Advice for Kona dive trip -- shore dives and manta night dive operators

[nippurmagnum]

Hello friends,

I am making my third dive trip to Kona, after an absence of about 6 years, and wanted to ask for advice on two points:

(1) Manta night dive operators

I'd love to find an operator that does not limit dive times for the manta night dive absurdly. The first time I did the night dive was with Big Island Divers, about 8 years ago, and we had 24 mantas circling over our heads -- but the dive operator ended the dive after just 45 minutes. I just wanted to scream, I had 2000 psi left in the tank (after kneeling motionless at 30 feet the whole time), and there was absolutely no reason to limit the dive to 45 minutes, other than apparently the staff wanting to go home early, and not caring about tips. The second time I went with Jacks Locker, and did a two tank twilight/night dive, and that time the second dive ended at about an hour with about a dozen mantas around us. I still would have loved to have stayed an extra 15-20 minutes in the water, but it didn't feel as rushed. Does anybody know of an operator who stretches out the night dive time to 75-90 minutes?

(2) Shore dive spots

I explored the following spots on my previous trips -- does anybody have any other suggested sites, or anything in particular to look for on the sites I mentioned below?

Alua Beach -- did a bunch of dives there, saw tigers on three dives. I've never seen dolphins on a dive there though, is that a function of just going early enough in the morning?

Puako -- awesome turtle cleaning station

Miloli'i -- gorgeous lava tubes and pristine corals; I've heard of schooling hammerheads there but didn't see any, though we were there in the summer.

Black Pebble Beach

Blow Hole

Two Step (which I found too crowded and a museum to dead coral)

Any other suggestions? Thanks!

 

[grantwiscour]

We recently did a Manta Snorkel with My Kona Adventures.
The went out of Keauhou on a RIBC. The sunset came a little late and they extended the time in the water to essentially wait for the Mantas...which did come right after dark set in. I have done the Manta scuba with Big Island Divers and Jack and prefer the snorkel with MKA. Much easier and alot less work on top.

For shore dives check out shorediving.com You have a good start with your list. You might add MM4 if you're gonna be around town. Pebble at Kona Paradise is a good dive in the summer. Make sure you go to the north end of Miloli'i at Da Rock as well as diving the pier. The ladder is no longer welded in place at the pier but there is one strapped to the crane...make sure you put it in the water before your dive. For Da Rock, swim West to the drop off and then south...some good caverns and swim throughs.

Two Step is still crowded but can be a good dive. Drop down at the first "Aloha" and take a heading NW to the drop off. Keep going if you want to see the free divers. Follow the drop off South until you hit the second Aloha and then work your way back East. Be sure to check the undersides of all the pinnacles for sleepy White Tips...we have fair success spotting them.

 

[NorCalDM]

Personally I don't do the organized Manta dives as I have seen them several times during shore dives with nobody else around. Now that I said that if I did one I would go with Blue Wilderness as their boat is a smaller RIB and they don't take many divers out at one time and they are a fun group. If you do any boat diving out of Kona and they get to the "Old Airport" you have a chance at seeing a manta, last time we dove there one stayed with us for about 15 minute.
Shore dives:
Mahukona Beach, north or south is good and saw mantas here a few weeks ago. Shallow so we get 90 minute dives in. This is an old raill head where they used to load cattle and other items onto ships so lots of parts laying around on the bottom.
Puako road has many sites and Blue Wilderness runs out of the general store. House 40, House 56, Catholic Church and End of the road all good. Have seen eagle rays and white tips at all the sites.
Black Sand Beach at the Mauna Lani is a fun dive but is shallow. South is the best in my opinion.
Harbor or rip off reef or dog beach it has several names but it is at the entrance to the harbor south of the airport. Know for tigers and dolphins and I've seen both here but it is an active boating channel so need to enter and surface close to the beach. I heard that sand bar sharks will come up in the evening but I've only dove there in the morning.
Two Step, good dive but to many people for me as the parking can be a pane.
Black Pebble Beach, north to the amphitheater is really cool but it is a swim and if you go south and can get around the corner it has some cool structure. Also if you do your safety stop where the beach drops off just sit and listen to the pebbles rolling around it sounds like a rail stick.
There is some good shore diving on the Hilo side as well but not many go over to that side and dive. Bill at Nautilus Dive does guided shore dives and is a wealth of information as he has been diving there for over 30 years.

 

[nippurmagnum]

Mahukona Beach, north or south is good and saw mantas here a few weeks ago. Shallow so we get 90 minute dives in. This is an old raill head where they used to load cattle and other items onto ships so lots of parts laying around on the bottom.

Black Sand Beach at the Mauna Lani is a fun dive but is shallow. South is the best in my opinion.

Thanks! Didn't have those two sites on my radar. Black Sand Beach 49 seems like an interesting place, but haven't seen anyone else mention it online. How shallow is shallow? Anything else unusual about it, other than the black sand (which sounds cool)?

Coming from Kona, if you were going to hit those two spots in one day, which would you do first?

 

[NorCalDM]

Thanks! Didn't have those two sites on my radar. Black Sand Beach 49 seems like an interesting place, but haven't seen anyone else mention it online. How shallow is shallow? Anything else unusual about it, other than the black sand (which sounds cool)?

Coming from Kona, if you were going to hit those two spots in one day, which would you do first?

Black Sand Beach is 15 - 20 feet in depth on average. The structure is cool lots of shelves and pockets you can drop in and look around, the surge can pick up here. Go straight out from the beach and follow the structure to the left. This site is best done in the early morning as you access the parking lot from the Mauna Lani so it fills up fast. This is also a nice beach to just hang out at.

Mahukona is in the 30 - 40 foot range. This site is easy to navigate as you large ropes, rail car wheels and an old gearbox that runs down the middle of the site kind of splitting it into two sites. I think if go straight out and to the right is the best but both sides are nice. Lots of fish at this site with a ton of Yellow Tanks right at the bottom of the latter. I have dove here in the morning and afternoon and had no issues with parking, you can park right next to the latter which makes it nice. This site is farther North so I would say this would be the second dive if you were trying to do both. We usually do two dives at each on separate days. The wind can pick up in the afternoon here.

 

[Redfoot]

If you go to the "other" side (East) do a snorkel in Pahoa at Kehana beach- some wildlife there you can't see many other places.......

 

[nippurmagnum]

If you go to the "other" side (East) do a snorkel in Pahoa at Kehana beach- some wildlife there you can't see many other places.......

Thanks! What should I look out for?

 

[Redfoot]

Thanks! What should I look out for?

Kehana beach is clothing optional- you might see some things in the water you never thought you would see on an afternoon snorkel......

It is a beautiful stretch of black sand beach. Sunrise there is incredible. The snorkeling is actually decent if the tides/currents/waves allow. Just be careful, as you can get swept into the rocks or out to see if the conditions are wrong.

 

[nippurmagnum]

Kehana beach is clothing optional- you might see some things in the water you never thought you would see on an afternoon snorkel......

That's what I was afraid you meant.

 

[tms.pdx]

Could anyone recommend a shop in 2023 for the night manta dive? We've done the snorkel surface thing when the kids were younger but now that everyone is certified and experienced we are making the special island hop just to do the night dive with the manta.