New to the board- Any recs on Cuba or Kona?

[DiveBuddyDC]

Hi all! I've been using scubaboard as a research tool for dive trips over the past couple years, so I thought I would finally get an account. I started diving three years ago and became a bit obsessed. I try to get underwater somewhere fun every few months. In the past three years I've logged 216 dives on dive trips to Galápagos, Ecuador; Coiba, Panama; Bali and Komodo, Indonesia; Cozumel, Mexico; Bayahibe, Dominican Republic; Saint Martin; Zanzibar, Tanzania; Nassau, Bahamas; Playa del Carmen, Mexico; and on seven dive trips to Roatán, Honduras.

I live in DC and love to meet other divers or hear tips about great diving around the world.

I'm heading to Kona, Hawaii in a few days and would appreciate any recs on dive shops on the Big Island. Particularly any that do further away all-day dive trips.

From Hawaii, I'm heading to Cuba with some friends and could really use some tips on diving there (there isn't a lot out there on Cuba diving). Specifically looking for information on diving near Trinidad/Playa Ancon and also if there's any good diving near Havana.

Cheers!

 

[diversteve]

Kona Diving Company for "local" dives. Good people. Home

The Manta Night Dive is on the top 100 dives in the world list - most shops do it.

Big Island Divers does an extended range trip - they get down to the Red Hill area which is supposed to be among the best. I don't have any personal experience with them. Long Range Charter | Big Island Divers

All the Kona shops keep their boats in the same harbor a little north of town. Both KDC and BID are in the same business park slightly east of "downtown". And another shop also. The usual plan is check in there then meet at the boat for subsequent dives.

Jack's Diving Locker is often recommended also, they're on Alii Dr. - the main road south of town.

If you're staying up north in the Waikoloa/Kohala Coast area the drive down is 30+ minutes so maybe consider one of those shops instead for local diving. I believe even they only do the Manta Night Dive from Kona - and have a partnership with a shop there.

 

[DiveBuddyDC]

Thanks for the recs! Definitely looking forward to the manta night dive and I'll probably try the long charter to get a bit further out.

 

[Compressor]

Welcome to SB. Learn and enjoy this great forum.
Jack Diving locker is awesome and so are Big Island divers. Other choices too as people are nice in Kona.

 

[Blues Runner]

The Manta Dive in Kona is a must! I have used Jack's Diving Locker for the Manta Dive twice. One of their staff Keller Laros is known as the "Manta Man". Awesome experience.

 

[diver0008]

Jardines de la Reina is the place to dive in Cuba. It's liveaboard. From your dive location history, everything else will be humdrum.

 

[spc751]

I was in Cuba in November and did just four dives. Two in the Bay of Pigs which were very nice wall dives. I was staying in Varadero and it was a very long day to do just two dives (about 10 hours). I also did a Russian patrol boat followed by a reef dive. Those dives were good also but also a long day (about 7 hours and I could see the dive site from the resort I was in). Take your own gear because the rental stuff is not too good).
Sorry but I don't know anything about the part of Cuba you are interested in.

 

[DiveBuddyDC]

I ended up diving with Jack's Diving Locker out of Kona because the long-haul charters at Big Island Divers were all booked up. The Manta Night Dive ended up being a bust (they said it had been 50/50 at best over the past couple weeks). But, I got 10-15 minutes with a manta making repeated passes and circles right over me on a day dive, so that was pretty excellent. Also had an encounter with one of the four monk seals resident to the island. Jack's is a good operation and I witnessed them at their busiest (Christmas time). I particularly liked that they weren't in a rush to get the more experienced divers out of the water when the people who weren't as great with air finished up. Nice long dives.

Out of Trinidad, we dived with a family-run outfit about 40 kilometers out of town in Guajimico. Some reef and wall diving there- interesting soft coral I haven't seen elsewhere and a massive school of silverfish.

Both were nice add-ons to non-diving trips, but I think liveaboards are probably the best way to see the best of these two islands based on what I heard from local divers.

Thanks for all the recommendations and welcomes!