Scuba Diving at Kauai’s Sheraton Caverns
If you’ve found yourself in the lush and rugged Garden Isle of Kauai, do yourself a favor and go for a dive at Sheraton Caverns. Collapsed lava tubes create stunning tunnels to explore AND provide a safe haven for a wide variety and volume of marine life which includes, most excitingly, sea turtles!
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Review of Sheraton Caverns
Sheraton Caverns is truly a premier dive spot! The reef’s collapsed lava tubes are an incredible sea turtle sanctuary, so finding hundreds of sea turtles grazing, napping in rocky crevices, and surfing those warm Hawaiian currents is not at all uncommon. And it’s pretty much a fact that sea turtles are ridiculously cute, curious, and majestic creatures, even if they do look like your grumpy bald grandpa.
A sea turtle gliding through a tunnel at Sheraton Caverns, Kauai. Photo credit: Josh Childress.
In addition to creating a sanctuary with more turtles than you can count, those collapsed lava tubes make for a super fun dive. The caved-in roofs form intricate and beautiful tunnels that are full of light and hiding spots for all sorts of sea critters… while still providing plenty of pathways for a quick escape if you start to feel claustrophobic. And, because the depth maxes out around 65 feet, no special dive certification is needed, making Sheraton Caverns an ideal site for beginners and experts alike. But, if you are in a more adventurous mood, ask your dive master to lead you through the more narrow arches to get some serious cave diving feels.
A diver swims through a spooky tunnel at Sheraton Caverns, Kauai. Photo credit: Josh Childress
Schools of fish hang out in these tunnels too, finding shelter from the open sea and a bite to eat around the coral. Octopuses, mollusks, and eels are also in no short supply.
Recommended Dive Shop: Seasport Divers
Seasport Divers getting ready to take off on another Scuba trip
Seasport Divers has a very professional, friendly, and relaxed team that wants nothing more than for you to have a great dive. Not only do they clearly know this reef incredibly well, but they also go above and beyond typical dive shops so that your experience is enjoyable and comfortable. For example, one particularly awesome thing about our dive with Seasport Divers was that the dive master would lead anyone who wanted to finish the dive early for whatever reason (whether they were cold or low on air) to the anchor line and send them up. Then, they would take the remaining divers to another part of the reef to continue exploring subsea. Whether you’re diving at Sheraton Caverns or another site, we definitely recommend going with Seasport Divers on your next Kauaiian vacation.
One of the many amazing sea turtles that calls Sheraton Caverns home. Photo credit: Josh Childress
Where to go for Snorkeling with Sea Turtles
So you’ve tasted that sweet Hawaiian salt water and now you’re having withdrawals, both from the water and the adorable sea turtles… we’ve got a fix for you! You can absolutely go on another dive if you so choose (especially if you happen to be there in the summer and can make it over to the glorious and pristine Ni’ihau), but you could also satiate your desire to see more of these beautiful animals by snorkeling at Brennecke’s Ledge. There, you can easily find plenty of sea turtles feasting and surfing the waves. Depending on the season, we recommend sticking to the left (east) side of the cove for great visibility and abundance of colorful coral.
Plus, if you’re looking to get pitted, Brennecke’s has some sweet boogie boarding waves. In good conditions, this small cove quickly becomes packed with tourists and locals alike riding out those gnarly waves.
A colorful turtle hidden among the colorful rocks and coral subsea. Brennecke’s Ledge, Kauai.
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