need advice: scuba diving in maui/kauai

BTW... I just saw that you are a new diver. I was just certified in May 2010 and all of my post-certification dives have been with Fathom Five. They are GREAT for new divers. They don't take a lot of people with them, which is nice.

My first dive was at Tunnels and was supposed to be a 2 tank dive. I got too nervous on my first dive and aborted it. I didn't realize when I booked (and told them that I was a new diver) that Tunnels is not a great dive for beginners, as you go through some caverns. The guide convinced me to go on the second tank dive and I was able to complete it and was glad I did. But the attraction at Tunnels is the landscape and not really the fish.

I decided not to end my first diving experience on a so-so note, so I called Fathom Five back and asked if I could go on a dive at Koloa Landing. They didn't have space for me on the day I needed, but because I had gone on another dive and had some anxiety, the guy on the phone offered to take me to Sheraton Landing the next afternoon for a *private* guide. It was just me and the dive instructor, and he didn't charge me any additional money for a private guide (though I tipped him generously). The experience at Koloa Landing was one of those "aha" moments where I said, "this is why I wanted to learn how to dive!" There were so many great fish.

I had so much fun on that dive that I ended up joining my Oahu friends in Kauai a mere 3 weeks after that first trip. On that dive, we went to Shearton Caverns and one other site whose name I forget at the moment. Sheraton Caverns was really awesome ... you do go through some caverns, but they're simple enough for newbies. And in one of the smaller caverns, I was surrounded by 6 giant resting turtles. It was amazing.

Enjoy diving on Kauai and Maui. I am heading to Maui for Thanksgiving and will be giving Ed Robinson's and Lahaina Divers a call. I may even do my advanced certification with one of them instead of braving the chilly waters in the Puget Sound!