Hi joewr,
My last trip report:
"You will not find much nice coral off any of the Hawaiian Islands ala the Caribbean. Only small patches of relatively colorless stuff. Also, meager sponges & vegetation. Look for relatively cool water temps, like 77 plus/minus 2 degrees, and modest viz, like 40-80'. Marine life is another matter altogether. Varieties of butteryflyfish, triggerfish, surgeon/doctorfish, etc. far out number those found in the Caribbean. Also, lots of turtles.
If this is your first dive trip to Hawaii you might want to read "Hawaii Below" by Rod Canham ISBN 0-922769-21-4. It is a pretty good book covering all the islands and most of their dive sites, another good book is "Shore Fishes of Hawaii" by John E. Randall ISBN 0-939560-22-4. You'll probably need to secure these through an out of print service.
The Big Island has a wide variety of topography & excellent diving of the Kona coast. It is my first choice among the islands. Neat manta ray night dive. Used to be guaranteed ourt in front of teh old Kona Surf Hotel (now closed), but the action now seems to be centered a bit north, around eel Garden Cove. Four excellent shops, Dive Makai, Sandwich Island EcoAdventures & Jack's Diving Locker. Also do Phosphorescent Bay at night. Sharon's Place, Long Lava Tube, Hammerhead Point & Golden Arches also good. Can do shark cage dive with Hawaiian Divers. My favorite shore dive & an easy one is Place of Refuge you will nice coral here. If diving with EcoAdventures, be sure to do the "Toilet Bowl" -- really fun.
Don't miss Volcanoes National Park, rain forest outside of Hilo, or the coffee plantations. Have drinks at the Mauna Lani, near the Orchid (old Ritz-Carlton). Kevin Costner stayed in one of the 4,000 sq.' villas with a Mercedes sedan and valet while filming "Waterworld" -- you'll know why it ran so much over budget. For diving in general & shore diving in particular, check out web sites of Big Island Divers, Kona Coast Divers (don't recommend them for diving, however) and Dick The Diver. For food, Roy's (Roy Yamaguchi) creative pan-Asian is hard to beat. Also eat at Cafe Pesto, Donatoni's and La Bourgoyne. You won't be sorry."
Have a blast.
DocVikingo