Tips for the Big Island in November, thanks.

[evilclown]

Planning a trip to the Big Island mid to late november. questions. thanks!

1. What's the surface weather going to be like?

2. Dive conditions? is this an ok time to go? visibility?

3. Water temp and recommended wetsuit?

4. Accommodations? Any particular area or "neighborhood" that is centrally located to where dive boats may depart?

5. recommendations for dive boats, dive ops, dive shops, etc.

Thanks

 

[Bmandiver]

Surface weather should be around the low 80s with occasional mountain showers depending on what area.
Diving will be Ok for here with a visibility around 60 ft at least. Water temp low 70s and a large whale population in town.
Being from Cali I would think 5m at max for you but most likely 3m.
Places to stay to dive Kona will be your best bet for great diving. Hilo side too wet that time of year with probably worst conditions. Most of the hotels have dive centers located in them, but you really cant go wrong just staying in Kona. There are alot of dive centers located around the area. Big Island divers is my favorite, but most all are top notch. Jacks divelocker is a big center but goes for the larger side on boat company. For a real cool experience try the manta and black water dives, its the signature dives in Kona.

 

[k8brandt]

We just got back from Kona and dove with Big Island Divers. Can't say anything bad about them. We looked at Jacks, they seemed too boutiquey, BID was more down to earth for us. Definitely do the manta dive and Green Can. I dove with a 3ml and was fine.

As for food, you can't go wrong at the Kona Brewery. We went there for the beer, but found their food to be just as good. Big Island Grill is a locals place with Hawaiian food and ample portions. The only disappointing meal we had was at Kenichi, we think Bruce got some bad sushi and it was not worth the price.

Have fun!!

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Weather on the Kona side of the island should be fine, like it is pretty much year-round. There is more rain as we move into winter, temperatures are slightly cooler, but dive conditions are generally good in Kona all year. Now, the Hilo side (where I live) is different. We are exposed to the trade winds, and winter typically brings cloudy days, rain, and rougher water. Except when it doesn't There can be days with very nice weather in Hilo and good diving in the winter, but Kona is always a MUCH safer bet this time of year.

Visibility is generally very good and water temp warm in Kona year round. There is a chance of rougher water conditions in the winter, but November should be fine. If you have not gone diving in Hawaii, the water is a little colder than many people expect. Generally, a 3mm full is good for most folks, but a 5mm full is not "too much" in the winter if making multiple dives over several days. It all depends on your personal tolerance.

As far as location centrally-located for diving, I'd recommend a hotel in Kailua-Kona. You'll want to rent a car (the Big Island is BIG). There are a number of good dive ops. I typically shore dive, but have gone out with Jack's Diving Locker and liked them a lot.

The night Manta Ray Dive is a must-do dive while in Kona. Most of the dive ops do it. Our family did it with Jack's and had a great time.

I do not have a specific hotel recommendation. My feeling over the years is that several of the hotels in Kailua-Kona that were once really nice have slipped a lot in quality. I'll still stay at them when I go to Kona for the weekend, but have trouble recommending them to others as a "vacation" destination. I think the nicer hotels are now on the Kohala coast, but they are about 20-30 minutes out of Kailua-Kona, so not nearly as convenient for diving. Hopefully one of the Kona divers or ops will be able to give a good lodging recommendation.

Anyway, good luck, and enjoy your trip.

 

[friscuba]

LeadTurn's pretty much right on, although I'll differ with him on the rainy season thing, as we're just about to come out of what I consider to be Kona's rainy season. Every couple of years we'll get a doozy of a 1-3 day rain in November, but in general we get rain from convection in the late afternoon/evening in the late summer months through October, we've been getting rain 4-7 evenings a week the last couple months at my place. Basically, when the ocean's at it's warmest, we get moisture building up on the volcano during the daytime, it makes for clear mornings, shady afternoons and maybe some sprinkles on the coast by evening with more rain uphill. The majority of the weather patterns come in from the east and Kona's in the rainshade, I've seen it go 3-4 months at a time without rain starting in November some years.

As far as diving goes, my favoite time here is September through early December, the water's usually at it's warmest and calmest and the tourist numbers are generally down too (although that's not necessarily a good thing for us dive operators... we like tourists, but it makes for a less crowded boat). This year's a hair cooler, 79 seems to be the temp right now, it could cool down a degree or two in the next month. 3 mils is OK, but some slender women and men are doing better with a 4/3, a 5 or a 3 with an extra hood or shorty.

