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Scuba Dive Niihau the Forbidden Island in Hawaii

Scuba Dive Niihau the Forbidden Island in Hawaii

Scuba Dive Niihau the Forbidden Island on Hawaii

Scuba Dive Niihau the Forbidden Island in Hawaii

Scuba Dive Niihau the Forbidden Island on Hawaii

Learn all about scuba diving the forbidden island of Niihau in Kauai, Hawaii. Who owns it? Why is it forbidden? Join Seasport divers for the most incredible scuba diving experience Kauai has to offer. With pristine waters and large amounts of wildlife, Niihau is a scuba diving paradise. Our staff is not only highly trained and experienced in the waters of Niihau but are also knowledgeable about the island and its surroundings. Dive Kauai with the best scuba diving shop in the island, Seasport Divers!

Scuba Dive Niihau the Forbidden Island in Hawaii

Scuba Dive Niihau the Forbidden Island on Hawaii

Dive Niihau With Seasport Divers
We Are The Niihau Dive Experts & Kauai's Premier Dive Shop
The forbidden island of Niihau is a diver’s paradise, featuring unworldly geological topography, seemingly endless visibility, and some of the largest underwater species in all the Hawaiian Islands. You can rest assured that your Niihau experience will be unmatched when choosing Seasport Divers. We have been diving in Kauai for over 37 years and put our highest priorities in your safety, comfort, and unforgettable Kauai SCUBA diving experiences. Book now as seats fill up quickly.
Dive Niihau With Seasport Divers

(Seasonal) Tuesdays & Fridays
late spring to early autumn

We Are 'The' Niihau Dive Experts & Kauai's Premier Dive Shop

Dive confidently with Seasport Divers, your trusted Niihau experts! Our commitment to safety and expertise makes exploring Niihau's cool underwater landscapes an extraordinary adventure. Join us for a dive like no other, where safety meets the thrill of Niihau's unique marine environment.

 
  Scuba Diving Niihau  
Diving The Forbidden Island

Welcome to the pinnacle of SCUBA diving in Hawaii: The Last Forbidden Island. Its storybook title is rightfully earned and idolized as a bucket list dive location for nearly every thrill-seeking diver. Nestled 37 nautical miles off the coast of Kauai, Niihau offers a unique opportunity to explore the untouched, vibrant, and thriving marine life that has made this remote sanctuary a must-visit for scuba divers. With over 37 years of experience and a deep connection to Kauai's diving community, and culture, we are Scuba Diver Magazine’s choice for your Niihau diving adventure.

⚠️  Important

Due to its remote location and the type of diving conducted this dive is for experienced divers only with at least 30 logged dives or an Advanced Open Water certification. We can provide a checkout dive on one of our boats so our divemasters can assess your ability to dive Niihau.

Hawaiian monk seal swimming in niihau
From $430
Scuba Diving In Niihau
Divers wearing Nitrox scuba diving tanks
Package $479
Niihau & Intro to Nitrox
From $430
Scuba Diving In Niihau
Package $479
Niihau & Intro to Nitrox
  What's Included   
  • ✓   We'll provide light breakfast.
  • ✓   Fully catered lunch with vegetarian and vegan options available.
  • ✓   Snacks, water, coffee, tea and hot chocolate available.
  Good To Know   
  • Meeting point is Seasport Diver’s Poipu retail location
  • Bring a camera for incredible sights above and below the water.
  • Sunscreen for an all day adventure (usually back at 6pm)
  • Pick up some Reef-safe sunscreen to help keep these waters pristine
Add Gear Rental - $45
Certified Upgrade To Nitrox - $39
Non-Certified Upgrade To Nitrox - $49
Kama'aina Price - $330
Kama'aina Rental - $25
Snorkler/Ridealong - $330
     
    An Unparalleled Experience
    There Is Nothing Quite Like Diving Niihau
    There Is Nothing Quite
    Like Diving Niihau
     
      Endemic Marine Life

    Enjoy diving with amazing underwater species found only in Hawaii.

      Endless Swim-thrughs

    Swim through a myriad of underwater caverns and passages.

      Incredible Scenary

    Take in the views as you cruise along the coast of Niihau and Lehua Crater.

