Help, where to dive on Big Island?

[SecondCoussens]

So quinto. mjcoussens, and a couple of others have a trip planned to Big Island next month and our main objective was to see the volcano since we only have 1 full day there and none of us has been. It looks like the volcano might not be an option due to poor conditions of sorts, so plan B is to dive. Any suggestions on where to dive, what companies to go with, etc, would be very helpful and appreciated! Also we are wondering if anyone knows much about the manta night dives, and if they are even good this time of year. We will be staying in Kona, so something on that side is preferable. We are there for 1 day and 2 nights, so we really only have 1 day available for diving

 

[ItsBruce]

I was in Kona from July 5 to 10. We did the manta night dive this year (as we did last year). The mantas missed at least three nights that I know of. The night we dove was sort of odd. We sat around the ring of rocks on the bottom along with all the divers from 8 or 9 other boats. (The ring of rocks is just for location purposes.) After 20 minutes of no-shows, we aborted and did a basic night dive back toward our boat. As night dives go, it was decent. However, when we got to our boat, we discovered that the one and only manta so show up had decided to feed in the work lights of our boat. So we watched him until our air ran out. I got plenty of pictures. Only divers on our boat plus 1 or 2 others even knew a manta had arrived. Thus, my warning: If you go, go on a big boat with lots of boarding/work light.

 

[LioKai]

Bummer timing Bruce. The stats for how often the Mantas show up is 90% over the last 7 years. (stats by Manta Pacific .org). Yet we have only had about 8 no-show nights over the last 6 or 7 months. As for the boats with more deck lights option... We have a rule that the main deck lights are to be turned off as soon as the last diver gets in the water and are to remain off until the divers return so that the mantas go to the divers in the circle instead of loitering around a boat. We (boat captains and dive ops) try to work together for the greater fun of all the guests. I hope you return to Kona and dive the Manta Dive again, but with much happier results.

For the record, I am a Kona boat captain and I am at the manta dive 3 - 6 nights a week. Over the last week the average number of mantas per night has been 16, yes you read correctly, sixteen mantas per night.

Matthew

 

[Wildcard]

How many swordfish?
Matt will give you a great dive but make sure to do the black water dive after, best dive ever!
OK Matt, Ive been selling this for months, when do I get a freebe?

 

[otay!]

I was also on that bummer of a dive (July 10), and saw zero Mantas. Weak sauce.

 

[Aric M L]

Im going to the Big Island from Aug 3-10th and think that a manta dive sounds like it could be fantastic. I'm trying to scout a dive or two though for me and my family, none of us being very experienced. Aside from the manta disappointment, did you experience any truly exciting dives that were none to challenging/deep? Also I've heard stories of some dive companies being a little sketchy for planned group dives, any experience there either?

 

[justleesa]

Traitors .....






















have fun!

 

[friscuba]

Im going to the Big Island from Aug 3-10th and think that a manta dive sounds like it could be fantastic. I'm trying to scout a dive or two though for me and my family, none of us being very experienced. Aside from the manta disappointment, did you experience any truly exciting dives that were none to challenging/deep? Also I've heard stories of some dive companies being a little sketchy for planned group dives, any experience there either?

Care to fill us in on what you are referring to by "being a little sketchy for planned group dives,". Just curoius.

Most operators here run guided dives with groups of 6 or fewer per guide. Few if any, will commit to any particular dive site in advance of actually being on the water, as conditions can change daily, most everyone tries to offer the optimum dive considering conditions, site availability and the experience of those diving.

There are tons of good dives in Kona that fall into the category of being very good without being overly challenging.

Enjoy.

 

[Mantasscareme]

My personal favorite is Jack's Diving Locker, great op, great guys, very professional. None of their regular daytime two-tank dives go deeper than 60ft, and the manta ray night dive is run at 45 ft (though it's a good idea to watch your depth carefully if you do go off and explore outside the manta ray area). I also had a positive experience with Big Island Divers, but I only spent one day with them, so I couldn't really form a solid opinion. Most of the dives are directly off the airport, all are fun, but during my trip Golden Arches and Coral Gardens were clearly the best. I did the manta ray dive for two consecutive nights, there was seven mantas the first night and six the next. Be aware that there can be a bit of surge on the manta ray dive. It's very manageable (that was my fourth dive after check-outs) but it is a good idea to add a couple of pounds to your weight belt compared to what you would usually use. DIVE HAPPY
-Mantasscareme

 

[Aric M L]

Care to fill us in on what you are referring to by "being a little sketchy for planned group dives,". Just curoius.

Ive heard nothing extremely detailed, just general stories of dive companies that sign you up for an outing under an understanding of the dive (such as locations, number of people on the boat etc.. down to basic dive rules such as do you all ascend when one diver is out of air, or can you go with your buddy more on your own?) And the people reported that the dive was different than signed up for, such as they were on a boat that the dive co. chartered a few seats on, and the actual intinerary the captain planned was something totally different than what they divers had been expecting. I like being spontaneous but I also just want to get a feel for what to expect seeing as I've never visited HI before. I will understand though that you need to be flexible.

Thanks for the tips though!