Shore Diving Big Island

[ligersandtions]

So my husband and I are going to be on the Big Island for a couple weeks, starting June 19th. I've done a lot of research and picked out a number of shore diving sites that we want to try out (we're hoping to do about four dives a day for the first week and then a dive or two every once in a while for the second week - family vacation is the second week).

I noticed that most of the boat charters only go out in the morning as the winds pick up in the afternoon. Will the winds affect shore diving as well, or will we be in close enough to land that it shouldn't be an issue?

Hopefully it won't be an issue as we'd like to be diving all day for a week and get in as much as possible.

Oh, and btw, if you have any must-do shore dive sites that are not the super touristy ones that I already know about, please feel free to share. We will be renting a 4WD jeep, so even if it's not on a nice paved road, we'd still try it out if the diving is great!

 

[friscuba]

Wind really isn't the issue in Kona. It's a huge issue in areas that get tradewinds, but the Kailua area is generally blocked from trades by Hualalai and Mauna Loa. Most of the operators are trying to keep the possibility of two charters a day... that means one morning trip and an afternoon/evening trip. Many are coming off the water between 1:00 and 3:00, then hitting the water again at 3:30-4:30 for the two tank manta trip... doesn't leave a lot of time to be off the water to avoid wind.

You might have wind issues up in Kohala or anywhere north of the Kona airport in the afternoons. The trades tend to funnel through the gap between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea up in that direction. If you're diving up north, say Puako or Mahu Kona, you'll probably be sticking to morning dives as the chop can pick up in the afternoon, for the most part the diving in Kailua and to the south is all day diving.

 

[S0ckm0nk3y]

Up here on the Kohala coast it's true that most days the wind picks up in the afternoon. Since many of the entries are a lava scramble you really want it to be calm and not surgy. That makes us early risers around here... and not just because the honus get up early too.

I'll give you the Kohala 4x4 spot hookup when you get here

-Eric

 

[ligersandtions]

Thanks for the info, guys!

See you next week, Eric....can't wait!