KONA - Whirlwind tour! - CAUTION Long Report

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ladycute1

Contributor
Scuba Instructor
Messages
307
Reaction score
8
Location
Northern CA - Bay Area
# of dives
500 - 999
I just returned from a great, fun packed weekend in Kona! We arrived last Friday and returned on Tuesday. We did 10 dives in three and a half days.

This was my dive buddy's first trip to Kona and I wanted to show her everything!

We started with the Manta Ray Night Dive with Torpedo Tours. And, it was a good showing! Five mantas... ranging from a fairly small one "Vinnie" to several large ones... (I won't even try to remember their names.) Nice ballet. A beautiful show! At the end of the dive, one of the mantas followed us back to the boat and hung around the swim step while we were packing up. Buddy LOVED it!

Saturday morning we were back with Torpedo Tours for a three tank day. It was a mellow day with Mike and Nicki taking turns guiding. I still love their new boat... generous on space, stable, very comfortable. We started at a sight outside the harbor sometimes called Rip Off Reef (due to short boat ride - definitely NOT due to quality of the dive). Several pods of dolphins... (a first for buddy) A couple or eagle rays -- one was getting cleaned and hung in the water about 25 feet from me... while enjoying his spa treatment. Garden eels.. cleaner shrimp - dental work available... flounder, butterflys and convicts... a few jacks passing through... big yellow tail coris.. lots of saddle wrasses, a small juvenile frog fish.

During our surface interval, Mike set up some fishing lines... we got a hit, and Mike, Nicki and the more adventurous diver took turns landing a 120 pound Marlin. The Marlin was released -- he colored up and flipped his tail at us before taking off.

The second dive was at Kaiwi Point. A drift dive... the current was variable... ranged from zooming by the sights to a slow leisurely float. We saw a group of the largest puffer fish I have ever seen... really big eyes... and about 2 feet long... flame angels, all the typical tropicals - with such a small group, as we each reached low air we could simply wave good bye to the group, ascend and do a safety stop above the group and then surface.

Our third dive was Kaloko Canyons. We dropped on to a sand patch... we could have spend the entire dive there! We landed on a Magnificent Star (I think that's what it's called) -- sitting just underneath the sand.... when gently excavated and then returned to the sand the star quickly submerged itself back into the sand. This was convenient since my dive buddy was descending slowly due to ear issues -- she was able to watch from above without feeling pressure to rush. We started to move and got side tracked by a flounder... then there was a helmet conch dining on a collector urchin that was just a tad too big.... hmm... shell fish struggle with eyes being too big for their stomachs, too! It was very cool to be able to actually see the conch's proboscis (sp?) in action as he consumed his dinner-- the eyes and eye stalks are also very cool. We saw a snake eel ... a barracuda ... a black and grayish blue nudibranch ( I can never remember the name). This dive site is also fun because of the topography and the 'canyons' that wander back and forth.

Both Mike and Nicki are great at leading the dive in a slow, informal pace but continuously pointing out interesting critters and behaviors. It's easy to fan out behind them, doing your own dive, but still getting the benefit of an experienced guide.

My buddy and I had given some thought to a night shore dive.... who were we kidding????? Dinner... a little trash tv... and sleep!

Sunday morning found us up and at Big Island Divers for another full day. We met Matthew and Eddie for a three tank long range. Only five divers on their beautiful, very fast boat. (Note to self... less shady coverage, remember sun screen!) The weather was great... we paused briefly to check out a buoy and we rescued a renegade bunch of party balloons.

We started at Arch of the Pyramids. Oh my god!!! I had been there before but had forgotten how beautiful it is. Matthew took us on a quick side trip to see a large bush of black coral with a resident long nose hawkfish. We gradually made our way back towards the arch... I found a purple leaf scorpion fish... lots of crabs... marble shrimp (boy, do they look other worldly) -- Back at the arch... it is just teeming with life... with a depth range of 30 to 10 feet... it's easy to just get totally absorbed ... and with the boat right over head, it is very tempting to run that air supply low.... (resist!) .... eels, nudibranchs, a small bush of black coral in crevice, a huge tiger cowry, lots of very aggressive blennies -- I had one attack my mask! (Keep in mind... a blennie is a tiny fish.... two inches long and 1/4 inch high ... not much of a risk unless you count the hazard from laughing!) Tons of pyramid butterflys... and another butterfly (sorry, Matthew, I forgot it's name) --- gray in color and less prominent.

