Reccomendation on rental equip.? (Big Island)

[Dash]

Hi all , Ill be arriving on the Big Island next Saturday. Can't wait, my first diving in Hawaii!!

I was wondering if anyone had any advice on the best place to rent tanks and wetsuits nearest to Kealakekua Bay. We are renting a house down on Napo'opo'o Road. We will have all our other equipment.

I figure that everything is situated in Kona but I thought I'd ask just in case.


Heres another question. Is the diving good right at the bay near the houses? Or do you have to make your way over to Captain Cook monument?

Thanks everyone.

 

[friscuba]

Hi there,

The only tank rental in the area is a South Kona Scuba at Kona Boys Kayak in Kealakekua. Everything else in back in Kailua. If you are planning on doing a lot of diving down south, check with SKS on their price, or check and see what Big Island Divers is charging for their weekly tank rental these days as it used to be a good deal and you could refill the tank anywhere.

Depending on which house you are in, you could have good diving right outside. I wouldn't call the diving on the Nap'oopo'o beach end or off the wharf all that worthwhile. Manini beach is an OK shallow dive. Keei beach, if you go in by the picnic tables before the beach in the correct crack (don't try entering from the shallow tidepool, it's a tumble waiting to happen) is a premium dive. Off the lava flow right where the dirt road to Keei beach hits the water is also great. I suspect the dives off the houses to the west and south of manini beach are pretty good.

Right in front of the monument is a nicer dive that it was 8 years ago when I first dove it. Most of the coral damage from hurricane Iniki has recovered. If you have access to a kayak to paddle over it's worth a dive or two, with nice drop offs and lots of plate corals, but it becomes same ol' same ol' after a couple of dives in my opinion unless you continue on to the north a little further each dive.

Two steps at the Place of Refuge about 5 miles down Ala O Kiawe (the one lane road between Napo'opo'o and Honaunau) is probably consistantly the best overall shore dive site in the state as far as ease of access/visability/healthy reef/access to deep water/turtle cleaning station/etc. It's got everything but good lava tubes and the only thing fish-wise I've not seen there yet is Tinkers - although if one would dive the entire picnic end of the park I'd bet there's some there somewhere.

I hope this helps.

 

[Dash]

Thanks Steve! Good to know.

On the Shore diving site they list diving at Kahauloa Rd, which is just around the point to the south at Kealakekua. here is a aerial pic :
http://shorediving.com/Earth/Hawaii/TBI/Kahauloa/pic4.htm
I might try there but it may be private, Im not sure. Any word on this?

One more: I saw on both Mapquest and Google that there is a Keei Rd and Keei Beach road (which is an extension of Keawaiki Rd.) Are both the dives you mentioned here down one of these roads, or both?
Heres a link to map:
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.ad...ipcode=&phone=&spurl=0&&q=keei beach&qc=Beach

By the way, assume beginner divers.
Thanks again Steve!

 

[joewr]

Keei beach, if you go in by the picnic tables before the beach in the correct crack (don't try entering from the shallow tidepool, it's a tumble waiting to happen) is a premium dive.

Two steps at the Place of Refuge about 5 miles down Ala O Kiawe (the one lane road between Napo'opo'o and Honaunau) is probably consistantly the best overall shore dive site in the state as far as ease of access/visability/healthy reef/access to deep water/turtle cleaning station/etc. It's got everything but good lava tubes and the only thing fish-wise I've not seen there yet is Tinkers - although if one would dive the entire picnic end of the park I'd bet there's some there somewhere.

QUOTE]

friscuba, you are a fine, fine person, I think... We love the dive a Keei Beach and we are almost always alone. I sometimes feel reluctant to let everyone know, but that is what this Board is all about. And you are so right: it is a premium dive!

Re Two-Step: We have seen Titan Scorpions, Leaf Scorpions and all sorts of sealife there. Ya just gotta do it enough and look. In my experience most divers head north past the "Aloha" letters. We head south lots and have seen wonderful things... Tinkers? Just a bit shallow for Tinkers...

As of the past several years we do mostly shore dives off the Big Island. It takes a bit more planning and talking, but it is worth it. If you stop by Sandwich Isle Divers and/or Jack's while you are in Kailua, they will give you some information. They are always helpful, in my experience.

I do not have any experience with the dive shop that friscuba mentioned, but if they are anything like the other folks on the Big Island, you will be happy when you leave. It is called "The Aloha Spirit"...and do not forget to buy an Iz CD or two. He was a wonderful singer. We are especially fond of "Facing Future". If you are like us, you will love Ka Huila Wai and his version of Country Roads. Now, as they say in the South, "Git 'er done!"

joewr

 

[Dash]

friscuba, you are a fine, fine person, I think... We love the dive a Keei Beach and we are almost always alone. I sometimes feel reluctant to let everyone know, but that is what this Board is all about. And you are so right: it is a premium dive!

Re Two-Step: We have seen Titan Scorpions, Leaf Scorpions and all sorts of sealife there. Ya just gotta do it enough and look. In my experience most divers head north past the "Aloha" letters. We head south lots and have seen wonderful things... Tinkers? Just a bit shallow for Tinkers...

It is called "The Aloha Spirit"...and do not forget to buy an Iz CD or two. He was a wonderful singer. We are especially fond of "Facing Future". If you are like us, you will love Ka Huila Wai and his version of Country Roads. joewr

Hey Joe! No worries, I keep secrets well...lol

Honaunau is on the schedule as Ive been there many times snorkeling. (This time it'll be me complaining about them...lol)

Here is some other good things to know about Dash:

1. Wife's extended family is from Hilo side-we show up every year! We almos local kine!
2. I have all of Iz's music
3. Dash plays a mean tenor ukulele for a white boy....

