Looking for new Kona shore dive spots

[gkndivebum]

[...] Kona Paradise is good diving if it's calm.

Agreed about that - beware of currents as well. It can be a particularly good deep dive if you have the gas supply to reach the deeper dropoff to the northwest of the feature called "the crack". And by deep I mean 200+

Manuka is really cool, it's geologically young, lots of lava structure and less coral, but it's a long slow drive out there and 4wd helps a lot. [...]

I've only dove in that area via a boat, and not often enough!!

 

[spoolin01]

Thanks for the info re Casa Caves. I've done a few dives and snorkel excursions off Royal Sea Cliffs and Kona Makai but never gotten quite that far south I guess. My recollection of conditions and topography matches yours it's a pleasant shallow dive, aside from visibility. I don't think I've been anywhere near 90 FSW, that must be a long ways out there. I have seen quite a few really small white-tips (18") there, esp. at night. You can get into the water at Royal Sea Cliffs but I don't remember if there's public access. I did find a mooring ball off there, maybe that's the one you're referring to. I'll have to refresh my memory of how far down Emdeko is. Kona Makai has public access, but the entry (well, it's the exit usually gets you...) is not inviting if the swell is up at all.

 

[spoolin01]

I love that place, but it's often closed out by surf. Have you gone south from the beach? I've done a couple of dives on the near side and it's pretty cool, but a small area, at least to the extent I've explored. It starts to look fairly plain as soon as you get north of the first structure.

 

[spoolin01]

Miloli'i is similar to Keei and Puako, at least the part I dove.

At Honaunau, go to the back of the main parking lot and there's a road to the picnic area. Outside and slightly north of the main heiau wall there's a spot known as "the crack" that people used to get in and out of, it's just a big crack in the lava that partially protects the entry. I haven't dove it. I did dive off the picnic area years ago, it's different than off two step in that it gets deep faster and doesn't have as much nice reef stretching out in front of it. I still enjoyed it though.

If you're trying the kayak thing, I might suggest you head on down to Keei and going out around the point to the south and getting out front of the old YMCA camp, I've heard it's pretty good out there for swim-throughs and such.

Good information, thanks. That spot at Kee sounds worth a try.

I walked the lava bench looking for the crack but wasn't 100% sure I found it. There's a long one that heads "out" but I couldn't tell for sure if that was navigable from what I could see on shore, the surf was up a bit. There seemed to be a stretch that wound around into the lee of the waves coming across the benchtop but it was pretty roiled and I couldn't tell how deep it was so it didn't look worth risking. There's a much shorter one that's more on the edge of the bay, but that didn't seem to match the indicated location of the spot. That area around the south point of the bay is a nice dive for fish life when conditions are good.

 

[S0ckm0nk3y]

Hey all,

On the subject of Big Island shore diving... has anyone ever dove Spencer Beach Park in Kawaihae? Looks like there's a good sized reef between the park and the harbor.

Actually a better question might be... is there any good shore diving around Kawaihae?

Thanks much!

-Eric

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Hey all,

On the subject of Big Island shore diving... has anyone ever dove Spencer Beach Park in Kawaihae? Looks like there's a good sized reef between the park and the harbor.

Actually a better question might be... is there any good shore diving around Kawaihae?

Thanks much!

-Eric

It has been years since I snorkeled at Spencer, but I never tried scuba there. It has been so long that I really do not remember much about it, sorry.

However, (you probably already know this, but for others reading who may not ) drive about 10 min south and you have Puako, and about 15 minutes north and you have Mahukona, and both are very good shore dives in the area you are talking about.

 

[S0ckm0nk3y]

Thanks for the info LTSD I may head to Puako one night next week if the wind lays down.

In general I was looking for something super close to work in Kawaihae. I may just wander over to Kohala divers and ask... but since I was already in front of a computer I figured I'd start here.

Thanks again,

-Eric

 

[cuddlefish]

I have done the Casa Cave dive from shore. It was years ago. We entered right out in front of the Casa de Emdeko condo. You know that rock wall that runs parallel to the shoreline...we just climbed over it and got in right there. It needs to be CALM or you'll get thrashed. You can head out and to the right or left. We headed right and went through the cave. Funny thing...when we got out I said, "hey, that was a cool cave". My husband said, "you know you've been through that cave many times!". We had entered it from the back side and I didn't recognize it! What a dummy!

 

[William Suzanne]

can you recommend some shore dives for 2 people who are not good at shore entry??? we were too nervous to get in a Puako today, so did a-bay with low vis.....aauggh.

 

[acooper]

Mahukona? You have a pier and a ladder, it does not get any easier.