Back on the boat we started heading north and began discussing what our next site would be.... the discussion moved towards the idea of 'well, what's it like here?' That whole area of coast is filled with lots of coves and lava tubes. We paused at one spot and Matthew hopped in to check things out... he returned with a good report... so we went exploring a new site. There was a pair of Reticulated Butterflys, Saddle Butterflys, Lined Butterflys. There was a cool undercut in the rocks that produced some crevices for little stuff... Most of the site had a more round, boulder type topography with each space in the boulders having its own collection of life. This was a different experience from being 'guided' -- definitely more of an 'explorer' feel... I was aware that this was not a frequently dived site... and so it was relatively untouched, a truly new experience. We surfaced and decided to call the site Picnic Tables since there was a large collection of picnic tables on the cliff above the site.

As we continued north we came across a huge herd of goats on the rocks. We had lots of discussion about why the goats were there, were they stuck... did they follow the lemmings? We noticed finally that one goat seemed to be stuck in some rocks and the others seemed to have gathered to watch and share their distress (there are gawkers even in the animal world!) Well... we had much discussion about what to do... and Eddie was nominated... he slipped into the water and carefully approached the goat... the goat was so traumatized by the sight of Eddie that he managed to free himself and then everyone went back to their goat games.

We had had such good luck on our last exploration, we decided to try it again. This time, we found a site that opened up like an amphitheater... it had a bowl shape to it... starting at about twenty feet and descending..... (a long way). Because of the wide contour it was easy for the group to fan out on their own expedition while still keeping the rest of the boat, as well as the anchor line in sight. I saw a huge fried egg nudibranch.. as big as my hand. Lots of butterflys... trumpet fish... some smallish jacks hunting along the rim.

Our dives with Mike and Nicki had been guided with specific attractions pointed out to us. It is great to know that you're going to see certain things. Our dives with Matthew and Eddie were more free form and open exploration. It's awesome to have the sense that you are covering relatively new territory. I couldn't give you my preference for one style over the other... they are both neat in different ways.

We took a couple of hours to grab some dinner and we were back at the harbor for a black water dive. (a first for my buddy). Matthew is the King of BlackWater. I've become quite addicted to the BlackWater dive and a trip to Kona isn't complete for me until I've been hanging on a rope tethered to a boat drifting in really deep, really dark water! It's both exciting and soothing at the same time... I'm hanging at about 20 feet... hooked securely to a tether which in turn is connected solidly to the boat... so there is little dive "skill" that is really required... mostly good buoyancy... I'm holding a light... listening to my breathing and watching my own private laser show as the luminescent plankton come shooting by. That night we watched a small flying fish zooming about. <sigh> If I don't find something to barter for the BlackWater, I'm gonna go broke. (btw, buddy LOVED it!)

At the end of a four tank day, I appreciate Big Island Divers willingness to rinse and hang gear... my dive buddy and I could just scoop up our small pieces and stumble home... knowing we could get the rest of the gear in the morning.

We had planned shore diving for Monday and had discussed going to City of Refuge. But, alas, our age was showing... we opted for the Kona Pier as an easier alternative. We weren't expecting much, we just figured we would end our trip with a couple of leisurely little dives. I'd take these dives any day... We started at the little beach on the North side of the pier.. working our way out along and around to the south side of the pier. There was a bit of litter -- next time I'll take a mesh bag to clean up a bit. We saw: a pair of Lined Butterflys, a huge Titan Scorpion fish, and a Flying Gurnard -- only the second one I've ever seen. It was a 72 minute dive. We did a brief surface interval and decided to check out the north side. I was stunned by what seemed to be an endless field of finger coral... ranging from 15 feet down to 45 feet where it met a sandy bottom. It's obviously an old reef -- there are areas where large pieces or coral have broken and fallen - probably from weather - so you can see the internal structures of reef and the coral skeletons. My next trip will include a thorough exploration of that area.

So that was my "fix" -- next month I'll report from Maui.

Liz
 
Great report Liz! Thanks so much for sharing it - I am looking forward to heading to Hawaii at some point .... hopefully in the near future :)
 
I just returned froma week of diving with Big Island Divers last June. Matthew was great as well. Thank you for the detail, it brings back many great memories!

Next trip to Kona is in the planing stages already!

Dave
 
ladycute1:
I just returned from a great, fun packed weekend in Kona! We arrived last Friday and returned on Tuesday. We did 10 dives in three and a half days.

