Bubbles Below Scuba Charters, Inc.
Categories: Hotels & Travel Tours Active Life Boating Active Life Diving Scuba Diving Tours, Boating, Scuba Diving [Edit]
Port Allen Small Boat Harbor(at Waialo Rd)
Eleele, HI 96705
(808) 332-7333
- Good for Kids:
- No
12 reviews for Bubbles Below Scuba Charters, Inc.
12 reviews in English
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Review from Seth M.
Fairfax, VA
9/17/2011
My wife and I decided to do our PADI Open Water Certification with Bubbles Below at the end of the summer. Due to time constraints, we didn't have a chance to get the book work done before arriving in Kauai and had to dedicate the first full day of our trip to sitting at the computer in order to get it done.
Our divemaster was Travis, and by the time I stepped off the plane in Kauai, he had left me a voicemail to touch base about our certification. I called him back and explained how we had not been able to finish the book work, and he said that it wasn't a problem and that we would have time to catch up in a couple of days.
Friday morning, Travis met us at the hotel. He filled out all the necessary paperwork and took us down to Koloa Landing for our first dive and a snorkel/swim exercise. After lunch, we practiced some skills in a nearby pool. By that time, I figured that our day was coming to an end, but Travis surprised us by offering to take us back to Koloa Landing to complete our second dive. We took him up on his offer and by the end of the day, we were halfway through the Open Water Cert....which was awesome since we had already lost a full day completing the book work.
We met up again with Travis on Sunday for our two remaining dives, plus an additional one that night. We dove off the Bubbles boat twice to complete the certification, then took a break before the night dive. The night dive was one of the most exciting things I've ever done and I can honestly say that Travis and his crew (Katie and Earl) helped us not feel so apprehensive about diving in the dark.
We are already planning a trip back to Kauai. Travis was knowledgeable (especially about marine life), patient, and attentive to us beginners. He's a fantastic divemaster and we're hoping to dive with Bubbles Below again next year. -
Review from LL C.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 3/12/2012
This update pertains to the customer service/charter booking side of the business. I went diving with bubbles in may/june of 2011, their DMs are very friendly, nice, attentive, knowledgeable, and super patient. dive sites are amazing. The captain, Mike, was a great guy also. The owner, Linda, is very black and white, and I can see how she might be hit and miss, you will either get along with her or you wont, she's the type who tells it like it is...and that's fine by me.
First off, some of you reading this may have stumbled upon other reviews on yelp or tripadvisor that were daunting...such as cancelled trips, inhospitable service, etc. While this did not exactly happen to us, I do not think that the other reviewers were exaggerating (at least not that much) when it came to some of the not so glamorous reviews. As a matter of fact, I can actually start to imagine these situations now. Just a bit of background, bubbles does come highly recommended (second only to Fathom Five) in the Discover Kauai book, some people in the online community have expressed dismay that they are receiving ill-deserved publicity...you can be the judge of that
This review, concerns the phone service I received when attempting to book multiple dive charters. If I were a business owner, who runs a small business, relying primarily on tourist dollars, and I have a prospective customer who would quite possibly be spending $1000 on two days worth of dives, i would hope that the office staff I hired to take the inbound calls and whom is responsible for making and "closing" these bookings, would have the patience to entertain what may seem to be redundant and pointless questions. Do a better job at hiding your sarcasm, try not to sound so impatient, and follow through with customer's requests for information. Keep in mind that if you were on the other end, you'd probably want your questions answered and concerns addressed before forking over a grand worth of your hard earned money.
Recently, with what seems (and with what I can recall relative to last year) to be an increase in pricing...to match what the competitors (fathom five and seasport) are charging, I do not see much reason to go with bubbles. smaller and older boat, actually malfunctioned on one of our dives...lack of physical store/dive shop, and most importantly RUDE office staff (maybe not all, im just referring to one specifically)
I was stoked at the prospect of returning to kauai and diving with bubbles...not anymore...will be writing a review of fathom five real soon1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/1/2012
Dove with bubbles below in summer of 2011. We were recently certified and though we've done several… Read more »
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Review from Ben R.
Hanalei, HI
5/3/2012
Great small dive charter with a focus of delivering a quality product and experience to their divers. Very knowledgable of the area and critters they discover. Give bubbles a try!
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Review from Susanna W.
Palo Alto, CA
4/20/2011
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).Listed in: KAUAI 2011
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Review from Rodney N.
Los Angeles, CA
4/25/2011
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. -
Review from Heather F.
