obligAnonId 5
20 Dec 2021
I did a three-tour package with Dive Kauai in December 2021, the shore dive, the twilight&night dive, and the zodiac dive. I had Bri as the dive master for both day dives. She was fantastic. She gave a great pre-dive overview (more information than I could commit to memory on the spot, I'll admit, she's thorough). During the dives she was really good at spotting various critters I would have missed. When some dives comprised divers of varying experience, she kept an eye on the new-comers without disregarding the more experienced divers, still attentively showing everyone everything she could find. At the end of one dive, when everyone else was low on air, she made sure they did a proper ascent and then took me off to explore some more, giving me as much dive-time as could possibly be squeezed out of the trip. I really appreciated that -- and we check-marked a giant snail during that extended period too.
The twilight/night dive was other-wordly. It was just me and the dive-master (Chris, I believe. I'm super sorry to not remember the name for certain and as is usual with signatures, I can't quite make it out in my log-book where he signed the dives). So, one on one, which is as private and personalized a trip as you can get. He did a great job helping me dial in my wetsuit coverage for warmth. I had to add a few layers over the standard recommendation and we even changed things up a bit between the two dives. Thanks to his help on this matter, not only was the second dive very comfortable, but I also had the same information for the zodiac dive two days later, so I had no trouble staying warm on that dive either. I really appreciate that. Other than temperature control issues, I'm night dive certified and knew what to expect in terms of night conditions, but as with Bri, he did a great job of finding the critters I would have completely overlooked. I was always proud to find anything on my own, but the dive guides are so good, it's just incredible. The first dive was twilight, still lots of light, but different creatures coming out. The second dive was night and if not for the nearly full moon, would have been pitch black. As it was, we had a great time playing around with the lights off for a few minutes, watching each other's ghostly forms in the moonlight. With the lights on, we wandered around and found the most amazing things that you just never see during the day time: lion's paw sea cucumbers, a giant snail fully extended outside its shell, numerous shrimp, a flying gurnard, a devil scorpionfish, and a full-size moray completely outside its hole, just swimming around.
Thanks for both of you, and also to the zodiac captain, whose name I also can't accurately recollect right now, sorry.
