Kona Diving from Shore

[Dive California]

Aloha fellow SB divers...

I am planning on visiting Kona early December and I have a few questions I’m hoping you’ll help me with…

I’m thinking of retiring in Kona in three years, so my wife and I are checking out property…and I’m checking out the diving.

I currently do a lot of shore diving (every weekend and some weekdays) now (in Southern California). I also assist a LDS with OW classes and hope to be an instructor by the time I retire.

Can you recommend a place to stay (hotel or condo) where I can do some shore diving from the resort?

Can you recommend a dive shop/operator that does advance dives; I like to stay away from the “vacation divers.”

Can you recommend a dive shop where I can rent tanks and get air fills, for the week, at a reasonable rate?

Mahalo

Carlos

 

[Samalolo]

Aloha Carlos,
I used to live a couple blocks from Mile marker four:

http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/Hawaii/TBI/Mile_Marker_4/index.htm

Real easy shore dive with a nice lava tube. There are some condo complexes in the area .. do search under "Magic Sand's Beach" as it is right next door to mile marker four. You could walk to it if you stayed in white sands village:
http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/region/usa/hawaii/big-island/kona-coast/kailua-kona#7122
There are plenty of vacation rental homes too.

If you go further south, there's two step (place of refuge)
http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/Hawaii/TBI/Place_of_Refuge/index.htm
But not much in condo rentals down there.

There's of course Puako way up north .. great shorediving site:
http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/Hawaii/TBI/Puako_Village/index.htm

but the majority of rentals up there are high end homes with a couple cottages or ohanas here and there:
http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/hawaii/big-island#6438

I just did a shoredive infront of this house last week:
http://www.40puako.com/
really cool dive but $600 a night for the house

I would stay somewhere in Kailua Kona and just drive to the different spots, there are plenty to choose from.

Check out jacksdivinglocker.com for your tank fills. You can get a card that brings it to $4 a fill if you buy 10 at a time.

Sam

 

[Dive California]

Mahalo Sam...this is great info...I really appreciate the help...

Carlos