Kona May 29-June 4

[boulderjohn]

I will arrive in Kona on the evening of May 28 and leave the morning of June 5. I have searched this site and have learned some things, but not all I need to know.

I will be with my non-diving wife and another non-diving couple. I want to dive on most days, leaving my afternoons and most evenings (not counting a manta dive) to be with my wife and friends. I know the names of several good operators, but I have not chosen one.

I know I can hop on a boat and deal with the insta-buddy phenomenon, but I would much prefer someone I have some idea about. That is especially true in the case of shore diving. I met up with a ScubaBoard veteran in Maui a couple of years ago, and we had a great time on a couple of dives together.

If anyone is interested in joining me somewhere some time, I would enjoy it.

 

[okieguy]

Unfortunately we are leaving Kona tomorrow, but I would definitely recommend Jack's Diving Locker and / or Wanna Dive Kona. We used both on 5/19.

We went with Jack's on 5/19 for the morning dive. Great operation, nice dives, very customer oriented, NEVER felt like a cattle operation. Jeff, Doug and Bob all did a great job!

Switched to Wanna Dive for the Manta Dive. Steve runs a 6 pack, we had 4 divers and one snorkeler for the afternoon / evening dives. Very personal attention and great local knowledge. Saw 16+ Mantas on the night dive plus about 6 during our afternoon dive.

It worked out really well for us. Steve (Wanna Dive) didn't have enough spots in the morning and Jack's wasn't going out for the Manta Dive that night. I would recommend using either (or both like we did) and will probably use both next time we come.

Dave

 

[AZdiver1279]

I will arrive in Kona on the evening of May 28 and leave the morning of June 5. I have searched this site and have learned some things, but not all I need to know.

I will be with my non-diving wife and another non-diving couple. I want to dive on most days, leaving my afternoons and most evenings (not counting a manta dive) to be with my wife and friends. I know the names of several good operators, but I have not chosen one.

I know I can hop on a boat and deal with the insta-buddy phenomenon, but I would much prefer someone I have some idea about. That is especially true in the case of shore diving. I met up with a ScubaBoard veteran in Maui a couple of years ago, and we had a great time on a couple of dives together.

If anyone is interested in joining me somewhere some time, I would enjoy it.

We just got back Monday from Kona. We dove with Kona Honu Divers (3 two tank mornings two tank manta, 1 tank manta), the staff was friendly and helpful. The boat was great and well staffed, never felt like a cattle boat.

We did two Manta Night Dives, we saw 4 mantas on the afternoon dive and then 19 on the night dive. We did the night dive again with them about 8 days later and saw 14 mantas. On our first Manta dive there were a few snorklers, maybe you can take your non-dive friends and spouse? We had one snorkler with us and she said the show was pretty good from the surface.......although I know it couldn't compare to the show we got on the bottom!

If you plan to do any shore diving 'Two Step' is a great shore dive, we also did two shore dives at Nia (also a boat dive so you need to be aware of overhead boat traffic). Nia was great, saw Spotted Eagle Rays, Great Barracuda, Turtles, Moray. The site is supposed to be good for Spinner Dolphin in the mornings but we didn't see any, I think we got into the water too late.

Although we didn't dive with Jack's we did go into their store to purchase a few items, we found the store to be the best stocked in the area and the staff to be extremely firendly.

Take care and good diving to you!

 

[JPENDERGRAST]

"If you plan to do any shore diving 'Two Step' is a great shore dive, we also did two shore dives at Nia (also a boat dive so you need to be aware of overhead boat traffic). Nia was great, saw Spotted Eagle Rays, Great Barracuda, Turtles, Moray. The site is supposed to be good for Spinner Dolphin in the mornings but we didn't see any, I think we got into the water too late.

My wife and I visited Kona on our honeymoon in January, and we also dove with Kona Honu. They were very accomodating, and showed us some great sites, my favorite (boat dive) being the old Kona airport. I would highly suggest requesting this spot if they are open to requests. My wife and I own almost all of our own gear, but the people at Kona Honu actually loaned a guy some of their personal equipment instead of making him pay extra for rental... and you don't find many places like that anymore.

In regards to shore dives, two step is nice, but be aware of the tide. I've been to the Big Island three times now, and in my diving there seen people get cut, bruised / broken bones, and one man get knocked out by being thrown up against the rocks while attempting to exit.

I did a few shore dives, one right off the back of our resort (Wyndham Royal Sea cliff on Ali'i Drive). I swam out about 300 yards, and found a very lively reef about 60 feet down.

South Point (about 30-45 minutes south of Kona headed towards Volcanoes Nat'l Park) is a beautiful place to dive. The only problem is accessing the water. I went spearfishing there, and don't know how people got down there with scuba gear, but supposedly you can. I was told to watch for sharks here since a lot of people fish there.

My favorite shore dive of all, however, was Captain Cook Monument in Kealakekua Bay. The visibility here was better than any other place I dove. Also, the water here seemed to be calmer in the winter season than most other areas. Access once again becomes an issue, but is still much easier than South Point. Several charters go to this location too, but mostly for snorkelers. We kayaked to the Bay from a nearby fishing pier.

I hope this helps, and I'm sure you'll enjoy your time there. Make sure you post with your experience when you get back!!!

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

In regards to shore dives, two step is nice, but be aware of the tide. I've been to the Big Island three times now, and in my diving there seen people get cut, bruised / broken bones, and one man get knocked out by being thrown up against the rocks while attempting to exit.

Just a small correction; our tidal swing averages a whopping 3' and the tide has never knocked out anybody; those are waves.

 

[montyb]

The past 3 or 4 times I've been to Hawaii I've always dove with Wanna-Dive. Steve is extreeeeemly friendly, accomodating, knowlegable about the local fish on the dive sites and has a great crew. Planning to do a month early next year and will dive the whole time with him - (Thats if he'll have me)

 

[Jack'sDivingLocker]

Enjoy your stay in Kona. The diving has been very nice lately. We saw pilot whales yesterday which was a nice treat.