Planning Trip to Big Island

[joe8mofo]

My wife and I are planning a trip to Big Island for 2 weeks next year probably between Feb and Jun. Any thoughts as to when to go and what dives are must-do dives. I will be planning on doing a good amount of shore diving and at least 2 boat dives. Both of us have Padi open-water Cert and have done 10 dives, 4 of which were in saltwater.

 

[friscuba]

For easy, but good, shore dives, you're probably looking at the Place of Refuge or maybe off the beach at the King Kam hotel (a bit of a surface swim on that one). If the 10 dives is all you still have by then, I'd recommend sticking to that 'til you get dialed in. Once you're comfortable with those you could start checking out other spots. Shorediving.com and Dick Dresie's "Lets go shore divin" website are good references for shore dives. You might want to start off a boat for your first dive as a bit of a refresher.

As far as boat diving goes, the operators here are pretty good about trying to pick good sites based on availability, water conditions of the day, and what people have done/not done and want to see. Unless your 4 saltwater dives were in Indonesia or Fiji, you'll be favorably impressed by just about any site in Kona.

Have a blast!

 

[Abidon]

The Manta Ray Night Dive is a must. Even though you only have 10 dives under your belt, it's still doable depending on your comfort level. I had less dives than you did when I did the manta dive. I suggest you book a 2-tank excursion if you choose to do the manta dive. The late afternoon dive prior to the manta one can do a lot to alleviate some of nervousness you might have about night diving. I booked my Manta Ray Night Dive with Big Island Divers, and have no complaints at all. Most dive-ops on the Big Island offer manta ray excursions. Who you choose to dive with will probably depend on what your schedule dictates.

I did my shore dives at the Place of Refuge/Two Step. They were guided dives with a dive-op called South Kona Scuba. The dives were spectacular.

You'll find many dive-ops on the Kona side of the island (I assume that's where you'll be staying). I've heard nothing but good things about them on this site, and when I was on the Big Island. Several of them (like friscuba from Wanna Dive Kona) are frequent posters on Scubaboard.

Diving on the Big Island is awesome. You should be very excited; because you're gonna have a blast! :cool3:

 

[joe8mofo]

Any advice on when to go to and when not to go to the Big Island for diving during the year?

 

[DiveMaven]

The diving in Hawaii is about the same all year around. Water temperatures dip to about 74 degrees mid-winter then slowly rise to about 80-81 degrees by early fall. So if you go in February, plan on 74-75 degree water, June would be about 77ish.

 

[Scuba_Jay]

I second the comment about the Manta Ray night diving. I would strongly consider this a "not to be missed" dive activity -- it is an awesome, unique and incredible experience. I also concur with going with a two tank (twilight/night) excursion. As for experience, I did my first manta ray night dive only 2 dives out of OW certification -- most operators in Hawaii are used to newly certified divers and know how to prepare them for the dive. We typically dive with Jack's Diving Locker when we go. Have fun!

 

[joe8mofo]

Thanks for the responses. Definitely looking forward to going on the Manta Ray night dive, and the 2-tank is a good idea. I guess I should consider getting NITROX certified before going.

 

[friscuba]

The typical dive profiles here don't really require nitrox. We've got shallow and deep water at nearly all the sites and you can spend the bulk of your dive shallow and get a long dive, and the bulk of the interesting stuff here is above 60' at most sites. Nitrox really pays off when you're diving a spot with a flat and deep bottom, where you might be spending the entire dive in 50-100 feet and will want the extra bottom time nitrox will allow. On the other hand, if you're planning on diving like mad you might feel better using nitrox - just wanted to let you know it's not a must have here. Most of the rental places will have it available at around $15 a tank,likely a couple bucks cheaper if used on charters.

 

[Lopaka]

Kind of what I was thinking, unless you have some suspicion you are more susceptible to DCS (PFO, age, heft) it is really not an issue with the typical 2 tank charters. Sure, you can run your computer into the red if you try on some dives, but the other divers will have gone up by then anyway.

 

[Scuba-junky]

The Manta Ray night dive (2-tank twilight/night excursion) sounds awsome. Should I go through the hastle of trying to pack my Salvo 21w HID or can I rent a light for that dive? I love my HID but it's a pain in the butt trying to bring it with me.

Norm