Au'au Canyon and Manta Dive - Big Island

[Land_Locked]

My boyfriend (dive buddy) and I are going to be in Kona for the beginning of January and ere told to do both a dive to Au'au Canyon and the Black Water (night/manta dive). Just curious what people have thought of these dives and if they would recommend them.
I know we are on Big Island during high surf time, but are hopeful we will be able to get in a few days of good diving. Recommendations to do just shore dives or should we try and stick to boat dives? Is one better than the other, or is it just as easy to get to good dive sites from shore as by spending more money for a boat?

Thanks for the help!!

 

[caymaniac]

My boyfriend (dive buddy) and I are going to be in Kona for the beginning of January and ere told to do both a dive to Au'au Canyon and the Black Water (night/manta dive). Just curious what people have thought of these dives and if they would recommend them.
I know we are on Big Island during high surf time, but are hopeful we will be able to get in a few days of good diving. Recommendations to do just shore dives or should we try and stick to boat dives? Is one better than the other, or is it just as easy to get to good dive sites from shore as by spending more money for a boat?

Thanks for the help!!

The Black Water dive is not the night Manta dive. The Black Water dive is scary in thought yet the macro animals can be incredible and has it's possibilities, the night Manta dive is one of the top 10 in the world as those Mantas can be very big but of course if they don't show up then it's not much of a dive.
I would certainly recommend the Manta dive, my last time there were 13 Mantas and it was fantastic.

 

[friscuba]

Au'Au's a long ways down there, and it is typically the rougher time of year. My guess is it might get maybe a couple visits a month during the winter from the day boats... but maybe not, I'm not sure it's even getting that during the spring and summer these days with business being down for many of the operators. You'd be looking at finding an operator that'll commit to a long range charter right then. I haven't heard of a lot of long range charters happening the last year or so. The one operator I know for sure did a fair number of them closed up last summer. Also, if your dive totals on your profile are correct, you may or may not be ready for that dive. I'll come right out and say I won't commit to take any divers I don't know to that site, gotta seem them dive a few dives first, but that's me, other operators may be more liberal. I've been there with other operators as a customer years back and seen stupid things done (divers with limited experience going into deco and coming up with headaches, people bouncing off a 200' bottom that have no business being there, etc). It's a great dive, but there's a lot of very good dives that are more appropriate for those who aren't deco trained or at least quite experienced. Sorry to sound like a negative nelly, but you could keep busy for weeks of good dives without making the trip down there.

There's very good diving available in Kona by both shore and boat.

Aloha,

 

[Land_Locked]

Thanks for the information! I think that we will go with the Manta dive, maybe take or leave the Black Water, and definitely forgo Au'au canyon. I have no need to go that deep and would much rather save my money and do a few shore dives!

Again, thank you!!

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

I was on the Big Island a few years back, week before/of Thanksgiving. I shopped around all the shops trying to go to Au'au on Sunday. Only Big Island Divers claimed to have enough customers to make the trip. When I got there in the morning they didn't have enough customers!

I last minute booked with Jack's for both morning and manta charters, rather than be baited and switched. Worked out great; Jacks treated me as well as I could have hoped for

I still hope to get to Au'au some day, with an experienced boatload