The majority of us leave out of Honokohau harbor, which is 2-4 miles north of most of the Kailua area. Specific hotels I often recommend are Kona Seaside for clean and inexpensive basic needs with a great location. The Royal Kona is also fairly reasonably priced, being a 40 year old Hilton, it has a resort flavor, but is nowhere near as upscale as the spendy/trendy places up north. The Keauhou Outrigger is pretty nice and went through a complete remodel about 6-8 years ago, rack rate is high for what you get, but online prices are fine. The Sheraton is a 4 star place, a bit more of a drive but still gets you to the harbor in 20-25 minutes or so. There's tons of decent condo deals out there, check ..VRBO® is Vacation Rentals by Owner® Vacation Homes Rentals by Owner for some good bargains if you want more room or a kitchen, you likely will save over the price of a hotel.

Have fun. If you're looking for a smaller boat that has an experienced crew and likes long dives, check me out.

Aloha,

 

[justleesa]

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[Jack'sDivingLocker]

Aloha! I know you are really looking forward to your Kona trip! We have many great days of diving in November...with some wind and swell thrown in from time to time. We hope you'll stop by our main shop in town to browse around. Someone described it as "boutiquey"...and I'll take that as a compliment. We put a lot of effort into it and it shows. I think you'll find our staff down to earth as well. Have a great trip and enjoy the diving and all the island has to offer!

 

[shelfrick]

I dove with Jack's Diving Locker -- although I probably have a bit of 'sentiment' for Jack's, since I did my check out dive with them in August of 2005, I do recommend them. Typically, I am not a fan of the larger dive boats, such as Jack's. However, Jack's was extremely well-run and efficient, and they had a dive master for every couple of people.

Having logged probably at least 200 dives since then, the Manta Dive with Jack's is my all time favorite dive! You should not miss that dive -- truly amazing.

 

[Teamcasa]

I also agree with what LeadTurn_SD posted but will add a few things. Get a hotel or condo in Kailua-Kona. Don’t get sucked into Waikoloa, it is just too damn far from Kona. Get a condo with Air Conditioning, many don’t have it and it can get really warm and humid if your not used to it.

We also dived with Big Island Divers and had a really terrific time, they took very good care of us and their DM’s really knew their stuff. They did not hover or make gate calls. We could just dive on our own in most of the sites. Jacks gets terrific reviews on this board and they are on my list to try on my next visit.

Schedule the night manta dive early in your trip and again late in your time in Kona. If the mantas don’t show for the first dive, you should still be able to try once more, it is a dive not to miss.

Contact Big Island divers about the night “Black Water Dive” before you leave LA. I found out the hard way that it is only once a week and we missed it last time.

Rent some tanks and dive two step. It is a very good shore dive.

Have fun, take pictures and make a complete report upon your return.

 

[Xarifa]

We just got back from the Big Island on Sunday--I didn't want to leave. This time we did stay up in Waikiloa, which worked fine as we did alot of shore diving in Kohala---but it IS a drive from Kona for certain, as Teamcasa points out. We rented tanks and weights from Kohala divers for the week--drop 'em off and swap 'em out and go dive some more. We dove 5 days and the only boat diving we did was the Manta Ray dive. I would agree with the others--it is a "not-to-be missed event." We dove two-step as well by the Place of Refuge--lots to see and easy entry and exit.

As for the Manta Ray dive, we heard that the boats go to two major places for that--the old airport and the Sheraton--and that the old airport is best for more Mantas (?)--so you might want to confirm. Also, some ops do one-tank excursions and some offer two-tanks (the dusk dive to get divers/snorkelers familiar w/the site). Some of the two-tank ops required a 3:45 check in--which was too early for us--so we chose a one-tank op that left at 5:00.

There are a lot of cheap (good value) condos available--so do your homework. Not all of the condos have restaurants/bars on site--so that's another question to ask. The upscale hotels north of Kona off Waikoloa Beach drive were full-blown resorts with full-blown prices.

As for the weather, the vog was thick to the south due to recent volcanic activity--but did not affect our diving. We dove in 3mls and shorties with no problem. If you're shore diving, the entry and exit can be tricky--but so worth it--bring gloves to avoid the urchins. Rent/buy some chairs and a cooler, and set the non-divers up on the beach for the day.

As for off-gassing, we took a coffee tour (the Kona Coffee belt) which was very short and very interesting. We also drove to Hilo and did a helicopter tour of the latest volcanic flow--we were skeptical, but glad we went--choose the op with the small 4-passenger copters that takes the doors off for the flight. Also, Volcanoes National Park was a good road trip (but I'd do another Manta dive first myself).

As for accomodations, Kona/Kailua has the most options and is the most central to dive ops (in general). Prices are better off the beach. We are never in our rooms much anymore, so we don't focus as much on how swank the rooms are--lately we focus more on location and budget (that way we get mobetta diving).

Have a GREAT time!