Adventure Smörgåsbord in Kauai, Hawaii

Between jobs in 2006, my wife and I decided that it was time to have a second honeymoon. Our choice? The garden island, Kauai, HI. We chose Kauai based on advice from a friend and are grateful that we listened.   As I did some light online research, I realized that there would be some really cool photo opportunities both top side and underwater.   As I began to assemble my luggage, I ultimately landed on the following gear:

• My Nikon D70 – I hadn’t yet upgraded to my current D200, but I knew I needed what I had.
• 18-70mm AF-S kit lens and 105mm AF-D Micro lens – I knew there would be some whale photo opportunities and at the time, 105mm is the furthest reach I had.
• A polarizing and UV filter.
• Mask, fin, snorkel & save-a-dive kit – While I thought it was a little too much to bring my BC and regulator, I HATE renting a mask, fins and snorkels.  It’s not that mine are better, they just fit me better.
• Underwater Camera Rental from Fathom Five (below) – I was torn between buying an underwater housing for my DSLR before this trip and renting while I was there.  In the end, I decided to rent since the cost of the housing alone was over $1500.  I could do quite a few dive trips for the cost of one UW housing.

Our trip originated in Minnesota, connected through LA and landed in Lihue that same day.  While we  had to wake up way too early, and spend way too much time on a plane, in the end it was all worth it.   The airport is extremely small, which I actually like since the time to get off the plane and grab all your stuff is very short.   By the time we were arrived at the baggage claim, our bags were in sight.  We also decided on renting car while there since we like to explore and didn’t want to be limited in anyway.   While we chose a SUV, one could easily get by with an economy car since the drives were not that long and there weren’t any problems with the roads or climbs as we visited some of the parks.

We ultimately decided on staying at the Grand Hyatt Resort based on the same recommendation – I was blown away.  The hotel is fantastic – the food, the view, the pool, the room.   We quickly dropped off our bags in the room and proceeded to eat a late lunch / early dinner at the Tidepools restaurant.  A pond filled with koi surround you and you enjoy every last bit of your meal.  Everything seemed to be falling into place.  Our evening was short, but we had several activities planned over the next 5 nights:

SCUBA Diving

I dove with two operators while on Kauai:

• Fathom Five – Smaller of the two shops, my dives with Fathom Five was outstanding.  In particular, Debbie (our guide for the day) gave us the run down on the sites, the habitat and behaviors to watch for.  She genuinely seemed happy to be diving with us.  We dove both Sheraton’s Caverns and Three Fingers with great visibility and sea life.   I also rented my underwater camera from Fathom – a Sea & Sea 8000.  It was okay, but I really wished they offered a DLSR package for rental or I would have just bit the bullet and purchased the housing for my D70.  I am sure I would have used it several times since then on other dive trips.
• Seasport Divers – Seasport is a bit larger that Fathom Five and drew a little larger crowd the day I dove with them.  While it normally doesn’t bother me, the dive got off to a bad start when I nearly broke my mask strap and the divemaster seemed to be a little annoyed when I fumbled getting my gear ready.   Not a huge deal, but compared to my first day of diving, I was a little put off.  Once we were in the water, the sites were fantastic.  We dove Brenneke’s Ledge and Sherton’s Caverns once again, but was able to witness the life and death battle between a moray eel and an octopus on our second dive.  The octopus lost.

Dining

• The Beach House – You really want to go here if you are looking for romance.  On the ocean with a walk way that can take you all the way to Spouting Horn, this restaurant will make you happy.
• Smith’s Garden Luau – This was really run.  The whole experience was about 3 – 4 hours and included a tour of the extensive property, luau feast and the aloha show.  Also, before you go, practice night shots since you will be asked not to use your flash for the final show.
• Waimea Beer Company – On our drive to the Waimea Canyon, we stopped at this little restaurant.  While I can’t remember if the food was worth while, a cold beer to break up a hour or two ride is always worth it.
• Roy’s – while I usually shy away from chains, we figured we would give Roy’s a shot.  The restaurant always seemed busy and w found out why.  The food, atmosphere and drinks were great.  While it wouldn’t be my first choice for food (I like the one of a kind unique places), it was pretty good.
• Tomkat’s Grille – while wondering around in Koloa. we decided to grab a bit at Tomkat’s.  The atmosphere was better than the food.  Neat place, but better food awaits you elsewhere.

Hiking & Cruises

• Waimea Canyon – This was also another photography nirvana.  The colors of the canyon cannot be described with words and the depth and enormity of it take your breath away.  Take a whole day for this and ensure that you have plenty of space on your memory card.  Also, consider playing with different filter or gradient options.  You may also want to pack a small light lunch or snack with you so that you can either hit the trails for a longer period of time or simply sit near an observation area and soak it all in.  For fun, try and count as many mountain goats as you can.
• Na Pali Coast Cruise – This is a must do.  While the boat is packed with people, the tour is quite fun and the view is spectacular.  On this particular adventure, I really wished I would have had a longer range telephoto lens.  If I were going today, I would buy or rent the Nikon 70-300 AF-S VR lens in a heartbeat.  105mm, even on a DX sensor, didn’t quite pull it in like I wanted it to.

What I wish I did

Surfing was happening right in front of our hotel.  Unfortunately, I don’t know how to surf, yet.

Helicopter Tour!  Time was the only limiting factor and this tour is a little on the expensive side.  However, if I had to do it all over again, I would sacrifice one of my dive days for a helicopter tour after seeing Waimea Canyon.

In addition, there are two pieces of gear I wish I would have had for this trip:

• 300mm range telephoto zoom lens.
• DSLR Underwater Housing & Strobe

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Tags: Beach, Hawaii, Helicopter Tour, Kauai, Luau, Photography, SCUBA, Shark, Surfing, Waimea, waterfall, Whale

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 2nd, 2009 at 6:03 PM and is filed under Hawaii, Hiking, Photography, SCUBA, Surfing, United States. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.