Chicago, IL
3/7/2011
Had a great time diving with Bubbles Below. My husband and I did our Advanced Open Water certification while visiting the island. We had a great time diving with Divemaster Travis. He was equal parts fun, safety-conscious and engaging. Everything you want in a divemaster. He took care to show us endemic species and make us aware of everything going on around us (whale songs anyone?).
The only negative was that there were some administrative issues in organizing our dives before we arrived. I understand that there were some staffing changes and that accommodations had to be made for another diving party. It was mildly irritating to have to try to reorganize our dive plans. But it all worked out in the end.
Overall, I would recommend the Bubbles Below team for your scuba diving on Kauai. Everyone we met and dived with was fantastic! -
Review from Tabitha B.
Seattle, WA
11/9/2010
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. -
Review from skizzle k.
West Los Angeles, CA
Updated - 3/29/2011
The response from the owner is full of lies..no surprise!
There was NO VOTE! No vote- it was a decision that the captain made, but said he was following instructions from the owner.
My bottom time did not take away from anyone else as it was time they needed for the interval.
I live between two places, and am a homeowner on Maui.
How petty of you- lady- and continuing to be incredibly unprofessional.
Take responsibility for your rinky-dink operation- either let people know what they are in for and that you don't have a shop, your equipment is limited and that you are about making money over anything else.
The other passengers were VERY unhappy, in fact I'd be surprised if the other person ended up paying you because he was made so late he left without paying.
While I appreciate small businesses trying to stay afloat- taking responsibility when you don't do the right thing for a customer is important.
You lack that ability.
I have made just as many positive reviews, if not more, then negative, so you just continue to lie.
I'll be diving and recommending elsewhere.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/29/2010
I was very excited for my trip to Ni'ihau, it is incredibly pricey for a one day dive ($332 w/ a… Read more »
Comment from Linda M. of Bubbles Below Scuba Charters, Inc. 10/12/2010
To Skizzle, Divers are asked to check in the day before… More » -
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Review from Steve Q.
Nashville, TN
6/10/2009
Bubbles Below is absolutely fantastic. Fun, cool people who are highly professional and passionate about diving and teaching. Ask for Travis and/or Joe- the best dive masters I've ever had the pleasure of diving with.
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Review from Will S.
Washington, DC
5/29/2009
I dove on the South Shore with Bubbles Below with a couple of friends at the end of May 2009. What a fantastic experience!
Luckily, we three were the only guests on the boat that day. We had a great captain (Joe) and divemaster (Travis). They personalized the tour, and during our surface intervals, they took the boat along the coast to interesting sights. They were also both very knowledgeable about the sea life, geology, and topography we encountered.
We dove Sheraton Caverns (Kauai's signature dive) and two other sites between Port Allen and Poipu. The turtle encounters were unreal. Joe also guided a monk seal in our direction with the boat, so we caught an underwater glimpse.
I highly recommend Bubble Below for your Kauai dive, and in particular recommend Joe and Travis as your dive team. Ask for them! -
Review from Kim B.
San Diego, CA
5/17/2011
I have dived with Linda for 20 years on her boats, both in local south side dives and in Niihau. I can never get enough of her passion and knowledge about marine life.
Last week I did my first Napali Coast trip with Bubbles Below. OMG!!!! How very impressive! The diving in the Crater was super, and its was neat to get to see some endemic species that have only been found in this location, and nowhere else in the main HI islands! We spotted dolphins and whales too!
All of that in itself would make for a fabulous dive trip! However, in addition we got to tour that majestic Napali coastline and even entered one of the caves (thanks to Capt. Earl's precise navigating skills)! Most people pay the big bucks to do just that tour and are completely satisfied.
Well, we got two underwater tours as well! This trip is a GREAT VALUE and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
Thanks to Bubbles Below for another of many very memorable and educational dives!! -
Review from Kimo M.
Rowland Heights, CA
3/26/2009
I've been diving with Bubbles Below for over two decades. Certainly, there are many competent dive boats on the island, but you will not get the same quality experience, in my humble opinion. This company is owned and operated by Linda Marsh. Linda has been diving every nook and cranny of Kauai's offshore waters since the mid-1970s, and her knowledge of Kauai marine life is unmatched by anyone in the Hawaii scuba industry - in fact to this day, State and Federal resource experts will often seek her unique input on environmental projects (such as US Fish and Wildlife, Hawaii Dept of Land and Natural Resources, etc). You can expect to get a real marine ecology tour when diving with Bubbles Below - in fact, while you are having the time of your life, you will also be learning something about the marine environment. I highly recommend Bubbles Below.
