Kona dive op for Young diver?

[Sophiesdivemomma]

Im taking my newly certified 14 yo to KONA, HI in DEC to do her first dive week . She did her open water dives in Belize In JUN 2021 and is PADI certified. She did great but is cautious and doesn’t like big crowds of divers. Im trying to pick the best dive op for us to do 5 days of diving to get her confident + a manta dive to wow her too. I hear good things about HONU divers, Jacks divelocker, Big island and Pacific Rim. Any opinions on which would be best?

 

[grantwiscour]

We dive with all of the Kona dive ops and they are all very good.

For a small group your best chances are with Kona Honu divers. The other ops have large boats and have a good chance at a pack of divers in the boat.

Talk with them on the phone and they’ll be happy to discuss making it a great trip.

The manta dive is a true bucket list experience and highly recommended.

 

[fisheater]

I echo what grantwiscour just said. Lots of good ops, but I've found Kona Honu to be best at addressing individual diver needs. They're super friendly, so give them a call and have a discussion. Also, consider some shore dives, with a guide.

 

[NorCalDM]

I agree that Kona Honu is a good option and I really like Pacific Rim. Kohala Divers up the coast is one of my favorite shops to dive with and the sites they go to are usually less crowded. Jack's is always too crowded for me unless you go on the advanced trips.

 

[covediver]

I have had teens dive with Kona Diving Company on two separate trips, 15 and 17 y.o.. KDC took good care of them and us for safe, fun dives. Manta dive is a must do.

 

[aceswerling2]

You might try a shore dive at Four Mile first. Assuming the surf is down, it's an easy entry and a short swim out to the reef. There could be a few people there but there certainly won't be a crowd. If you like the shore dive thing, there are plenty more sites around the coast and none of them will be crowded.

 

[tarponchik]

Jack is overpriced, in my opinion. So I'd vote for Kona Honu. BTW, if this matters for you (it did matter for me), they open their shop 1 hr before everybody else.