Big Island recomendation?

[KrissK]

Hi, I'm going to the Big Island in mid-April and will be staying at the Hilton. I would like to dive 2 or 3 days while I'm there and since I've not been to the island before would really appreciate some advice on dive operators.

I'm an experienced diver (instructor) and dive all over the world often in the Indo-Pacific. I prefer smaller dive operators that cater more to experience divers that go to un-crowded sites. Six Pack boats are fine, maybe prefered. I don't need anything fancy, just friendly, reliable, and out for great dives.

Any advice on operators, dive sites, or other tips would be very much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Wildcard]

Shorediving.com Mo betta diving from shore on da big isle. Dont miss the Manta dive folllowed by a black water dive from a boat though. Big Isle Divers gets my nod but they are all pretty great.

 

[sbaggs]

We used Big Island Divers a couple years ago and were pretty pleased. I think we only had about 7 or 8 divers on our boat. They had a nice boat. They took care of our gear after the dives...rinsed and stored. The highlight was the Manta night dive. I think most places on the island do one. Make sure you don't miss that...it ranks as probably our best dive ever. Pretty amazing.

 

[dbittner]

I stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa Village back in August. Just a short visit, so I was only able to get in two days of diving. The first day involved a two-tank boat dive with Big Island Divers in the morning and a two-tank twilight-night (Manta) dive with Kona Honu Divers. My original plan for the second day was to go with Red Sail Sports so that I could let my (non-diving) brother use the car. Unfortunately, I couldn't get them to guarantee that there would indeed be a dive trip that day, so I switched over to Big Island Divers.

Both the operations I did dive with were very well run -- good boats, excellent dive guides/DMs, excellent sites, great wildlife (even though the mantas didn't show), etc.

I did prefer Big Island Divers, since they did take out fewer divers (I think that there were only six or seven divers each day). In addition, I really appreciated the fact that they rinsed my gear back at the shop and hung it up to dry each day. It sure saved me a lot of time back at the hotel!

I hope to return to Kailua-Kona again some day for a longer stay. I'm especially intrigued with the Big Island Diver 2-tank night dive on Fridays -- manta dive followed by a black water night dive. (Next trip, I'll know to call ahead way in advance in order to get on the trip before it fills up).

Peace,
Dave

 

[sbaggs]

OK...I don't want to sound ignorant, and I'm kind of visualizing what it is...but can someone explain the black water night dive and exactly what happens on it?
We were on the Big Island in 2005 and did the twilight/night Manta Dive with Big Island Divers which was awesome with 7 mantas showing up, but don't remember hearing about the black water dive.
Thanks.

 

[friscuba]

It's a relatively stationary night dive in several thousand feet of water. Typically they'll put about 30' of rope behind a boat tied to a float, then 30' straight down, and then spoke off 25-30' lines from that which the divers are tied into so nobody gets below 60', and that's if they hang straight down. Others have set out a parachute in the water behind the boat and swam in the shute. Anyway, lots of stuff is attracted to the lights on some nights. If you are into little invertebrate critters that most people never see, it can be very cool.

This dive hasn't been done all that regularly here, at least since I moved here in '99. In '06 Big Island started pushing it and a person or two on the board did it and started pushing it here. It seems to be offered when they can get enough people to do it, which is not as often as you'd think considering the amount of mention it gets on this board. My guess is a few hundred people may have done it here over the previous two years, while the manta dive/snorkel gets 25-80 people nearly every night of the year. Jack's recently has started offering it on a regular basis, being a larger op my guess is they'll get it going quite regularly. Big Island still offers it as they've got a DM or two that likes to do it.

Be aware, this dive may not be for everyone, as things that can show up can be small and boring, or small and very exciting, or (possibly, but not that often) large and exciting, or large and very scary. It all depends on your point of view.

 

[cuddlefish]

Jack's Diving Locker schedules this blackwater night dive (pelagic magic) each Thrusday evening. They will go with a minimum of two divers! You can check out their website for details. It's under advanced dive trips. Much fun. I've done it a couple of times. I think the first time I did it with them was probably four years ago.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

From the Hilton, you'll be in easy driving range of a couple of great shore dives: Mahukona and Puako Village End. See the descriptions and maps here:

Scuba Shore Diving Site Listing for: The Big Island, Hawaiian Islands

As far as dive operators, I really like Jack's Diving Locker, and have heard good things about several others. It nice to have several good operations to choose from!

Enjoy your trip!