Kona-Hawaii 8-8 thru 8-13 trip report

[Travelnsj]

This is the sixth time I have dove the Kona area. I have dove with Jacks a couple of times and Big Island Divers three times, this year with Kona Honu Divers. I had heard rave reviews about Kona Honu divers and I do believe they have the best Dive Guides/Instructors I have dove with in Kona and the boat was great…But was mixed with snorkelers, new and experienced divers, specialty divers etc on the boat. One day we had about 20 people on the boat plus crew. I resist using the term cattle boat as the staff really busted their butts trying to make you happy. If I had not paid for the week’s dives with Kona Honu, I would have probably gone over to Big Island divers. They have a smaller boat and only divers on the boat (or the ones I’ve been on) plus you can rinse your gear and store it at their shop. Kona Honu did store my BC and Wetsuit. Kona Honu is a great operation along with Jacks, I just like smaller groups. Kona Honu is supposed to have a smaller boat arriving in November catering just to divers. If I come back to Kona, I would use them again only if they have the smaller boat in operation.

The diving in Kona was nice but uneventful, great visibility not much in the way of marine life. I could tell a noticeable lack of Marine life from the previous years I have dove here…perhaps many of the fish became Sushi. When asking about lack of Marine life and seeing small boats with fishing nets near the dive sites I was told that was an ongoing issue with the State to try to stop it along with restricting spear fishing. Another thing I noticed were snorkel operations out swimming with the Dolphins I counted at least 4 different boats that had snorklers in the waters and another 3 or 4 that looked like they were waiting to jump in as they were chasing the Dolphins…..the Dive ops frown upon this as they consider it harassment of the Dolphins (which there are laws against)….The operators get by with saying they are some type environmental study group or the Dolphins came up to their boat. The highlight of the trip was the Manta dive….the first night we were skunked, the other night I went out….was the most incredible Manta dive I have ever done (I have done eight Manta dives in six trips to Kona) that night….Ten Mantas plus Big Bertha came in…WOW! This dive alone is worth the trip to Kona….This year the water was a bit cool, temps ranged between 79 to 81 averaged around 80 degrees. In the past years, I have enjoyed 81 to 83 degree water temps mostly averaging 82 degrees. Once again, the one Manta dive was up there with any of the best dives I have done at the Blue Corner or in Fakarava.

 

[SharkDZ]

Sounds like a great trip! I'll be heading over there in late September, diving out of Jack's. I plan on doing two nights of Manta diving. Will a 3mm full be enough, or too much? Hood/beenie?

 

[MeiLing]

Sounds like a great trip! I'll be heading over there in late September, diving out of Jack's. I plan on doing two nights of Manta diving. Will a 3mm full be enough, or too much? Hood/beenie?

3mm is never too much for Hawaii! I'd bring the hood or the beanie just in case. Multiple days of diving can chill you.

Travlen,
Glad that you had a great time!

 

[Travelnsj]

Sounds like a great trip! I'll be heading over there in late September, diving out of Jack's. I plan on doing two nights of Manta diving. Will a 3mm full be enough, or too much? Hood/beenie?

3mm should be more than enough...Sept they say is the warmest month....I wear a shortie.....80 degrees did get a touch chilly.

 

[scubadrewvideo]

Keep in mind on the Manta dive, you are sitting stationary for almost the whole dive (you gotta swim to and from the boat). Our bottom time was 57 min, 50 of that was kneeling.

 

[coachrenz]

I was Diving Kona about the same time and IDed at least 164 different species over the course of 13 dives. It was my first time diving on the Big Island so don't have much to compare to, but the bio diversity seems to be doing just fine.

I was with a REEF Field survey group and as a group we saw collectively a total of 213 different species.

We dove with Jacks for 5 of the days and hit 10 different sites. We also did shore diving at Place Of Refuge and I did an additional dive off the shore of the condos I was staying at.

I was the only one in the group in a shorty (2 mm) and dove it for all the dives. I come from a cold water background and never felt chilled either before, during or after a dive. My average dive time over the week was about 70 mins per dive with the shortest being 43 minutes in high current and the longest being 90 minutes. The rest of the group wore a variety of long suits up to and including full 7 mm with hood and gloves. Most of the divers were warm water only divers and many complained of being cold on just about every dive.

 

[Travelnsj]

I was Diving Kona about the same time and IDed at least 164 different species over the course of 13 dives. It was my first time diving on the Big Island so don't have much to compare to, but the bio diversity seems to be doing just fine.

I was with a REEF Field survey group and as a group we saw collectively a total of 213 different species.

We dove with Jacks for 5 of the days and hit 10 different sites. We also did shore diving at Place Of Refuge and I did an additional dive off the shore of the condos I was staying at.

I was the only one in the group in a shorty (2 mm) and dove it for all the dives. I come from a cold water background and never felt chilled either before, during or after a dive. My average dive time over the week was about 70 mins per dive with the shortest being 43 minutes in high current and the longest being 90 minutes. The rest of the group wore a variety of long suits up to and including full 7 mm with hood and gloves. Most of the divers were warm water only divers and many complained of being cold on just about every dive.

Regarding the Bio-Diversity….you should have seen it in 2000, 01, 02, 03 and 05….this year I did not see one Pelagic (except the Mantas). In areas where there are normally White Tips and large schools of the Blue Stripe Snappers etc only very small schools. I have never seen the dive sites devoid of Medium size fish like it was this year. Yes there were small stuff hanging in the rocks and corals if that is what you meant by Bio-Diversity. When discussing with the DM’s who had been there for years…..well they pointed to the little fish boats that sit by the dive sites with their gill nets and they agreed. It makes me sad to see the depletion or Marine life although I dive more of Micronesia and Indonesia areas….I like going to Hawaii as it is close to the west coast.

 

[friscuba]

I can't totally agree with the last comment on bio-diversity. I'm seeing the same sharks at the same sites, just as many snapper schools, more lined butterflys, saddlebacks and such at more divesites and far more flame angels at more sites than since I moved here in early '99. I saw more frogfish last hear than in about 5 years. I've been seeing and hearing of lionfish (ever so few) again close in again for the first time since the resident ones north of High Rock and at Garden Eel Cove disappeared in '01 or so. I'm not sure what this years' numbers are, but the last couple of years the DLNR fishcounts I've heard of have indicated the recruitment is up and numbers of both collected and uncollected species are supposedly growing in both the FRAs and collected areas.

I've been thinking it was improving over earlier this decade.

 

[Travelnsj]

I can't totally agree with the last comment on bio-diversity. I'm seeing the same sharks at the same sites, just as many snapper schools, more lined butterflys, saddlebacks and such at more divesites and far more flame angels at more sites than since I moved here in early '99. I saw more frogfish last hear than in about 5 years. I've been seeing lionfish (ever so few) again close in again for the first time since the resident ones north of High Rock disappeared in '01 or so. I'm not sure what this years' numbers are, but the last couple of years the DLNR fishcounts I've heard of have indicated the recruitment is up and numbers of both collected and uncollected species are supposedly growing in both the FRAs and collected areas.

I've been thinking it was improving over earlier this decade.

About the only Marine life i did see were a few frogfish (more than I have ever seen before) and a few flame angel fish...perhaps all the other marine life went on vacation last week....as I did not see nearly the same amount of Marine life as I have in the past.

 

[Ted S]

Sounds like you had a great time. I was planning to head out there this month but life got in the way. Thanks for the review of Kona Honu divers, I've been meaning to check out.