Big Island Dive Operators

[sus9nr]

We are planning a trip in mid January the Big Island and were wondering about the dive operators their we will be staying in Waikaloa. I believe an operator called Ocean Sports runs out of the resort but I haven't seen anything posted about them. HAs anyone used them before? Are there any recommendations on operators?

Thanks

Susan

 

[Travelnsj]

I have used Jacks, Big Island divers and Kona Honu divers. For your first time diving with the Mantas I suggest Jacks and make sure Keller is leading the dive. I prefer Big Island Divers smaller groups of divers, Kona Honu has excellent DM's but a touch of a cattle boat operation, they were to put a smaller boat in operation for 2008.

 

[ItsBruce]

1. The operators in Kona are a long drive from Waikaloa. I've done the drive a lot of times. The drive is worth it if you want to do the night manta dive. If you are apt to drive that far, my preference runs to Kona Honu. I like the bigger boat. It is, IMHO, more convenient when packing up your gear in the dark. And, because of the larger boat, you have a better chance of seeing mantas. I will explain: Normally, all the divers from all the boats congregate in one spot and use their lights to attract the plankton that attracts the mantas. Sometimes the mantas just are not interested. At that point, it becomes just a night dive. That happened to me once. However, as the Kona Honu boat was retrieving its divers after abandoning the manta dive and doing just a night dive, the light did attract mantas. We were apparently the only boat that saw the mantas. Also, while Kona Honu is more of a cattle boat, my experience has been that the divers are all pretty decent and skilled, not like most cattle boats.

2. Last time I was at Waikaloa, the dive operator at the resort was Red Sails. The one day of diving I did with them was pretty decent.

 

[tep]

I can't recommend Keller and Jakc's enough. The snorkel with the whale shark was just the icing on a great trip.

 

[Bappelt]

I also would recommend Kona Honu Divers. They were terriffic to work with.

 

[espantoon]

My favorite is Pacific Rim Divers. Patrice (Owner/DM/Capt.) is great, it's like diving with a friend (which pretty much is true at this point). I have dived with Pac Rim three times now, and every time has been great. We were on the Big Island in August, and we always stay in Waikaloa. Pac Rim is boat only/no shop, but rents gear if you need it. The drive from Waikaloa to the boat harbor takes about 35-45 minutes because of inbound traffic into Kailua town but we dont mind. Pac Rim has a six pack only boat with fresh water, and light snacks, including Patrice's killer home made brownies. Patrice has saint like patience with new divers, but respects the abilities of more experienced divers. She has a great eye for critters, especially tiny ones that some others may miss. Pac Rim is always my #1 choice on the BI.
Other good choices are Big Island Divers, Kona Honu, and Jacks. If you are going to do the manta dive, Kona Honu runs a very good trip. The boat looks a little "cattle boat", but they dont over do it with divers and some like the bigger boat at night if they tend to get a little green around the gills.
You will find that the operators on the Big Island run very professional, fun operations that take pride in their work. Suprisingly, there are not alot of dive operators there so it is a tight knit community that work well with each other, even as competitors.
Have a great time on the Big Island! Feel free to ask any questions about that incredible place!

 

[friscuba]

A note on the traffic from Waikoloa for those who've made the trip before this fall. It's a bit faster now. It used to bog down seriously south of the airport in the morning and that last 3 miles or so to the harbor would seemingly take forever.... they've opened up the new highway into town and now it's clear sailing to the harbor. It probably knocks off 5-6 minutes off the trip time, but those last few miles are a lot less frustrating.

If you're looking for a small op with small groups and personalized service, check out my op Wanna Dive. One thing we do that not all shops do here...We don't set arbitrary time limits on our day dives, if you're good on air we'll let you use it, we just stay within computer limits and drop off divers under the boat by 500psi or when the DM gets low (this week we had some divers hit 100 minutes on a dive). We've got sandwiches, light snacks, bottled water and sport drink, dry towels and an experienced crew (I'm the "least experienced" at this point, and I've been leading dives here since '99). There's lots of good operators here and everyone offers something slightly different.

Aloha,