Trip Report Hawaii - Kona/Big Island May 2023 trip report/dive shop comparison

[OrcasC205]

Kahala:
Kahala Divers "My favorite"

I think you mean Kohala Divers on the Kohala Coast (North of Kona). Knowing the Hawaiian islands, there is probably a Kahala somewhere else that is completely different.

We dove with Kohala Divers for the first time on Monday of this week and they were awesome. Really interesting sites on on the Kohala Coast that are different from those down by Kailua-Kona. We dove Black Point South and Ulua Caverns and they were gorgeous sites. There was some current around Black Point that made it a little more challenging, but nothing unmanageable.

 

[NorCalDM]

I think you mean Kohala Divers on the Kohala Coast (North of Kona). Knowing the Hawaiian islands, there is probably a Kahala somewhere else that is completely different.

We dove with Kohala Divers for the first time on Monday of the week and they were awesome. Really interesting sites on on the Kohala Coast that are different from those down by Kailua-Kona. We dove Black Point South and Ulua Caverns and they were gorgeous sites. There was some current around Black Point that made it a little more challenging, but nothing unmanageable.

You are correct put and a instead of an o. They also seem to have the most consistent crew as well. They are the only op other than Blue Wilderness that dives that part of the coast and Blue wilderness usually stays around Puako.

 

[Deinonych]

I think you mean Kohala Divers on the Kohala Coast (North of Kona). Knowing the Hawaiian islands, there is probably a Kahala somewhere else that is completely different.

We dove with Kohala Divers for the first time on Monday of this week and they were awesome. Really interesting sites on on the Kohala Coast that are different from those down by Kailua-Kona. We dove Black Point South and Ulua Caverns and they were gorgeous sites. There was some current around Black Point that made it a little more challenging, but nothing unmanageable.

+1 for Kohala Divers. We dive with them every time we go to the Big Island. Fantastic outfit and a really nice dive boat (Newton 42).

 

[darock1459]

Great info. We have our trip in August and it’s good to know about other LDS’s closer to waikoloa beach area. Picking a tour could be overwhelming since there are so many options to choose from.

Anyone dive with Liquid Cosmos Divers? Looks like they have a nice dive boat too.

 

[Gelirfella]

I have a trip planned in March of next year for a wedding. Actually just getting my OW right now. I’ll have some time to get some experience prior to that trip.

Any recommendations on what type of experience/training I should try to get to optimize my time there? Obviously need to finish my OW and just get some general experience. But anything you would prioritize working on for a trip to Hawaii?

 

[darock1459]

My plan was to take a couple of AOW related courses/dives (night, deep diving) just to get more exposure before our trip in August.

 

[OrcasC205]

I have a trip planned in March of next year for a wedding. Actually just getting my OW right now. I’ll have some time to get some experience prior to that trip.

Any recommendations on what type of experience/training I should try to get to optimize my time there? Obviously need to finish my OW and just get some general experience. But anything you would prioritize working on for a trip to Hawaii?

Most of the diving out of Kailua-Kona is boat diving that is fairly shallow and current-free. There are places that can get a little bit deeper, but most of the sites have good options for straight OW divers. If you have no experience diving at night, the manta dive can be a little intimidating, but it is actually about the easiest night dive you will ever do thanks to the clarity of the water and how many lights there are in the water, but if you can get a few night dives in beforehand, some of the intimidation factor will be reduced.

Our experience with Kohala Divers up north of Kailua-Kona was that the sites were a little more advanced. Some pretty good current at Black Point and a little deeper at Ulua Caverns. Some of the swim-throughs were also a little tight if you are lacking in good buoyancy control, but they were optional.

Depending on how much shore diving experience you have, you may want to try diving at Puako -- it's pretty calm if you do it early in the day before the wind picks up and it is fairly easy to navigate. You can hire a shore diving guide if you want some help figuring it out. DM me if you want a recommendation.

 

[Rearviewmirror]

Any recommendations on what type of experience/training I should try to get to optimize my time there? Obviously need to finish my OW and just get some general experience. But anything you would prioritize working on for a trip to Hawaii?

I would say some exposure to deeper profile dives and working on your air consumption are key. Prior to this trip a lot of my diving experience had been in Florida reefs where a typical profile is "hang out at ~35fsw for a long time". While Orcas is right that there are a lot of beginner friendly dives, it is not uncommon to spend a good chunk of your dive at 65fsw+ before cruising up to ~40fsw - so if you have less than stellar air consumption your dive might be over at the 30 minute mark due to to the initial deeper portion. Here's a fairly typical dive profile (from Honokohau harbor).

The manta night dive is the easiest dive you will ever do, as you literally hang out and don't move for the duration of the dive at 38fsw.

So I would definitely work on air consumption and buoyancy control as your main focus, and if you can get exposure to some current/surge all the better. A lot of the volcanic rock and coral formations are delicate, with some arch swim throughs, and you don't want to be the person slamming into the reef.

 

[Gelirfella]

Most of the diving out of Kailua-Kona is boat diving that is fairly shallow and current-free. There are places that can get a little bit deeper, but most of the sites have good options for straight OW divers. If you have no experience diving at night, the manta dive can be a little intimidating, but it is actually about the easiest night dive you will ever do thanks to the clarity of the water and how many lights there are in the water, but if you can get a few night dives in beforehand, some of the intimidation factor will be reduced.

Our experience with Kohala Divers up north of Kailua-Kona was that the sites were a little more advanced. Some pretty good current at Black Point and a little deeper at Ulua Caverns. Some of the swim-throughs were also a little tight if you are lacking in good buoyancy control, but they were optional.

Depending on how much shore diving experience you have, you may want to try diving at Puako -- it's pretty calm if you do it early in the day before the wind picks up and it is fairly easy to navigate. You can hire a shore diving guide if you want some help figuring it out. DM me if you want a recommendation.

Thanks so much. Will reach out soon for some recommendations.

I would say some exposure to deeper profile dives and working on your air consumption are key. Prior to this trip a lot of my diving experience had been in Florida reefs where a typical profile is "hang out at ~35fsw for a long time". While Orcas is right that there are a lot of beginner friendly dives, it is not uncommon to spend a good chunk of your dive at 65fsw+ before cruising up to ~40fsw - so if you have less than stellar air consumption your dive might be over at the 30 minute mark due to to the initial deeper portion. Here's a fairly typical dive profile (from Honokohau harbor).

View attachment 793948

The manta night dive is the easiest dive you will ever do, as you literally hang out and don't move for the duration of the dive at 38fsw.

So I would definitely work on air consumption and buoyancy control as your main focus, and if you can get exposure to some current/surge all the better. A lot of the volcanic rock and coral formations are delicate, with some arch swim throughs, and you don't want to be the person slamming into the reef.

Thanks so much. Sounds like a mix of quarry dives and some wreck diving in the Atlantic here off the coast of NC will be reasonable preparation.

 

[Rearviewmirror]

Thanks so much. Sounds like a mix of quarry dives and some wreck diving in the Atlantic here off the coast of NC will be reasonable preparation.

Last thing I would say is, depending on your temperature tolerance, I found the diving to be COLD!! So much so that I purchased a Sharkskin titanium exposure layer to go under my 5mm semi-dry. I'm a bit of a wimp with temperature, so you may be fine, but just wanted to flag that it is chilly if you're primarily used to warmer waters.