Diving Kona

[Triggerman]

Hello my wife and I are heading to Kona for the first time feb15-mar1. We have been to Maui the past 2 years and had some amazing diving experiences with ed robinson's, and are now looking for the same in Kona. We are looking for a dive op that caters to smaller groups, 6 divers max (4 divers is even better), an op that places divers of similar experience together (by no means are we experts (50dives each) but we were placed with very novice divers in nassau, which significantly changed the dive sites we could go to and made for a very long day). Also we are wanting a stable boat, my wife can be prone to seasickness, although this new patch we found seems to be working great. Any advice/suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Also we are looking for advice on places to rent tanks/weights for some shore diving. I have been looking online for reviews on good shore diving sites, however I'm finding most of the reviews are quite dated, so any more current advice on good shore diving sites is greatly appreciated!

My wife and I have dove a few places in the world; south africa, nassau (bahamas), st.maarten, cancun, cozumel, florida, maui, if you would like any info on any of these places let us know.

Thanks again for any help you can give us!

 

[crazytaz]

I just dove in Kona this week and it was great. Try Big island divers. there was only 2 other divers plus dive master. i noticed that jacks locker had alot more divers diving per day. i hope you have a great time in kona. also don't forget to do a manta ray dive

 

[friscuba]

As far as shore diving info goes... I just realized Dick Dresie's "Lets go shore div'n website is down"... check back to see if it's shut down for good, it used to be great for a listing of a dozen dives or so. Otherwise look at shorediving.com for some good sites, although some of the "sites" really aren't dove much. In the Kona area the top shore diving spots generally are the old airport, mile 4, just outside and to the left of Honokohau Harbor, Keei and the Place of Refuge - not necessarily in that order. Up north in Kohala you've got Mahukona and nearly anywhere you can get in the water in Puako.

If you're looking for a 6 pack boat, check me out. I'm new enough (only had the boat a few years, but all my crew have been doing this 10 years +) that I tend to go out with 2-4 divers more often than 5-6, although no guarantees. We dive multi-level computer profiles with bottom time limited to computer NDLs or 500PSI whichever comes first, dropping off heavy breathers and continuing exploring with the better breathers (my longest group dive last year was an hour and 58 minutes - dives typically don't run near that long but it was a shallow site and they were great on air). I've no shop and the boat's not huge, not sure if stability's an issue or not as each person has something that sets them off (I get green on the big catamarans, something about the side to side movement). Anyway, feel free to check out my signature links.

There's a bunch of good operators here and most of the shops in town rent tanks for shore diving, likely 7-10 bucks a tank. If you liked Maui, you'll like the diving here too.

Aloha,

 

[smellzlikefish]

The only boat dives I've done off Kona have been from friends' boats and the blackwater dive. For the most unique dive experience you may ever have, the blackwater dive is king. We had a big party (kind of a get-together of friends) so the bigger boat was full of close friends from all over the island, but the crew was full of knowledge and had a great disposition. Otherwise I usually shoredive, friscuba had some great recomendations. The shorediving on Kona is amazing and generally really easy. I live and dive Oahu usually which involves a lot of hiking with gear and climbing up rock faces to get out of the water. I regularly have to dive in 3 foot swells or more, amazing contrast since we are practically neighbors. Kona provides a laid back antipode with easy beach entries and generally calm seas, which creates a whole island of spoiled divers Have fun!

 

[spoolin01]

Look down the forum threads a short ways. There are some pretty detailed answers to your questions in just the last couple of months. I always rent shore diving equipment from Big Island Divers. Their tank rentals were more to my liking than Jack's, but it's a close call otherwise.

 

[Gdog]

Thanks for the input, our group will be there in Kona Feb 1-15th.

 

[KonaPhotoNut]

There are a lot of options for boat diving in Kona. It just depends if you are looking for quality or price. Cattle boat or pampered. Plan your own adventure or go along with a big group.

A 6 pack is going to be more personal, but some of the boats are a little more "rustic" - no head - hard to get off and on - etc.

Your best bet is to Google _ Kona Scuba diving or similar words and visit a few web sites

We offer custom private charters, so you can check out our web site UnderwaterAdventuresHawaii.com

Shore diving can be a little iffy this time of year because we have occasional BIG winter waves on the West side. Make sure you check with a local dive shop about conditions and dive sites before you "try a shore dive"

 

[espantoon]

My fav is Pacific Rim Divers. Big Island and Jacks are also good, and Kona Honu runs a very good Manta dive. The Big Island has many great dive operators!

 

[SLB]

Dive Makai has always been our dive-op favorite. Great staff, good boat, excellent briefings, etc. Would recommend them in a heartbeat.

 

[spoolin01]

There are many spots on Kona that are easy shore dives, but in most of them you do have to be able to judge whether the seas are safe enough. The entries in many places are easy - you just step off a lava bench and into deep (enough) water. The exits are a little more demanding because of the time needed to swim up close and climb out. You don't want to get smacked against the rocks, of course, and in particular you don't want to get dragged over the rocks by moving water. At most dive sites, there are spots where this is readily done even if the seas are up a bit, but you have to be able to judge the right spot, and timing. One spot that is almost always the last to close out, is also one of the most beautiful to dive, with enough to keep you busy for several dives, and where there will always be other divers, swimmers, and locals to help out and advise, is Honaunau/Two-Step/Place of Refuge (not inside the park). The entry is at the back of a cove so it's usually as calm as anywhere on the west side. Kahaluu Beach Park (5 miles south of Kailua) is a great snorkeling spot for viewing lots of tame, tourist-oriented fish - the water is mostly 6ft deep or less. You can swim/dive out on the far side of the breakwater if the seas are calm enough but if you're not good swimmers and comfortable in the water, you might find swimming across the shoals where the surfers are to be intimidating. The dive outside is interesting for the boulders and canyons, but not much coral. The Old Airport, just on the north edge of Kailua, is another great and famous place. Exploring the canyons and 20' walls to the west of the beach at the west end of the old runway/parking lot is a lot of fun. It's south-facing so often calm in winter even when other spots are up a bit. The easiest entry is the small sandy cove just west of the parking lot. It's shallow and rocky for 30 yds out or so, so pick the conditions wisely. Even in a swell, it's not too difficult to get in and out, swimming, at high tide, but it's safest just to wait until the seas are such that you can walk out without getting knocked down (I don't mean walk out and see if you get knocked down! Just eyeball the waves).
When the seas are calm, almost anywhere you can get to the water can be a good and safe dive. Pick up the Franko's map, it's marked with all sorts of sites.

Up north in the Kohala area, Mahukona Landing is a good spot with a concrete landing to make entry and exit convenient. If you're down south, call Kohala Divers about conditions before driving 50 miles up there. Mornings are usually calmer than afternoons, and that's especially true up north.

There are lots of places no or not much more difficult than these, but you're more likely to run into other divers at these places.