In Kona Begining of August

[jdubdiver]

Hi, I will be on the Big Island begining August 2nd thru the 9th I am obviously going to do the Manta Dive, probably the 1st night I am there. What my question is to anyone who is in the know and to local divers who live there is, are there any dive operators who conduct guided shore dives to places like the Place of Refuge (Two Step) or other good spots, and are there any dive fiends there who would be willing to dive with an out of town divemaster who wants to dive some good spots. I have non diving family members with me so if I do some shore diving they can acompany me to the beach sometimes I hope, anyone who would be willing to dive with me would more than likely get some lunch out of it and the promise to return the favor if they ever come to california for some cold water diving, another question I have is How is Bottom Time Hawaii, I am staying in the hotel where their shop is located and am considering using there services due to the convenience of their location? any input or offers of diving companionship will be greatly appreciated.

 

[hi_diver]

Two step is really easy if you are a safe diver. You just have to jump in and follow the reef to the left or to the right. The depth goes from 20-160 feet and depending on your comfort level. Easy navigation keep the reef to the right or to the left. You will always find divers there and I am sure if you ask them they will let you accompany them although the diving depth might be different for different people. You will see a lot more from 20-60 feet. A lot of live coral one of the best dives.

 

[mblake]

Just got back from a week of 2-step and AOW dive's with jacks!!. Our night dive included the mantra rays. Jacks 2 tank afternoon/night drive was perfect!!. Jack's also has a sketch map of place of refuge. We always entered in at 2 step and snorkled over to the sandy aloha sign to pratice our bouyancy. Then we would use the sign as our reference point for our dives.

Going along the bowl was easy and very rewarding. Heading South toward the "canyons" and the brain corals/turtle RASS<sp?> stations was also very rewarding. We liked to dive early and out before 9 am when the tour boats showed up. Then we would return in the afternoon for a second dive.
My pics:Snapfish: Share Interstitial:Registration

Our Kona HI 4/26-5/3 2008 Scuba pictures, including day/night dive with Manta Rays. I also included some pictures of the steam from the crater. The smog/fog (vog) from the volcano pretty much keep the sun away.

We took dives and classes to qualify for advance open water certification (15 dives total). During the manta dive in the day time we saw about 5 rays and during the night dive with lights set up to attract the rays we saw about 11. Including Big Bertha at 16 feet and over 3000 pounds. SA actually got hit but didn't loose her mask.

We also saw turtles, eels, dolphins and even a shark- when we were on the boat. SA saw a shark during one of our shore dives in the Honaunau bay (Place of Refuge).

Some additional links:

Place of Refuge Pu`uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)

Manta Dive: Welcome to Hawaii's Jack's Diving Locker, Kona's Friendliest SCUBA Charters, Classes and Dive Retail Customer Service.

KILAUEA VOLCANO (we had VOG-vocano fog)

HVO Kilauea Status Page

 

[caymaniac]

We had a great time, we stayed at Kona Tiki. We snorkeled at "point of refuge" and spent time with 21 spinner dolphins, it was a fantastic snorkel. There is no dive shop that we know of in this area, we did see divers doing their own thing at "p.o.r."
The manta dive was realy fantastic, a big highlight of our trip, 13 mantas for over an hour.

 

[fisheater]

the brain corals/turtle RASS<sp?> stations was also very rewarding.

Wrasse.

 

[Jack'sDivingLocker]

mblake, Glad to hear you enjoyed your experience with us in Kona!

jdubdiver, We do sometimes guide dives at Place of Refuge. We typically need a minimum of 2 divers to run this type of trip. The very beginning of August is busy for us...so sometimes we aren't able to do guided shore dives that are that far away.

We would love to have you join our manta trip. Your non-diving family members can snorkel at the manta site! And they can try diving in our beautiful pool (followed by a shore dive at Kailua pier or a boat dive). And we can certainly offer advice and maps for shore diving. Give us a call or send an e-mail and we can come up with a fun plan for your August trip.

Mahalo, Angela

 

[AnneH]

Jacks does a great job. My daughter just got her cert there last month and had only positive experiences. They are very professional yet know how to have a good time and joke around (remember...NO shark jokes...it can freak out the newbies ).

Angela - congrats on your new family member!!

 

[Jack'sDivingLocker]

Aloha AnneH,

Thank you! Our little boy is 2 weeks and 2 days old! I am doing a tad of work from home...not ready to be back at Jack's full time just yet. I miss hanging with the Jack's crowd, though...they are my Kona family.

Glad to hear your daughter enjoyed her class!

Mahalo, Angela

 

[dashark]

I visited a few months ago and did 2 step with my wife. no guide needed. It was easy to navigate. If you are there on a weekend or even a weekday during high season, you could probably find a buddy or two on shore. i was very impressed with this dive. we had it to ourselves the day we went. Beautiful! This link helped us:
Scuba Shore Diving Site Page for: Place of Refuge of The Big Island, Hawaiian Islands
Just follow the sand channel to the aloha sign and drop down the mini wall. One dive is to the right and one dive is to the left. easy to navigate. A bit tricky getting out of the water if there is a surge.

 

[stevethepirate]

I did the manta dive with Wanna Dive (dove with them for the whole week) and it was an amazing time.

No disrespect to Jacks, who already posted in this thread though. Just an alternative to check out. I am also trying to find my log book to see if there are any other dives i would recommend. I'll edit the post when I find it.