Kauai
I enjoyed scuba diving in Kauai throughout an extended stay on the Garden Isle. I did 14 dives in total, which became somewhat repetitive due to the time of year and dive sites visited. A few days of boat diving from Kukuiula Boat Harbor took me to dive sites Fish Bowl, Toilet Bowl, Zach's Pocket, Sheraton Caverns, and Arches. The dive boats from the harbor are large and comfortable. I also did a number of shore dives from Koloa Landing, where you enter via a mucky boat ramp. A highlight of shore diving Koloa was using DPVs (diver propulsion vehicles, aka "underwater scooters") to reach some of Kauai's best dive sites without needing a boat.
Kauai diving is not sensational, but there is some interesting topography such as the lava rock swim-throughs at Sheraton Caverns and there are lots of turtles, nudibranchs, octopus, and fish to enjoy. My favorite thing was listening to the humpback whales underwater! Although I never saw any during my dives, I did see plenty of humpbacks from the dive boats and from shore. Kauai would be a great place to get certified or try a discovery dive. Conditions and dive sites are very weather dependent, with some dive days cancelled due to high surf or low visibility. Sadly, I was there at the wrong time of year to dive Ni'ihau, where divers encounter endangered Hawaiian monk seals, whales, and sharks.