     
      Our Niihau Crew  
    Your Instructors & Guides
    Our highly skilled team of instructors and guides bring a wealth of experience to the world of Niihau diving. Each member has been carefully selected for their profound understanding of marine life, combined with their extensive track record of exploring the diverse underwater landscapes of both Kauai and Niihau. Their passion for the ocean and their commitment to ensuring the safety and enjoyment of your dive adventures set them apart as industry leaders. You can rest assured that you're in the capable hands of the very best, making them the perfect companions for this extraordinary journey into the depths of Niihau's captivating underwater world. With their expertise, your dive experience will be not only exciting but also educational, as they share their in-depth knowledge of the marine environment, making your Niihau adventure truly unforgettable.
    Warm Fresh Water Showers Onboard
    Limited Capacity For a Better Trip
    Photographer Friendly Boat Setup
    Warm Fresh Water Showers Onboard
      Why is it called “The Forbidden Island”?
      Niihau and its sister island, Lehua Crater, are islands by ancestors of the original Native Hawaiian’s. Though purchased by the Robinson family in 1864, it has become a protected refuge for those that embody the oldest traditions in Hawaiian culture. Their roughly 150 inhabitants live simple lives, without phone service, or industrial technology. They practice subsistence living, relying on the ocean and land for sustenance. Niihau remains shrouded in mystery and is often romanticized for its isolation and undocumented traditions adding to the alure of the Island.
      Where are the dive sites at Niihau?
      The majority of the best dive sites are in the channel between Niihau and Lehua Crater. There you will find the famous sites Vertical Awareness, Pyramid Point, Niihau Arches, Neon Cave. When conditions are right, diving can be done at Keyhole or in Lehua Crater itself, however, the typical NE trade winds make these dives not only challenging but impossible in many cases.
      Is it Safe to Dive Niihau?
      Diving in Niihau is considered safe with the right conditions and diver skill level. At Seasport divers we offer the largest dive boat on the island equipped with an array of safety equipment, the most experienced Divemasters and Instructors, extra staff for additional diver attention, and a keen understanding of the ocean conditions and topography to keep everyone safe. Make sure to check out our Niihau diver requirements or call our Poipu Diver Center to inquire about your ability to join us on one of our epic charters.
      Warm Fresh Water Showers Onboard
      Spacious, Ocean Friendly, Coast Guard Approved Vessel
      Photographer Friendly Boat Setup
      Catered Lunch with Vegan Options
      PADI Divemaster briefing guests before getting in the water for a scuba dive in Kauai
      Scuba Instructor explaining boat safety to all the guests on the boat
        Niihau Dive Trip  
      Complete Scuba Diving Trip Guide
         Meeting At The Store

      Niihau, the "Forbidden Island" of Hawaii, holds a unique place in the archipelago's history and landscape. Its moniker, "Forbidden Island," emerged during a polio outbreak in the early 1900s when the island closed its coasts to protect its inhabitants. Even today, Niihau maintains a strict tourism policy, with only a handful of tour operators granted access to uninhabited areas. Overnight accommodations are unavailable, and excursions, mainly by helicopter or beach visits, are limited. In the early 1990s, the island introduced hunting safaris as a source of tourism income, permitting visitors to hunt specific wildlife while returning the meat to the locals.

         Day Trip To Niihau

      Niihau, the "Forbidden Island" of Hawaii, holds a unique place in the archipelago's history and landscape. Its moniker, "Forbidden Island," emerged during a polio outbreak in the early 1900s when the island closed its coasts to protect its inhabitants. Even today, Niihau maintains a strict tourism policy, with only a handful of tour operators granted access to uninhabited areas. Overnight accommodations are unavailable, and excursions, mainly by helicopter or beach visits, are limited. In the early 1990s, the island introduced hunting safaris as a source of tourism income, permitting visitors to hunt specific wildlife while returning the meat to the locals.

         About Niihau

      The main Hawaiian Islands all have nicknames. Oahu is the “Gathering Place.” Maui is the “Valley Isle.” Kauai is the “Garden Island.” Niihau, the most western island about 18 miles northwest of Kauai, is the “Forbidden Island.”

      Niihau became knowns as the forbidden island during the polio outbreak in the early to mid 1900s, when it closed it coasts and declined any visitors from coming to the island. It still has a strict tourism policy today which allows a limited number of tour operators to visit the island in uninhabited areas of the island and makes the name “Forbidden Island stick”. Overnight accommodations are not available and the current owners offer half day helicopter and beach excursions only. In the early 1990’s the island started to offer hunting safaris as a way of tourism income allowing visitors to hunt eland, aoudad, and oryx, as well as wild sheep and boars. However, any meat from the kills hunters make belongs to the locals and cannot be taken off the island.

      It has been privately owned by the same family since 1864, when Elizabeth Sinclair purchased it from King Kamehameha V for $10,000 in gold. Today the island is managed by Robinson brothers, Bruce and Keith Robinson who are descendants family members of Elizabeth Sinclair. King Kamehameha V, sold the Island with the promise of preserving Niihau ways of life, traditions and their natural habitats . Wanting to leave the island relatively untouched from outside influences the new owners have turned much of the island into a conservation area, working to nurture the endemic flora and fauna. Aside from several bird species and rare plants, the island of Niihau is also home to the largest population of critically endangered Hawaiin monk seals. The islands isolated coasts offer the seals a protected and secluded grounds that produce a perfect combination for helping the monk seals breed and thrive along their coast.

      The Island is approximately 6 million years old and the remnant of the southwestern slope of a much larger volcano. Niihau has a population between 160-170 residents making it Hawaii’s 7th largest populated island with the largest settlement of residents living in Puʻuwai. Even though visitors to Niihau are strictly monitored it is noted that many of the locals travel off the island frequently. Many residents travel regularly to the nearby island of Kauai for supplies and necessities. Populations has been in a slow decline from residents relocating to other Hawaiin islands for work, schooling or health care. Due to the frequent droughts that can last many months some residents are forced to evacuate to other islands and choose to remain there permanently.

      Niihau is relatively free of vegetation and considered a desertic or arid Island with a lack of rainfall that is contributed to the rains being blocked in the east by the mountains in Kaua’i. It relies on the winter cyclones or Kona storms for its rainfall and spends many months in drought conditions. The Robinson’s grandfather, Aubrey Robinson planted 10,000 trees per year during much of his ownership of the island; Robinson’s afforestation efforts increased rainfall in the dry climate. The dry climate is ideal for the solar power that is used on Niihau, as they do not have electricity or running water. The Niihauan’s live off the land, growing their own food, hunting and fishing. The island is their livelihood and they protect it from the outside encroachments.

      "Make sure to book your trip in advanced as seats fill up fast."