spoolin01
Contributor
I second the recommendation to snorkel the Kapoho pools. They're just down on the southern coast below Hilo. Not far at all, and fabulous.
I've never dived the east side and there may be some few special spots - I'd love to dive the active lava flow - but west is where you want to go, and there's a lot to choose from. However, if you're stuck in Hilo and looking to do a discover scuba dive, I'm sure they'll find you a nice enough spot, I mean how bad could it be, right? As far as driving back to Hilo after a short shallow dive and a few hours' surface interval - doesn't seem too radical.
I've never dived the east side and there may be some few special spots - I'd love to dive the active lava flow - but west is where you want to go, and there's a lot to choose from. However, if you're stuck in Hilo and looking to do a discover scuba dive, I'm sure they'll find you a nice enough spot, I mean how bad could it be, right? As far as driving back to Hilo after a short shallow dive and a few hours' surface interval - doesn't seem too radical.