S0ckm0nk3y
Contributor
I recently came across the opportunity to dive with Kona Honu Divers on the cheap. Bingediver and I decided to book a two tank charter this past Thursday. There are worse ways to play hooky from work.
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I'm not exactly sure how we made it to the dive shop in Kona only 9 minutes late because the two of us were a morning mess. I forgot something at home and had to run back to Waimea, she woke up when I called her at our meet time from Starbucks in Waikoloa, I didn't have enough gas to meet her in Kona, and there is no way to speed on the Big Island. Whatever forces were at work to make it difficult they also allowed us to arrive with time to spare.
Like most dive shops Kona Honu requires that you check in at their retail shop rather than the boat. I understand that most dive shops don't have an indoor space at Honokohau harbor, although Jack's Diving Locker does. Going into their shop first also gives their retail space some face time with gadget hungry tourists. If you're coming from Waimea and you're always tardy and or lazy, driving south and back north again is a bit of a bummer. The morning isn't so bad but having to do it for afternoon or manta dive is a Konafied hassle.
I had never been on a Kona Honu boat before. I typically go with Jack's for the manta dives only because my wife and I are friends with Keller. If I hadn't found a screaming good deal on the charter I doubt I would have picked Kona Honu. I keep telling myself that if I'm going to spend money on boat diving I would prefer to give my money to a smaller dive operator like Steve at Wanna Dive. With a modicum amount of scuba guilt we saw his boat hanging off one mooring away.
Wanna dive in the distance:
Guilt aside I enjoyed diving with Kona Honu. I suppose I would recommend them when I'm asked about larger dive ops. They were professional and knowledgeable. Their boat was clean and organized. If I was a tourist and in a hurry to have as much vacation as possible in the shortest amount of time I might have grown impatient with the crew in the morning. Seeing as I had no where else to be but diving with them I could not find myself caring.
We dove Pyramid Pinnacles and High Rock. I think I've been to Pyramid Pinnacles a couple four times. High Rock was a first for me. Neither of them disappointed. Frank our dive guide was a fine critter hunter and clearly has a love for sea life. Often times on these charter boats the guides are either too young and new to be able to find good fishies or do not do it for the love of ocean life. We were relieved to find that our bottom time was not restricted. While I blew through my tank faster than Frank and bingediver, we were allowed to noodle under boat until we were ready to come up. There's nothing more frustrating than a dive op who limits how long you can stay down.
We both I marveled how different the reef is only 40 miles south of our normal stomping grounds. Not only the topography but the different types of coral. There is a small swim through lava tube at Pinnacles and I was surprised and delighted to find out that we were lead through it. The colors on the wall were more vibrant than our Puako caves. I couldn't quite get a shot off that worked in the low light of the cave. Some fish and nudibranchs that are common in Kona we rarely ever see in Puako. Sometimes new diving is better than good diving. Luckily we had both.
More photos can be found on flickr.
Aloha hard,
-Eric
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