Jacks vs. Kona Diving Co.

[billt4sf]

Jacks vs. Kona Diving Co.
We first started using Jacks Diving Locker for our diving a few years ago and we have been impressed with their organization and staff. This time around we wanted to try something a little different, we chose Kona Diving Co (KDC) because it was cheaper and it was recommended here on ScubaBoard. We’re glad we did.

First of all KDC can be cheaper. Both charge $125 per diver for a boat dive but for a three-day commitment KDC is $105 per diver per day. Not sure if Jacks offers that. Rental gear (BCD, regs, wetsuit) is $25 for each company.

Jack’s boats are a little better. One of their boats is larger (always nice if you suffer from sea-sickness which my wife does) but s larger boat means more people. KDC and Jack’s have one boat that is the same size but Jack’s boat is a little nicer IMHO. A bit easier to get in and out, and more headroom on board.

Where KDC excels is in their personalized service. They are large enough to provide all the things you need and yet small enough to give specific personalized service. For example, you can let them take care of your gear between dives, you’ll get the same BCD and regs throughout your trip – it’s nice to know exactly what you have, no changes between days of diving. You can even safely leave your own BCD to hang and dry. And on board the vessel they had smaller groups, at least when we were there. Their boat leaves earlier (7:45 instead of 9 – 9:30 for Jacks) so they get a better shot at their first choice of dive locations. And we liked their wetsuits better (one-piece). All their equipment seemed a bit newer than what we had at Jacks.

Jacks did a great job for us on several dive trips but on the whole I’d say next time we prefer KDC. My wife agreed with me. Just for the record I have no financial connection to either place.

 

[Peter_C]

Our fills from Jack's were solid with all being over 3,000 psi cold, and typically over 3,100+ psi. My CO meter read zero! Since we didn't need much weight (16lbs for two), they charged us for one set of weights ++ They were friendly and offered great advice for shore diving spots with hand drawn maps that lead us to the treasure of the sea...the beautiful reefs.

Unfortunately our one boat dive with them went horrible. It was supposed to be a two tank Manta Ray dive at a cost of $145 per person. Although I had been told by one of the locals to do it with Kona Dive Company, I didn't listen since we had a "relationship" with Jack's, we used them. The first dive was blah on a reef we could have easily shore dove. After all we had been shore diving all week. Following a DM around is not our idea of fun either, especially since all the rookies were kicking the reef right in front of us. Plus the DM had his video camera with him and made it clear we could all "buy" the video he was filming. So onto dive number 2. Our DM Mago descended with our group then promptly disappeared. I start looking around and he is at the surface trying to get our attention. My dive buddy and I wind up surfacing (Not by my choice), and find him on the surface out of air, less than 2 minutes into the dive. Sheesh! What happened to the pre-dive checks like your regulators and more importantly the pressure gauge? Heck I do that when I set my gear up. What if that had been one of their new divers as the DM's swapped all their tanks for them? That could have been a serious accident. I drop back down to pull the other people in the group to the surface, but they don't understand the thumb means go up, nor does their reading comprehension of "DM wants you to surface" written on my wet notes work either. That part is no fault of Jack's though, although they were their just certified open water students on their first post cert dives. I surface again and this time the DM has a full air tank and we descend together. After getting everyone in the group back together we start looking for manta's. I had seen one earlier near another dive boat. So after a couple of minutes the DM decides to lead us on tour. Alright I signed up for one reason only and that is to see Manta's not tour around. We need to stay near the box of lights. After writing in my wet notes, that I had seen one, eventually we head back over to the light box, and not more than a minute or two later, a beautiful Manta comes swimming by. By this point all the newbies were running low on air and headed up. Some never got to see it. We were the last ones down with the DM until I hit rock bottom and had to head up towards the surface. The DM waited a little longer filming the single manta before finally heading up. Once back on the boat one of the newbies was complaining of not getting enough time with the manta, and admitted he had ignored my "commands" to surface. Of course the DM also offered up the video again. Part of what upset me was we were right off the Sheraton and we could have just snorkeled it from shore and seen more.

Like Bill I have zero investment in any vacation dive op, that is just our story.

I have horrible luck with commercial dive boats...no wonder I own my own boat.

Edit: I would like to add that Jack's had DIN tanks (Limited though, so reserve them) available which was very nice.

 

[billt4sf]

Hi Peter,

Just a guess from observing them but I think Jacks is kind of big now, they must have a number of new people working there and some might not be truly ready for all the commotion.

Truth be told, we had a poor experience with them this trip as well. Partly our fault, from the boat we noted high surface waves but, being newbees, we didn't know what that might mean under water. My wife and I descended as good buddies (together) and she had ear problems we we took a bit of time. By the time we got down 20' or so, no dive guide was to be found. We spent our time swimming upstream and that was the dive, pretty much.