This was my dive buddy's first trip to Kona and I wanted to show her everything!

We started with the Manta Ray Night Dive with Torpedo Tours. And, it was a good showing! Five mantas... ranging from a fairly small one "Vinnie" to several large ones... (I won't even try to remember their names.) Nice ballet. A beautiful show! At the end of the dive, one of the mantas followed us back to the boat and hung around the swim step while we were packing up. Buddy LOVED it!

Saturday morning we were back with Torpedo Tours for a three tank day. It was a mellow day with Mike and Nicki taking turns guiding. I still love their new boat... generous on space, stable, very comfortable. We started at a sight outside the harbor sometimes called Rip Off Reef (due to short boat ride - definitely NOT due to quality of the dive). Several pods of dolphins... (a first for buddy) A couple or eagle rays -- one was getting cleaned and hung in the water about 25 feet from me... while enjoying his spa treatment. Garden eels.. cleaner shrimp - dental work available... flounder, butterflys and convicts... a few jacks passing through... big yellow tail coris.. lots of saddle wrasses, a small juvenile frog fish.

During our surface interval, Mike set up some fishing lines... we got a hit, and Mike, Nicki and the more adventurous diver took turns landing a 120 pound Marlin. The Marlin was released -- he colored up and flipped his tail at us before taking off.

The second dive was at Kaiwi Point. A drift dive... the current was variable... ranged from zooming by the sights to a slow leisurely float. We saw a group of the largest puffer fish I have ever seen... really big eyes... and about 2 feet long... flame angels, all the typical tropicals - with such a small group, as we each reached low air we could simply wave good bye to the group, ascend and do a safety stop above the group and then surface.

Our third dive was Kaloko Canyons. We dropped on to a sand patch... we could have spend the entire dive there! We landed on a Magnificent Star (I think that's what it's called) -- sitting just underneath the sand.... when gently excavated and then returned to the sand the star quickly submerged itself back into the sand. This was convenient since my dive buddy was descending slowly due to ear issues -- she was able to watch from above without feeling pressure to rush. We started to move and got side tracked by a flounder... then there was a helmet conch dining on a collector urchin that was just a tad too big.... hmm... shell fish struggle with eyes being too big for their stomachs, too! It was very cool to be able to actually see the conch's proboscis (sp?) in action as he consumed his dinner-- the eyes and eye stalks are also very cool. We saw a snake eel ... a barracuda ... a black and grayish blue nudibranch ( I can never remember the name). This dive site is also fun because of the topography and the 'canyons' that wander back and forth.

Both Mike and Nicki are great at leading the dive in a slow, informal pace but continuously pointing out interesting critters and behaviors. It's easy to fan out behind them, doing your own dive, but still getting the benefit of an experienced guide.

My buddy and I had given some thought to a night shore dive.... who were we kidding????? Dinner... a little trash tv... and sleep!

Sunday morning found us up and at Big Island Divers for another full day. We met Matthew and Eddie for a three tank long range. Only five divers on their beautiful, very fast boat. (Note to self... less shady coverage, remember sun screen!) The weather was great... we paused briefly to check out a buoy and we rescued a renegade bunch of party balloons.

We started at Arch of the Pyramids. Oh my god!!! I had been there before but had forgotten how beautiful it is. Matthew took us on a quick side trip to see a large bush of black coral with a resident long nose hawkfish. We gradually made our way back towards the arch... I found a purple leaf scorpion fish... lots of crabs... marble shrimp (boy, do they look other worldly) -- Back at the arch... it is just teeming with life... with a depth range of 30 to 10 feet... it's easy to just get totally absorbed ... and with the boat right over head, it is very tempting to run that air supply low.... (resist!) .... eels, nudibranchs, a small bush of black coral in crevice, a huge tiger cowry, lots of very aggressive blennies -- I had one attack my mask! (Keep in mind... a blennie is a tiny fish.... two inches long and 1/4 inch high ... not much of a risk unless you count the hazard from laughing!) Tons of pyramid butterflys... and another butterfly (sorry, Matthew, I forgot it's name) --- gray in color and less prominent.

