and pre-dive communication was prompt. Most important: Jessie and Nick are just super nice people and very talented at what they love to do. I'll definitely dive with them next trip.

The crew was amazing, we saw and experienced so much wildlife! I don’t believe it could get any better! Jessie was able to identify so many underwater critters, she is the best divemaster I have had the privilege to follow! Nick was a great captain and host! Whales, an eagle ray, octopus, and several sharks, all from underwater! I will definitely be back! Great day on the water!

It was just me and my wife on the 2 tank local boat dive the day we went and Jessie and Nick were great. It had been 9 years since our last dive so we had a nice refresher on the boat and we were able to do everything at a very relaxed pace. Jesse is clearly into marine life and showed us what we'd see in books before pointing out the animals on our dives. Great dive tour!