Other people on the dive had a similar poor experience. I'd have to say it was a poor choice of dive spot for the experience level of the boat we were on. I did not recognize the Captain from numerous prior trips with them. There was nothing during the briefing about current.

What I learned from that was to WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING as you descend, you dummy!! And oh yeah, high waves on the surface can MEAN something!! (It's aggravating to learn the hard way, but it does work).

- Bill

 

[freewillie]

My daughter and I also had a great experience with Kona Dive Company. I had my own 3 mm wetsuit, but they recommended at least a 5 mm for the Manta Ray night dive. My daughter had brought her own 7/5 mm wetsuit as well. They "rented" me a 5 mm for the night dive, but at no extra charge for their rental equipment package since I already was getting renting regs and BC through them for my daughter.

When we arrived at the dock they took our dive bags and set up our gear for us. Very friendly, great dive masters pointing out lots of interesting things to see.

I would highly recommend them and will certainly dive with them again.

 

[Peter_C]

When we arrived at the dock they took our dive bags and set up our gear for us.

FWIW Jack's also set's up your gear for you if that is the type of diver you are.

Coming from California, where the DM stays on the boat, and you are responsible for your own dive and your own gear, I want to set up my own gear, and check my gear as I do so. Seeing the DM run out of air right after he set everyone's gear up reaffirms this for me.

 

[xariatay]

we were right off the Sheraton and we could have just snorkeled it from shore and seen more.

HI! We are planning a trip to Hawaii, just to do the manta night dive and planned to stay in the Sheraton for 1 night, as we heard that the mantas can be seen from shore. Is it really possible to snorkel from the shore, I have seen some photos of the hotel, isn't it on a cliff?

 

[Peter_C]

The hotel used to turn on really bright lights and attract the mantas, but I guess they are not allowed to do so any longer. The cliff is more of a very rocky shore, like most of Kona. The size of the swells changes everything. But without tanks and with booties on, if you are a healthy person shouldn't be an issue. I never went onto the grounds of the hotel, but it looks like around the corner would be an easy entry point. You have to swim a ways, but I like to swim and with fins on and just a wetsuit can move quit fast. The dive boats moor right off the corner. The dive ops want to charge you of course, so they would rather not have you doing things on your own. They offer snorkel trips on the dive boats too. Grab a bright light and keep it on the entire time, and enjoy snorkeling, just keep your eyes out for boats (Light signals!). When they arrive start snorkeling out, and when they are bringing divers up it is time to get out of there.

Of course it seems most of the time the dive boats had been going towards the airport which from what I understand is too far from shore to swim, but I have never been there to comment. Bill could better answer how far most of the moorings are from shore. I do know we did a couple of the dive boat sites from shore.

 

[knotical]

HI! We are planning a trip to Hawaii, just to do the manta night dive and planned to stay in the Sheraton for 1 night, as we heard that the mantas can be seen from shore. Is it really possible to snorkel from the shore, I have seen some photos of the hotel, isn't it on a cliff?

Three weeks ago we night snorkeled with three small mantas at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel (about 40 miles north of the Sheraton).

They shine a light on the water from the rocks at the north end of their beach. It’s an easy entry and shallow.

For access at night if you’re not a guest, check with the gate guard and they’ll direct you.

If I understand correctly, they must allow public access to the beach during the day (as limited by parking spaces), but at night is at their discretion, so we definitely don’t want to abuse the privilege.

 

[freewillie]

HI! We are planning a trip to Hawaii, just to do the manta night dive and planned to stay in the Sheraton for 1 night, as we heard that the mantas can be seen from shore. Is it really possible to snorkel from the shore, I have seen some photos of the hotel, isn't it on a cliff?

The Sheraton site is most dive operators plan B. When I did the Manta Ray dive that is where we did our night dive since they didn't have any manta's the two nights before at the airport site.

All of the dive operators go to the same place. When our boat arrived there were all the other local dive boat operators in the same spot. Each boat had their own colored glow sticks to identify the divers.

It would have been a very long surface swim out to the boats but it is possible. I recall looking at the shore and it is mostly rocks. The hardest part would be the entry and exits. It could be very dangerous if the waves are up.

I've been to the Mauna Kea before and the beach is sheltered and would be a very easy entry and exit. We went by once to eat. You check in at the gate, tell the staff you are visiting and they let you through and tell you where you can park.

 

[xariatay]

Thanks, everyone for your advices! Guess that no need to stay at Sheraton now that lights are not allowed from shore. We had considered Mauna Kea but it is significantly more expensive to stay at. A dinner there then!