Back on the boat we started heading north and began discussing what our next site would be.... the discussion moved towards the idea of 'well, what's it like here?' That whole area of coast is filled with lots of coves and lava tubes. We paused at one spot and Matthew hopped in to check things out... he returned with a good report... so we went exploring a new site. There was a pair of Reticulated Butterflys, Saddle Butterflys, Lined Butterflys. There was a cool undercut in the rocks that produced some crevices for little stuff... Most of the site had a more round, boulder type topography with each space in the boulders having its own collection of life. This was a different experience from being 'guided' -- definitely more of an 'explorer' feel... I was aware that this was not a frequently dived site... and so it was relatively untouched, a truly new experience. We surfaced and decided to call the site Picnic Tables since there was a large collection of picnic tables on the cliff above the site.

As we continued north we came across a huge herd of goats on the rocks. We had lots of discussion about why the goats were there, were they stuck... did they follow the lemmings? We noticed finally that one goat seemed to be stuck in some rocks and the others seemed to have gathered to watch and share their distress (there are gawkers even in the animal world!) Well... we had much discussion about what to do... and Eddie was nominated... he slipped into the water and carefully approached the goat... the goat was so traumatized by the sight of Eddie that he managed to free himself and then everyone went back to their goat games.

We had had such good luck on our last exploration, we decided to try it again. This time, we found a site that opened up like an amphitheater... it had a bowl shape to it... starting at about twenty feet and descending..... (a long way). Because of the wide contour it was easy for the group to fan out on their own expedition while still keeping the rest of the boat, as well as the anchor line in sight. I saw a huge fried egg nudibranch.. as big as my hand. Lots of butterflys... trumpet fish... some smallish jacks hunting along the rim.

Our dives with Mike and Nicki had been guided with specific attractions pointed out to us. It is great to know that you're going to see certain things. Our dives with Matthew and Eddie were more free form and open exploration. It's awesome to have the sense that you are covering relatively new territory. I couldn't give you my preference for one style over the other... they are both neat in different ways.

We took a couple of hours to grab some dinner and we were back at the harbor for a black water dive. (a first for my buddy). Matthew is the King of BlackWater. I've become quite addicted to the BlackWater dive and a trip to Kona isn't complete for me until I've been hanging on a rope tethered to a boat drifting in really deep, really dark water! It's both exciting and soothing at the same time... I'm hanging at about 20 feet... hooked securely to a tether which in turn is connected solidly to the boat... so there is little dive "skill" that is really required... mostly good buoyancy... I'm holding a light... listening to my breathing and watching my own private laser show as the luminescent plankton come shooting by. That night we watched a small flying fish zooming about. <sigh> If I don't find something to barter for the BlackWater, I'm gonna go broke. (btw, buddy LOVED it!)

At the end of a four tank day, I appreciate Big Island Divers willingness to rinse and hang gear... my dive buddy and I could just scoop up our small pieces and stumble home... knowing we could get the rest of the gear in the morning.

We had planned shore diving for Monday and had discussed going to City of Refuge. But, alas, our age was showing... we opted for the Kona Pier as an easier alternative. We weren't expecting much, we just figured we would end our trip with a couple of leisurely little dives. I'd take these dives any day... We started at the little beach on the North side of the pier.. working our way out along and around to the south side of the pier. There was a bit of litter -- next time I'll take a mesh bag to clean up a bit. We saw: a pair of Lined Butterflys, a huge Titan Scorpion fish, and a Flying Gurnard -- only the second one I've ever seen. It was a 72 minute dive. We did a brief surface interval and decided to check out the north side. I was stunned by what seemed to be an endless field of finger coral... ranging from 15 feet down to 45 feet where it met a sandy bottom.

So that was my "fix" -- next month I'll report from Maui.

Liz

Loved the comment about Rip Off Reef. I think you're talking about Alula Beach (AKA South of Harbor) right outside the small boat harbor. I shore dive there and get a chuckle over all the people on the boats that anchor there that paid $125 for a 2 minute boat ride 50 yards offshore.
 
Yes, that dive site has many different names... but I gotta say, given the lava rocks... I think I'll stick with the boat entry!

Liz
 
JMC99:
Loved the comment about Rip Off Reef. I think you're talking about Alula Beach (AKA South of Harbor) right outside the small boat harbor. I shore dive there and get a chuckle over all the people on the boats that anchor there that paid $125 for a 2 minute boat ride 50 yards offshore.

Well I've been on the boat and if was the only dive we did that day, I too would be un-happy. However, it was the last dive of three that day and I was not in the least unhappy about it. Dolphins, rays, herds of goat fish, eels and 100' vis, and 5 minutes back to the dock! Perfect.

Dave

Short video of the dolphins.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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