 

[joewr]

3. Dash plays a mean tenor ukulele for a white boy....

Dash,

I am jealous...all I can play are CD's!

joewr

 

[friscuba]

Thanks Steve! Good to know.

On the Shore diving site they list diving at Kahauloa Rd, which is just around the point to the south at Kealakekua. here is a aerial pic :
http://shorediving.com/Earth/Hawaii/TBI/Kahauloa/pic4.htm
I might try there but it may be private, Im not sure. Any word on this?

One more: I saw on both Mapquest and Google that there is a Keei Rd and Keei Beach road (which is an extension of Keawaiki Rd.) Are both the dives you mentioned here down one of these roads, or both?
Heres a link to map:
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.ad...ipcode=&phone=&spurl=0&&q=keei beach&qc=Beach

By the way, assume beginner divers.
Thanks again Steve!

I've never dove the site at Kahauloa road. It used to be surrounded by no tresspassing signs and had a dog or two on a long rope. I took one look and turned around. Nowadays there's some people renting kayaks there so you might want to inquire with them... a few bucks might grease the opinion/permission. I'll ask my neighbor, who used to also rent kayaks out of there, what the deal is if I see him. I don't see him often though, so I may not respond here.

One note on the shorediving.com site. I met the guys who set it up a few years back. I had to ask them if they've actually dove all the sites they had listed, the answer was "a bunch of them". Be careful about private property issues if you don't see a bunch of reports on the site.

On the mapquest map, it is Keei Road, although the other one you can walk or slowly drive straight through. Right where Keei road hits the water there's a lava flow that you can get in off of on calm days, otherwise it's down to the picnic tables and look for the cut, which is maybe 8-10 wide and just a couple feet north of the small tidepool you'll see more or less straight out from the picnic tables. You can also enter off the old canoe ramp just on the south side of the wall you'll see from the picnic tables, but you'll have a bit of a surface swim. Please make sure you clean up your mess and try not to be rude (don't go peeing out in the open and such, the neighborhood considers this spot as it's front yard). I've never been bothered there, just be respectful. Northwest swells can wash all the Keei dives out, so be careful as we're expecting several of them in the coming weeks.

Have fun.

 

[Dash]

and just to make certain, is this all at the very end of keei rd? or the first place where we see the road right next to the water.

On the google map site their satellite view can get incredibly close and at the end of Keei there appears to be a substantial beach
http://maps.google.com/
copy this into the address: keei beach Rd captain cook hi

Sorry to be a pest!

 

[friscuba]

friscuba, you are a fine, fine person, I think... We love the dive a Keei Beach and we are almost always alone. I sometimes feel reluctant to let everyone know, but that is what this Board is all about. And you are so right: it is a premium dive!

Re Two-Step: We have seen Titan Scorpions, Leaf Scorpions and all sorts of sealife there. Ya just gotta do it enough and look. In my experience most divers head north past the "Aloha" letters. We head south lots and have seen wonderful things... Tinkers? Just a bit shallow for Tinkers...

As of the past several years we do mostly shore dives off the Big Island. It takes a bit more planning and talking, but it is worth it. If you stop by Sandwich Isle Divers and/or Jack's while you are in Kailua, they will give you some information. They are always helpful, in my experience.

I do not have any experience with the dive shop that friscuba mentioned, but if they are anything like the other folks on the Big Island, you will be happy when you leave. It is called "The Aloha Spirit"...and do not forget to buy an Iz CD or two. He was a wonderful singer. We are especially fond of "Facing Future". If you are like us, you will love Ka Huila Wai and his version of Country Roads. Now, as they say in the South, "Git 'er done!"

joewr

Thanks. Both Keei and the Refuge are great dives. I'd love to have a good scooter and a few days off to explore the less dove spots. Tinker's don't need so much depth that it (the depth) can't be found in most locations. They do seem to have a thing for a certain type of topography though in my limited experience of finding them, the divesites I know of that we take divers off the boat to see them have a certain similarity. It wouldn't surprise me if there aren't a spot or two away from the heavily dove area that would be good candidates.

Jack's and Sandwich Island are also both good options for rentals, not sure if they have the weekly rental deal on tanks that Big Island used to (not sure if it's still something they offer) have. For the most part, the scuba shops here are pretty friendly and free with the info, shoredivers are a part of their business too.

Aloha,

 

[friscuba]

and just to make certain, is this all at the very end of keei rd? or the first place where we see the road right next to the water.

On the google map site their satellite view can get incredibly close and at the end of Keei there appears to be a substantial beach
http://maps.google.com/
copy this into the address: keei beach Rd captain cook hi

Sorry to be a pest!

Kind of both.... there is a dive off the lava flow when the road first turns along the water, the picnic tables and that dive site are closer to the beach end.

If it could zoom in a little more, you could almost see the picnic tables. The beach is a nice little relatively unknown beach. It has a great tidepool for those who like such things. Don't dive off the beach though, you'll be searching a while to find the more interesting spots. The picnic tables are on the ocean side somewhere after the first couple of houses when you get down to Keei and it asks you to slow down. There's 2-3 tables and a barbecue, shortly after you get past the picnic tables you start getting houses on both sides of the road and you'll know you've gone too far. I'd park my vehicle at or near the tables even if going to the beach as there's not much parking at the beach the last I looked, although that's been a couple of years. On occasion (weekends?) the locals may have something going on and will put out chairs or tape off the parking area and tablecloths on the tables, I'd just turn around and try it another day. As Joe mentions, this site is a good enough "secret" that we don't want to ruin it by too much traffic or ticking off the local residents.

From Napo'opo'o village, Keei road is the second dirt road south, and is about 50 yards before the transfer station.