Snorkeling and Diving on Kauai: Boat, Shore Dive or SNUBA?
5 min read
For most visitors the choice is a boat. The Na Pali Coast Snorkel Tour With Lunch is five hours and costs €191.47, with snorkel gear, a deli lunch and soft drinks on board. The Sail & Snorkel Tour from Port Allen has 106 reviews and adds breakfast. Pick a shore dive or SNUBA instead if you want time underwater rather than a coastline trip. Our Kauai snorkeling and diving page lists everything on sale.
The options compared
| Tour | Duration | From | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Na Pali Coast Snorkel Tour With Lunch | 5 hours | €191.47 | 5.0 from 23 reviews | Coast, lunch and swimming for confident swimmers |
| Sail & Snorkel Tour from Port Allen | Listed as a day, 5-hour tour in the text | €244.19 | 4.8 from 106 reviews | Sailing, breakfast and lunch |
| Niihau and Na Pali Coast Full-Day Boat Tour | 7 hours | €301.65 | 4.7 from 160 reviews | The long day to Lehua Crater |
| Shore Diving at Koloa Landing, Poipu | 3 to 4 hours | €146.43 | 4.6 from 6 reviews | Divers and first-timers on the south shore |
| SNUBA Diving Experience | 1.5 hours | €112.83 | 3.7 from 3 reviews | Families with children aged 8 and up |
The shore dive and SNUBA have only a handful of reviews each, so the ratings tell you little.
The boat days
All three boat days start on Kauai’s west side. The snorkel-and-lunch cruise leaves from Kikiaola Small Boat Harbor near Waimea and carries up to 20 people. Its page gives check-in at 8:45 AM under Know before you go, but a meeting time of 9:45 AM in the description, so confirm the time with the operator. The captain picks the lunch stop on the way back; the description lists snorkel gear, lunch, water, juice and soft drinks on board. Port fees, dry bags, towels and sunscreen also appear in the page’s list without being marked as included or not, and the page asks you to bring biodegradable sunscreen, so check those on the booking page. It excludes people with back problems and non-swimmers.
The Holo Holo sailing day lists a continental breakfast, a deli lunch, snorkel gear with instruction and a waterslide off the stern. The route depends on the sea that day, full-face snorkel masks are not allowed, and the operator advises against snorkelling within 24 hours of a flight over five hours. Children under 5, pregnant women and wheelchair users are excluded, and the page also lists people with back problems, recent surgeries or prone to seasickness as not suitable; mobility aids such as canes, walkers and crutches are not allowed on board. The Niihau day uses the same rules for seven hours and snorkels at Lehua Crater beside Niihau, with breakfast and lunch listed. Both Holo Holo trip pages list free cancellation up to 7 days ahead, compared with 24 hours for the snorkel-and-lunch cruise; their pages also say tips are not included and seasickness is not refunded, so check the cancellation terms on the booking page before you book. The page describes snorkelling there, not a landing.
For raft and power-catamaran trips along the coast, see our guide to the Na Pali Coast by boat.
The shore dive at Koloa Landing
Seasport Divers runs it for up to 7 people. The page excludes children under 10, pregnant women and non-swimmers. The page describes depths of 30 to 40 feet and says certified and non-certified people can join. Rental equipment is included for non-certified divers, while certified divers can rent for $35 at the shop. Non-certified participants must complete the PADI Diver Medical Questionnaire first, and you should not go above 1,000 feet of elevation within 18 hours afterwards, which the page says includes plane and helicopter flights and mountain hikes. Book the dive and the helicopter or air tour on different days. Transport to the dive shop is not included.
SNUBA and the sea scooter
SNUBA is a 1.5-hour guided session, starting with instruction, in a group of up to 8, with no certification needed. It is for ages 8 and up and excludes non-swimmers and people with heart or respiratory problems. The snorkeling adventure with a sea scooter is a private five-hour outing from Lihue with a sea scooter and a snorkel map. It has 4 reviews and a rating of 2.5, and it excludes non-swimmers and people with heart problems.
Our recommendation
Take the Na Pali snorkel cruise with lunch if you swim well. Take SNUBA if you have a child of 8 or older who wants to breathe underwater, and the Koloa Landing dive, from age 10, if you hold a card or want a first dive with an instructor.
