Franko's Dive Map of Kauai, the Garden Isle

Recreational map for scuba divers, snorkelers, kayakers, hikers, bicyclists, boaters, surfers, tourists, and others who love Kauai. Printed on waterproof, tear-resistant, permanently folded paper. Measures 4.25 x 7 in. when folded; opens to 14 x 21 in.

The map image of the Island of Kauai is generated by some fancy computer graphics, converting digital elevation models into green shaded relief, so you can see the shores, the hills and the valleys exactly how they actually are. Main roads are colored gold. Each of the island's main points of interest are denoted but this map is truly for diving, snorkeling, kayaking, hiking, exploring, and is generally for anyone who loves Kauai, The Garden Isle.

The ocean is depicted in beautiful turquoise colors all around Kauai, with descending colors representing the depths. Depth contours are from nautical charts of Kauai, as provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). You can see just how deep the ocean quickly becomes as you go away from shore. The result of pure inspiration, Kauai looks like a beautiful emerald jewel sitting on the ocean blue.

The number of sites to dive on the South Shore are so many that a separate detail is on Side Two that zooms in on the area. The same is true for the North Shore. The east shore is not as dense with dive spots, but it is the most populous area of Kauai, and thus it has a separate detail on side two as well. Kayaking Kauai is another great sport and a wonderful activity for tourists.

There are five main sections to Side 2. The first is the North Shore, including Hanalei, the second is the East Shore, including Kapaa and Lihue, the third is the South Shore, including Poipu and Port Allen, the fourth is the islet of Lehua, off of the north end of Niihau, and the fifth is the overall view of Kauai and Niihau. The island of Niihau is seldom visited by outsiders, but the small straight between Niihau and the 0.9-mile wide, 702-foot high Lehua Island is often visited by tour boats full of snorkelers, typically doing a stop after having already been on a magnificent Na Pali Coast tour. The remoteness of Lehua is sort of scary, when it comes to jumping in the water. The main attraction is pristine, clear water, with visibility almost always over 100 feet, and tons of reef fish on nice collections of rocky terrain and corals. Lehua has a lot of great and diverse dive sites.